Ewing, NJ — The State University of New York New Paltz suffered a 17-5 loss to hosting No. 14 The College of New Jersey Saturday at TCNJ Lax Complex.
 
The score was deceiving from a defensive standpoint for the Hawks who played the majority of the game on their end of the restraining line with their defense manning up against some of the top offensive players in the country. The Lions ultimately out-shot SUNY New Paltz, 32-9, including 21-6 in shots on goal, while winning 13-of-23 draw controls. The Hawks suffered 20 turnovers with TCNJ forced into 16 and in the midfield, the visitors were successful on just 10-of-26 clears while the Lions went 13-for-15.
 
The Hawks made TCNJ work late into the shot clock and on the game's opening possession the hosts ultimately scored on their first attempt at cage. The defense stood up for another long possession following a draw win for the Lions with Piper Mascaros (4 saves) making a nice stop low. The rest of the group marked up well, but with a new 60 on the shot clock the Lions added on as SUNY New Paltz was called on a tough foul that resulted in a free position goal.
 
The Hawks were handed a green card in the midfield after a lost draw control, but its defense stood up man-down making the Lions work the ball around and all they could find was a shot through senior defender Sam Wohlmut who slid on Evie Campbell. Campbell was handed a yellow on the dangerous propel. Wohlmut cleared the other way and had a path to goal but couldn't get an attempt off as TCNJ forced a turnover and got back down on offense for another set. The hosts milked their own card and capitalized with a goal to go up 3-0 with six minutes left.  
SUNY New Paltz struggled in the circle and as a result didn't earn a possession on offense until the five-minute mark of the first quarter. Helena Willis was awarded a free position attempt after getting hit in the arc on a drive. She found one-more in Lexi Atwater who buried the attempt to trim the deficit to 4-1.
 
Although SUNY New Paltz had the ball to start the second, it looked at a quick man-down situation following a green card on a foul to start the quarter. TCNJ scored again following a save and clear on a free position attempt. Katie Picarello got the Hawks back on the board though, connecting on a free position attempt with just less than six minute to play. The opportunity came following a three-second call in the 8-meter resulting in Picarello's third goal of the year.
 
However, TNCJ owned the final five minutes of the first half, scoring four unanswered after winning the draw on each ensuing score. SUNY New Paltz defense continued to work overtime on its side and ultimately, the Lions took advantage and meticulously built a strong cushion. They opened the third quarter with a highlight goal, snagging a tough pass in front of net before quick-sticking past Gabriella Tommaso (4 saves) within the first minute of the second half whistle.
 
SUNY New Paltz answered three minutes later, as Wohlmut was hit twice as she cleared the ball over cleanly resulting in a TCNJ green card. Willis then fired a nice feed inside to a cutting Ava Padilla who finished for the score to bring the deficit down, 11-3.
 
The Hawks defense forced a turnover in their man-down zone, but they couldn't clear the other way with the ball coming back down again. SUNY New Paltz's defense remained stout, making the Lions work through each possession, but they broke through with two goals in the final five minutes to create a running clock entering the fourth.
SUNY New Paltz scored its fourth goal following a clear by Mia Baldinger. Allison Beattie threaded a nice feed to Padilla cutting from X and the junior did well to bury the attempt to cut the deficit to 10 with about 10 minutes remaining. The Lions answered with another three minutes later. Wohlmut picked a pass on the defensive end to start a fastbreak the other way for the Hawks, but TCNJ showed its athleticism to get a stick on a pass from Beattie on a what could-have-been 3-v-2 with the Lions running the other way and scoring following a free position attempt.

Beattie capped the scoring in the final minute on a free position goal, ripping a shot low to create the final 17-5 final score.
 
Padilla (2 goals), Beattie (1 goal, 1 assist) and Willis (2 assists) each had a team-high two points. Wohlmut and Whitman galvanized the defense, as the former tallied a team-high three caused turnovers and a draw control with the latter adding two ground balls and a caused turnover. Atwater totaled a goal on four shots with a ground ball and a team-leading four draw controls. Baldinger finished with two ground balls, two caused turnovers and three draws.
 
SUNY New Paltz returns to action Wednesday, going back down to New Jersey to face Kean University at 4 p.m.
 

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