New Paltz, NY — A late first half hole was the downturn in the State University of New York New Paltz conference opener against Oswego Saturday on North Turf Field.
 
The Hawks (3-7 overall, 0-1 SUNYAC) cut the difference to one early in the second quarter, but unforced miscues allowed the Lakers (5-3, 1-0) to build on what turned into a 6-0 run that proved as the difference in the eventual, 11-6 SUNY New Paltz loss.
 
Oswego held the advantage in shots, 54-31 but dominated possession in the opening 30 minutes as they out-shot the Hawks, 30-9, with the hosts suffering nine of their 12 turnovers in the first two quarters.
 
The Lakers won the opening draw and had an extended offensive possession with SUNY New Paltz playing sound defensively. Zach Novak came up with back-to-back saves in the opening set, but Oswego retained the ball with a re-set on the shot clock. The Hawks even forced a loose ball but couldn't register the caused turnover as the Lakers picked up the ground ball to keep possession and eventually capitalized, scoring late in the shot clock to take a 1-0 lead. They won the ensuing faceoff and SUNY New Paltz collided on the wings, allowing for a fast break the other way resulting in a quick second goal.
 
The Hawks defense made another long defensive stand, as Novak came up with a stop but SUNY New Paltz couldn't transition the ball as the Lakers picked off the pass and ran through their offense again, leading to their third goal. Oswego took another turn on offense after another faceoff win, but Novak registered another stop and the Hawks this time cleared, crossing the midline for the first time in the game with 8:55 left in the period.
 
SUNY New Paltz earned a good look out of the set, moving the ball and finding Anthony Senecal for a slip inside but his shot was just high of the mark. The Hawks had a prime opportunity for their first goal though two minutes later, as the Lakers were hit with a delay of game penalty but the man-up was wasted with an unforced turnover, allowing Oswego to kill the time. James Flanagan made up for the chance next time down the field, as he juked his defender and sent a shot from the right side, but his attempt dinged off the pipe to keep the Hawks off the board. The goal finally came with less than two minutes to go in the period, as Ethan Scully drove to cage and ripped a shot far netting for his 12th of the year.
 
 
SUNY New Paltz did well to start the second period, needing to slow consecutive fast breaks by Oswego. Yasin Tabatabaee got his stick in the passing lane to bat down a ball, resulting in a turnover before Novak made a really nice foot save on a shot low stick side to keep the difference at two. The work was rewarded on the offensive end, as Finn Smith hit a laser that painted the corner of the cage to trim the score to 3-2 with less than 10 minutes to go in the half. The Lakers made sure to not allow the Hawks build on the highlight score, winning the next possession on a faceoff violation and running through their set and eventually catching SUNY New Paltz on a late slide for an open man in front of net for their fourth goal of the game.  
The flood gates then opened, and Oswego went off for two more in the matter of two minutes to go up, 6-2 and then scored again on a man-up opportunity with about 5:30 to go. A dropped pass on the offensive end led to the Lakers final goal of the half, as they ran and scored to extend their cushion to 8-2 at the break.
 
Oswego took its largest lead at 9-2 with a goal to start the second half, but SUNY New Paltz started to settle in and slowly worked its way back into the game. Tabatabaee forced a turnover, and the Hawks cleared, leading to a goal by Killian Yombor with less than nine minutes to play in the third. Flanagan added on five minutes later, getting his hands free for a side-arm rip that tagged the inside of the pipe to trim the score to 9-4. The Lakers answered to end the quarter, however, forcing SUNY New Paltz into a six-goal deficit entering the fourth.
 
Scully scored his second to start the final 15 minutes and Senecal then put his team within striking distance at 10-6 with still 8:20 to play, but the Hawks struggled to find their composure in front of the goal, eating two transition opportunities with numbers going the other way. The result allowed the Lakers to add an insurance goal which ultimately capped the game at 11-6.
 
Novak had a career performance, totaling a season-best 21 saves, which ranked tied for sixth most in program history alongside 2024 alumni Ryan Steinhart. Senecal, Scully, Flanagan and Smith each had two points. Harrington led the team with three ground balls, while Hulede, Reed, Senecal and Tabatabaee each had a caused turnover.
 
SUNY New Paltz is on short rest, as it faces Skidmore College Monday on the road at 4 p.m.
 

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