New Paltz, NY — Despite a strong showing in the first, the State University of New York at New Paltz could not overcome a second-half deficit and fell to the Union Garnet Chargers, 1-0.
The Hawks (2-1) came out strong in the first few minutes of play, notably midfielders
Owen Joyce,
Kieran Weber and
Alex Wyant, who catalyzed SUNY New Paltz's seemingly effortless ball movement in the middle third.
The Hawks' frontline also put on an impressive performance early on. In the first alone, SUNY New Paltz fired all of its on-frame attempts against Union (1-1), but were not able to complete any of the runs.
Weber was the first to attempt on net, as the junior struck a ball low six minutes in, but the shot was saved by Union goalkeeper Jacob Perry. Soon after, a corner from
Brandon Dhanoolal in the 15th minute gave
Ryan Bochenski an opportunity, but the seniors tricky shot was also denied by Perry.
Two minutes later,
Ryan Zindler one-timed a pass from
Riley Tait, but the attempt on net soared over the crossbar. Union took advantage of the change of possession and raced downfield. The Garnet Chargers tried to send one past Hawks' goalkeeper
Joe Washington, but the junior smothered the loose ball in time to stop Union's advance.
SUNY New Paltz was inching closer to a goal until the 38th minute of play, when the match's momentum swung away from the Hawks' favor.
Weber crossed a ball toward Wyant in the box, where the senior netted a shot past Perry. SUNY New Paltz gathered in the corner to celebrate, until a late call deemed the goal no good, as Wyant was deemed offside on the play.
Despite the unfortunate call, the Hawks attempted to rally in the seven minutes remaining of the first. The frontline caused two corner opportunities, but neither was taken advantage of. The buzzer rang for halftime, the score still tied 0-0.
A new spark was lit beneath both teams to start the second, as both came out aggressively as soon as the whistle blew. Five minutes into the half, that energy came to a head in the Hawks' defensive end. While tracking down a loose ball,
Leo Steiner was dealt a yellow card in SUNY New Paltz's 18-yard box, granting Union a penalty kick. Justin Ely set the shot and chipped it past Washington for the first goal of the match.
Although the Garnet Chargers held the 1-0 advantage, the intensity on the field did not wane. Union was handed a yellow in the 63rd minute after numerous minor fouls from both squads, but the Hawks could not capitalize on the subsequent free kick. Just more than 10 minutes after the Garnet Chargers' yellow, SUNY New Paltz's Brian Lizama was given one as well, which did not result in an advantage for Union either.
In the 83rd minute, the Hawks tried once more to knock one in. Dhanoolal sent a free kick toward the backside post, attempting to meet Zindler for a header. Unfortunately, the attempt went out left, ceasing the opportunity for SUNY New Paltz. With only minutes remaining, neither team put up another shot, and Union took the marginal 1-0 victory.
Despite the loss, the Hawks out shot the Garnet Chargers 8-3, placing five on net compared to the visitors' one on frame. Joyce, Bochenski and Wyant all played 90 minutes for the Hawks, as well as Washington, who earned his second career start in the contest. Perry was the standout for the Garnet Chargers, recording five saves on the day.
The Hawks return to South Turf on Saturday. They are set to face Scranton at 1 p.m.
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