November 11, 2015
New Paltz Field Hockey Edges Simmons, 1-0, in NCAA Tournament First Round
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team scored just 3:46 into an NCAA Division III Tournament first-round game against Simmons College on Wednesday at the North Turf Field and held on to edge the Sharks, 1-0. The Hawks have now prevailed in each of their past three first-round contests at the NCAA Tournament.
New Paltz, which tied its program record for single-season wins with the victory, rises to 16-5 overall and faces No. 9 Messiah College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. Simmons ends its season at 14-5.
The Hawks, who hosted an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in the history of the College in any sport, came out hot out of the gates, earning four penalty corners and taking two shots before cashing in during the fourth minute of play. Sophomore midfielder Hayley Kim (West Hurley, N.Y./Onteora) inserted the ball off a penalty corner to senior back Jessica Caruana (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East), who blasted a shot from the top of the circle that was saved by junior midfielder Amy Wilson. Kim then collected the rebound and tipped it into the goal to give New Paltz a 1-0 lead.
That goal broke a streak of 323:38 scoreless minutes of defense from Simmons, as the Sharks had not allowed a goal since Oct. 17.
New Paltz dominated the first half of play, finishing with a 10-0 margin in shots and a 10-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Simmons had one of its best scoring chances of the afternoon just 47 seconds into the second half, as sophomore forward Julie Saltamartini broke past the New Paltz back line at the midfield and had a one-on-one opportunity, with senior goalkeeper Alayna Wageman (Getzville, N.Y./Williamsville North) being the last line of defense. Wageman charged out of the goal and met Saltamartini at the top of the circle, knocking the ball away to avert the Shark scoring chance.
Minutes later, Saltamartini nearly leveled the score again, ripping off a shot that was saved by senior midfielder Dani Ackerman (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East). Simmons took just one more shot from that point forward, with junior forward Madeline Koufos tipping a shot that was kicked away by Wageman in the 67th minute.
New Paltz finished the day with a 17-3 margin in shots and a 16-1 edge in penalty corners.
Wageman made two stops in the win for New Paltz, notching her fifth shutout of the season, while junior goalkeeper Brianna Rastello turned aside eight shots in the loss for Simmons.
