MAHWAH, NJ — The SUNY New Paltz field hockey team picked up its first NJAC victory in emphatic fashion Wednesday afternoon, rolling past Ramapo College, 5-0, at the Athletic Center.
The Hawks (4-7 overall) controlled the game from the opening whistle, generating a season-high 41 shots with 24 landing on goal while limiting the Roadrunners to nine attempts. SUNY New Paltz improved to 1-1 in NJAC play with the win.
Maya O'Keefe opened the scoring just 1:16 into the game. SUNY New Paltz immediately put Ramapo under pressure, with Ashley McGough forcing a save 50 seconds into the contest before the Hawks earned a penalty corner eight seconds later. O'Keefe capitalized shortly after, finding the back of the cage for her second goal of the season to give the visitors an early advantage.
SUNY New Paltz continued to pepper the cage throughout the opening quarter, totaling 13 shots and putting seven on target. The Hawks maintained the pressure into the second and doubled their advantage in the 24th minute. McGough set up Abigail Bozzanca, who converted for her third goal of the year to send SUNY New Paltz into halftime holding a 2-0 lead.
The Hawks continued controlling possession after the break, producing another 14 shots and five penalty corners in the third quarter. Despite the sustained pressure, Ramapo kept SUNY New Paltz off the board in the period and remained within two entering the final 15 minutes.
McGough broke through for her first goal of the afternoon at 46:08 off a feed from O'Keefe, extending the Hawks' advantage to three. Less than three minutes later, the junior struck again to push the score to 4-0. McGough capped the dominant fourth quarter in the 55th minute, completing the hat trick with her third goal in a span of just over eight minutes and putting the finishing touches on the 5-0 victory.
The Carmel native produced a dominant offensive performance, finishing with three goals and an assist while accounting for 22 of SUNY New Paltz's 41 shots and putting 14 attempts on cage. O'Keefe added three points with a goal and an assist, while Bozzanca rounded out the scoring with her third goal of the season.
SUNY New Paltz held a 41-9 advantage in shots and a 24-6 edge in shots on goal while earning nine penalty corners. Grace Grant made four saves through nearly 51 minutes in the cage before Kate Comiskey closed out the final 9:01 with two stops, combining for the Hawks' second shutout of the season.
******************
To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.
