MONTCLAIR, NJ - The State University of New York New Paltz men's soccer team made its New Jersey Athletic Conference debut Wednesday night, traveling to Montclair State University for its first-ever NJAC matchup at MSU Soccer Park.
The Hawks entered conference play following a strong 5-2-1 start to the season, but the Red Hawks spoiled their NJAC debut, jumping out to a three-goal advantage in the opening half before pulling away for a 5-0 victory.
Montclair State opened the scoring just 4:27 into the contest after earning a penalty kick, with Sebastian Lapczynski converting from the spot to give the hosts an early 1-0 advantage.
SUNY New Paltz looked to answer quickly and generated pressure through a series of set pieces. The Hawks earned three corner kicks over the opening 13 minutes, while Leo Steiner sent an attempt just over the crossbar in the 10th minute.
Hawks goalkeeper Austin Sheehan was called into action twice shortly after, turning away a Montclair shot in the 12th minute before denying another Red Hawk in the 16th to keep the deficit at one.
Ryan Zindler created SUNY New Paltz's best chance of the opening half in the 19th minute, putting an attempt toward the bottom-left corner that forced the Montclair State goalkeeper into a save.
The Red Hawks doubled their lead in the 24th minute; David Lamour tried to provide an answer minutes later, sending a shot wide left. Montclair State eventually added a third from the penalty spot with 5:14 remaining before halftime to take a 3-0 advantage into the break.
Montclair State carried its momentum into the second half and added to its lead in the 49th minute, with their fourth goal of the contest. The Red Hawks struck again less than seven minutes later when Kenet Lopez finished off assists from Josh Virgil and Tomas Monteiro to push the margin to five.
SUNY New Paltz continued battling through the final whistle but could not cut into the deficit as Montclair State closed out the shutout.
The Red Hawks finished with a 23-5 advantage in shots and put 13 attempts on frame compared to one for the Hawks. Montclair State held a narrow 7-5 advantage in corner kicks, while the hosts were called for 19 fouls compared to five for SUNY New Paltz.
Sheehan played all 90 minutes in goal and totaled eight saves. Zindler led the Hawks with two shots, including their lone attempt on target, while Steiner, Lamour and Owen Joyce each registered an attempt.
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