ONEONTA, NY — The SUNY New Paltz women's soccer team could not have asked for a much better start to its 2026 campaign Saturday, as three first-half goals from three different Hawks powered the visitors to a commanding 3-0 season-opening victory over defending Mayor's Cup champion Hartwick College at Elmore Field.
SUNY New Paltz controlled the game from the opening whistle, holding Hartwick without a shot through the entirety of the first half while goals from Abby Macleod and first-years Sole O'Hara and Breanna Casey built an insurmountable advantage before the break. Jess Centeri and the Hawks' back line took care of the rest, preserving the clean sheet through 90 minutes to secure their first win of the season.
The visitors immediately established themselves in the attacking third, earning their first corner kick less than two minutes into the contest. SUNY New Paltz continued applying pressure throughout the opening stages, with Macleod eventually providing the breakthrough in the 14th minute.
The junior found the back of the net at the 13:42 mark to officially open SUNY New Paltz's scoring account for 2026 and hand her team an early 1-0 advantage.
Rather than settling after taking the lead, the Hawks continued to control possession and keep Hartwick pinned in its own half. SUNY New Paltz's persistence paid off again in the 34th minute when O'Hara Nunes doubled the advantage. The first-year found the back of the net at 33:12, scoring the first goal of her collegiate career to put the visitors firmly in control, 2-0.
With halftime approaching, another member of SUNY New Paltz's first-year class joined the scoring.
Casey provided the exclamation point to a dominant opening 45 minutes, finding the back of the net with exactly one minute remaining in the half. Her first collegiate goal gave the Hawks a commanding 3-0 advantage entering the break and marked the second debut goal of the afternoon for SUNY New Paltz.
The Hawks' dominance was equally evident defensively. Hartwick was held without a single shot in the opening half as SUNY New Paltz controlled play on both ends of the field and entered halftime with a three-goal cushion.
The defending Mayor's Cup champions came out more aggressive following the restart and generated their first shot of the afternoon early in the second half, but Centeri and the SUNY New Paltz defense remained composed.
Hartwick managed to put five attempts on frame over the final 45 minutes, with Centeri turning away each opportunity to keep the hosts off the scoreboard. The junior goalkeeper went the full 90 minutes in net and finished with five saves to earn her first shutout of the season.
With the three-goal advantage intact, SUNY New Paltz managed the remainder of the game and prevented Hartwick from generating the sustained pressure needed to cut into the deficit.
The season-opening victory featured contributions throughout the Hawks' lineup, with Macleod providing the veteran presence alongside an immediate impact from the team's newcomers. O'Hara and Casey each scored the first goals of their collegiate careers in their SUNY New Paltz debuts, accounting for two of the Hawks' three tallies.
Centeri anchored the defensive effort with five saves, while the Hawks' back line helped keep the defending Mayor's Cup champions without a shot for the game's opening 45 minutes and off the scoreboard throughout the contest.
The result gives SUNY New Paltz a 1-0 start to its inaugural season as a member of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, opening its non-conference slate with an emphatic road victory.
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