Box Score
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – After trailing, 10-9, at halftime, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's lacrosse team (6-5) scored three goals in the first 1:17 of the second half and ended up controlling the tempo for the remainder of the contest, capturing a 19-15 non-conference victory over the College of Mount Saint Vincent (5-6) on Thursday afternoon at the Turf Field.
The Hawks played well out of the gates, building a 6-3 advantage midway through the first half when junior attack player
Samantha DelGaudio (Northport, N.Y.) scored unassisted with 11:23 left to play in the period. The Dolphins, however, outscored the Hawks by a 7-3 margin in the remainder of the first stanza and took a one-goal lead into the intermission.
Senior midfielder
Brittany Bennett (Smithtown, N.Y.) ignited the offensive onslaught to follow, as she evened the tally at 10-all at 29:08 of the second half. Senior midfielder
Bridgitte Hooker (Glens Falls, N.Y.) scored 14 seconds later, and sophomore midfielder
Erin Tornatore (Glen Cove, N.Y.) tacked on a marker 11 seconds after Hooker to build a two-goal cushion. Sophomore attack player
Juli Rehain (Suffern, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder
Brittany Hunt (Saugerties, N.Y.) each added a goal to push the score out to 14-10 in favor of the home team. Mount Saint Vincent scored its first goal of the half with 23:36 remaining in regulation, but the Hawks countered with three unanswered goals. The Dolphins scored four of the game's final six goals—all of which came from Nicole Flores—but the deficit was ultimately too large to overcome.
New Paltz outshot Mount Saint Vincent, 34-30, on the afternoon, which included a 21-14 edge in the second half. The Hawks were dominant off the draw, controlling 27 draws to the Dolphins' nine. New Paltz was 8-of-10 on clear attempts, while Mount Saint Vincent was 13-of-15.
DelGaudio led the Hawk attack with five goals and one assist, while Hooker recorded four goals and two assists. Bennett finished the day with two goals and three helpers, while Tornatore chipped in with two goals and two assists. Rehain and junior midfielder
Julia Donato (Fayetteville, N.Y.) each netted a pair of scores, while Hunt and sophomore attack player
Meagan Keller (Westbury, N.Y.) added one apiece. Rehain and Hunt also provided one assist apiece. Both Tornatore and Hooker tied for the game-high in draw controls with five, while nine different Hawks caused a turnover. In net for New Paltz, junior goalkeeper
Stefanie Mignone (Farmingville, N.Y.) made eight stops and earned the win.
Flores' seven goals keyed the Dolphins offensively, while Diana Lawless provided four scores. Lauren Perla and Kristen LeGeyt each wound up with two goals and one assist. Flores claimed four ground balls to keep possessions alive for Mount Saint Vincent, and Perla claimed three draw controls. Protecting the Dolphin goal, Michelle Miller turned aside a game-high 10 shots but suffered the defeat.
New Paltz faces a tall order on Saturday, April 16, contesting No. 5 SUNY Cortland at 4:30 p.m. in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game at the Turf Field.
