DANBURY, CT- The SUNY New Paltz field hockey team defeated host Western Connecticut, 2-1 (1OT), Wednesday night at the Westside Athletic Complex. New Paltz has won two straight after dropping the season opener to Drew.
The Hawks opened the scoring in the seventh minute off a corner when Alyssa Finck (Hudson/Ichabod Crane) found Lauren Nicomini (Newton, NJ/Kittatinny Regional) for the early 1-0 advantage.
With 12 minutes remaining, Western Connecticut tied the contest at 1-1 when Melissa Berardi received a pass from Meredith Stuart to even the score.
In overtime, Western Connecticut had a chance to win with the sudden death goal, but Elizabeth Tong (Woodstock/Onteora) made her first save of the game to keep the Hawks alive in the overtime session.
In the 75th minute, the Hawks would take the overtime victory when Sarah Schloss (Brant Lake/North Warren) came down the right side of the field and found Kristen Bergmann (Massapequa) on the left side of the cage for the goal. The Hawks outshot the Colonials 14-11 in the game, but the Colonials held a 7-5 advantage in corners.
Heather Stone recorded the loss in net, allowing two goals while saving five shots. Western Connecticut falls to 1-3 overall with their third straight loss.
Elizabeth Tong recorded the win in net allowing one goal and saving one shot on the night. The Hawks improve to 2-1 overall and return to the field Saturday, September 12th against nationally ranked #13 Skidmore at 1 p.m. on the Turf Field.
