New Paltz, NY — The stage is set for the SUNYAC Tournament hosted by the State University of New York at New Paltz Friday and Saturday on North Turf Field.

The No. 2 seeded Hawks are scheduled to face the No. 3 Cortland Red Dragons in the semifinal round at 1:30 p.m. while No. 1 seeded Salisbury will face No. 4 seed Oneonta at 11 a.m.

"The team is really excited about this weekend," said SUNY New Paltz senior forward and captain Rachel Tama. "We've been working all season for this and we are prepared. My past two years, we just fell short of that trophy and that has definitely motivated us and we are ready to bring it home on our turf." 

In the regular season, the Hawks (10-8, 4-1 SUNYAC) took a 2-1 victory over the Red Dragons due to goals from Tama and freshman Maddie Betts, both being assisted by sophomore Ashley McGough. McGough leads the team offensively this season, tallying a team-most nine goals with two assists. Tama follows with eight goals and three game winners, along with a team-high 13 assists thus far. In the middle, Meghan Gunning has filled the center midfield position left vacant by All-American Hannah Ackerman with ease, as the senior has two goals and four assists over eighteen games played and started in this year. Miranda Britton and Maya Okeefe complete the offensive force, combining for 13 goals and two assists this season.
 

SUNY New Paltz's defensive unit continues to shine in the latter part of the season. A notable performance came against the No. 1 nationally ranked Christopher Newport University, where goalie Gail Comiskey earned 17 saves and NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week accolades on the slight 1-0 loss. Comiskey has had a career year for the Hawks, totaling a career-high 87 saves and a .806 save percentage with only 21 goals against in 16 games played. The unit is rounded out by seniors Madeline Meyer and Madelyn Graves, alongside sophomore captain Sophia Bronzi and junior Gabriella Barth. 

"A big focus for us going into playoffs is playing to our potential," Comiskey said who also serves as a co-captain for her club. "We are lucky to continue our season and host for the first time in a while." 
Moving on from the Hawks' first win over Cortland (7-10, 3-2 SUNYAC) in four years, the Red Dragons are looking to take back the advantage in the rivalry. After graduating the SUNYAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year last season, as well as five other All-SUNYAC players, Cortland has relied heavily on its underclassmen to drive it to victory this year. Sophomore midfielder Adrienne Mayes leads the team in goals (6) and is tied for second in assists (2) while freshman defensive midfielder Lillian Morse follows with four goals and one assist.

However, no offensive threat can be ignored as Cortland's offense sports 11 scorers on the year, with the frontline netting an average of 1.47 goals per game for 25 goals this fall. In net, senior goalkeeper and former All-SUNYAC First Team honoree Emma Morgan has started and played in every contest for the Red Dragons and boasts a .735 save percentage with 72 saves and 26 goals against. 

On the other side of the bracket, the No. 4-seeded Oneonta Red Dragons are set to take on the top-seeded Salisbury Gulls. Since entering the conference at the start of the 2025 season, Salisbury (15-2, 5-0 SUNYAC) has dominated. The Gulls have defeated every SUNYAC competitor by at least five goals and have not let up a point in conference play. Oneonta (9-7, 2-3 SUNYAC) fell against the Gulls, Cortland and SUNY New Paltz in the regular season, but the unexpected is to be expected in postseason play. 

"Playoffs are so unique because every team gets a clean slate," Comiskey said. "With that, we want to play to our standard. Cortland and Salisbury are good teams, but if we play our game then I have full faith in our group that we can go far. 

The winner of Oneonta versus Salisbury will advance to play the winner of SUNY New Paltz and Cortland. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday at noon on North Turf Field.

"We've been working really hard all week and just ready to leave it all out there this weekend," said Tama. "We want to play the New Paltz Field Hockey way and come away with two strong wins."

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