New Paltz, NY — For the first time since 2022, the State University of New York at New Paltz is set to host the SUNYAC Quarterfinal round at South Turf Field, where the No. 4 seeded Hawks will face the No. 5 seeded Oneonta Red Dragons Saturday.

"It's playoffs, they know no matter who we play, it's going to be a really challenging environment," said Hawks coach Kyle Clancy. "We've got some good leadership and guys who are going to keep the team grounded and understand what the level of mentality and composure that's needed in these environments is."

Earlier in the regular season, SUNY New Paltz (10-3-4) defeated the Red Dragons (10-4-3) 1-0 to clinch its first win over Oneonta since 2021. A 13th minute goal by Alex Wyant pushed the Hawks past the Red Dragons, and despite playing man down for more than 80 minutes due to a red card violation, SUNY New Paltz held off the hosts for the rest of the match.  

"The senior class overall have been awesome, they're a very selfless group," Clancy said. "Alex in particular just always has that ability to come up big in those big moments." 

The Hawks and Red Dragons are currently tied for second in the conference in goals (37) while SUNY New Paltz leads Oneonta in assists with 34 compared to the Red Dragons' 32. Between the teams, Wyant and sophomore Ryan Zindler stand out on the stat sheet, with Wyant positioned at third in the conference for total points and is tied in the same place with Oneonta's Tommy Kliampas for total goals (8). Zindler is tied in first in the conference for assists on the season with eight, rivaled by Buffalo State's Diego Rivera. 
Offensively, the scoring has been spread for SUNY New Paltz, with nine players scoring a goal or more over the course of the season. Senior forward Colin Brant has had a breakout final year, totaling five goals and two assists so far. The midfield, led by Wyant, has contributed on both sides of the ball. Kieran Weber is second on the team in goals (5) and is tied for third in assists (4), both career high stats for the junior. Freshmen Owen Joyce and transfer junior David Lamour have also made immediate impacts in the lineup, combining for four goals and four assists on the year. 

Defensively, the Hawks prove to be a force, led by senior Ryan Bochenski and junior captain Samuel Snider while junior Nico Peralta and freshman Leo Steiner round out the unit. Over the course of the season, the Hawks' backline have only allowed 48 out of 123 shots from opponents to land on target, and on the other end, the frontline is outscoring their matchups 37-13 overall. 

In net, James Cintron has been a consistent starter for the Red Dragons, and sports a .776 save percentage on 139 shots faced. For the Hawks, Matt Katz has seven wins under his belt with a .769 save percentage on 79 shots faced. Joe Washington has also been in net for SUNY New Paltz, with seven games played and three tallied wins for the junior alongside a .588 save percentage. 

But besides the numbers and statistics, this years' squad is proving to be much different than teams in the past. 

"I would say one of the biggest things that this team compared to past teams has shown me is they're a resilient group," said Clancy. "They're hardworking, they're gritty, they're tough. When they get into these difficult situations, they've just shown a different ability to overcome adversity and to handle challenging and stressful situations."

Following a challenging non-conference schedule, the Hawks entered conference play with a winning 5-1-2 record. SUNY New Paltz only suffered two SUNYAC losses, coming up short against then No. 11 nationally ranked Cortland, 2-0, on Sep 27. Its other loss was against the Plattsburgh Cardinals on Oct 15, 2-1. 

Since facing the Cardinals, the Hawks have remained lossless and are entering the quarterfinals coming off a dominant 5-0 win against the SUNY Canton Roos on Oct 25. 

"They're practicing well [and] they're really confident," said Clancy. "I think showing what they were capable of in the game last week gives them a bit of an extra boost."

Last year, SUNY New Paltz faced off against Plattsburgh in the quarterfinals and came away with a win in penalties, outshooting the Cardinals 5-3. Unfortunately, the Hawks fell in the semifinals round versus Buffalo State, but this year the squad enters the SUNYAC tournament with a valiant mindset. 

"They don't fear anybody," said Clancy. "Whether we were playing Oneonta, Cortland, Buffalo State, Plattsburgh or Fredonia, it wouldn't matter. They are a very confident group."

Kick-off against the Red Dragons is scheduled for 2 p.m. The winner of the quarterfinal will go on to face the Cortland Red Dragons Nov. 5 with game time to be announced. On the other side of the bracket, the Fredonia Blue Devils and Plattsburgh Cardinals will face off at the same time as SUNY New Paltz and Oneonta, before the winner moves on to play Buffalo State in the semifinal round. 

"The crowd support would be awesome from the student body and from the other athletes," said Clancy. "We're really excited and looking forward to a good challenge."

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