NEW PALTZ, NY — The SUNY New Paltz men’s soccer team ended their regular season this afternoon with a 2-0 shutout over Mount Saint Mary’s.
Midway through the opening half, sophomore forward Greg Foss (Queensbury, NY) rushed the Blue Knights (3-14) net on a breakaway. Freshman goalie Evan Spitz (Palenville, NY) came out to meet Foss and the two collided; Foss scrambled to his feet first and shot the ball on an open net to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Spitz recorded nine saves in the first half, on ten Hawks’ shots, keeping Mount Saint Mary’s within striking distance.
The Hawks (11-9) continued to control play in the second half and kept the Blue Knights in check. At the 80-minute mark, sophomore midfielder Brian Siergiej (Oceanside, NY) received a pass from sophomore forward Justin Thompson (Babylon, NY) and buried it in the back of the goal to give SUNY New Paltz a 2-0 lead.
Hawk senior goalie Alan Kuusisto (Pelham, MA) recorded his second shutout in his second regular season start.
The Hawks finished the season winning 11 of their final 15 contests to finish with an 11-9 record. Today was the final home game for Hawk seniors; Bobby Monahan (Central Islip, NY), Mike Dodge (Ridge, NY), Bryan Smith (Washingtonville, NY), Chris Daly (Washingtonville, NY) and Kuusisto.
The Hawks will ride this afternoon’s victory into the opening round of the State University of New York, SUNYAC, tournament. The third-seeded Hawks will host sixth-seeded Buffalo State this Tuesday, November 2nd, at 1:00 p.m.
