NEW PALTZ, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team opened its 2026 home slate in winning fashion Wednesday afternoon, shutting out Mount Saint Mary College, 2-0.
The Hawks were effective on both ends of the field, outshooting the Knights, 9-3, while controlling the set-piece battle with six corner kicks without conceding one. Jess Centeri made two saves in net to collect her second clean sheet through three games.
Coach Bolton's squad came out aggressively, generating its first opportunity just five minutes in off the foot of Abby Macleod, but the Knights' goalkeeper turned away the chance. SUNY New Paltz earned its first corner moments later before Mount Saint Mary flipped the field for its first shot of the afternoon, which Centeri handled comfortably.
The Hawks quickly returned to dangerous territory, testing the Knights' keeper with an Erin Savarese attempt in the same minute. Grace Lien was rock solid along the back line, consistently controlling the left side of the pitch on both ends as SUNY New Paltz began to settle into the game.
Grace Norelius made an immediate impact off the bench, scoring less than a minute after checking into the contest. Samantha Gemmo worked her way down the right side before sending a well-placed cross toward the opposite side of the box, where Norelius connected with a leaping strike and buried her attempt inside the near post to break the scoreless tie.
The Hawks continued searching for a second goal before halftime, but an offside call halted a late opportunity and sent SUNY New Paltz into the break holding a 1-0 advantage.
Mount Saint Mary put the first attempt on target in the second half at the 58:36 mark, but Centeri was there for her second and final save of the contest.
SUNY New Paltz began to find success through crisp combination play as the half progressed. Starting with Lien in the back and Chiara Rutigliano through the midfield, junior captain Alyssa Deutsch worked her way into dangerous territory before delivering a driven ball toward Macleod, whose ensuing attempt caught the crossbar and bounced out in the 69th minute.
Lien helped jumpstart another push minutes later, finding Deutsch in space on the opposite half. Deutsch maneuvered down the left side with a defender on her hip before delivering a precise pass to Savarese, whose shot forced a strong save from the Knights' goalkeeper.
The sustained pressure finally paid off in the 79th minute. First-year Brie Loize collected a feed from Norelius just outside the top of the box and launched an effort over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal, doubling the Hawks' advantage at 2-0.
SUNY New Paltz generated three more corners over the final 10 minutes while its defense closed out the shutout. Macleod led the Hawks with four shots, followed by Savarese with two, while Loize, Norelius and Deutsch each added one.
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