KINGSTON, NY — The SUNY Cortland field hockey team scored the only goal of the game early in the second half to capture their fifth consecutive State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship with a 1-0 win over SUNY New Paltz this afternoon.
Freshman forward Kristin Courtney (Hyde Park, NY) put the Red Dragons ahead in the 40th-minute when she took a pass from senior midfielder Judy Slopnick (Mohawk, NY) in front of the cage and slapped to it past sophomore goalie Nicole Kovac (Manlius, NY). Slopnick gained possession of the ball following a save by Kovac and found Courtney for the game-winner.
SUNY New Paltz, playing its second game in three days against a top-10 opponent, had some opportunities in the first half but Cortland junior goalie Jessica Anderson (East Islip, NY) stopped all four of the Hawks shots on net.
The loss dropped SUNY New Paltz to 5-9 overall and 3-2 in the SUNYAC. The Hawks’ 3-2 mark in the SUNYAC marks the first time in the five-year history of the program that they finished above .500 in conference play. The Red Dragons extended their winning streak to seven and are now 12-1 overall and 4-1 in the SUNYAC.
