A Quick Look
In a high-scoring affair, host SUNY Oneonta came out on top of SUNY New Paltz today in SUNYAC women's lacrosse action 17-14.  The victory for the Red Dragons kept them perfect at 2-0 in the conference while raising its overall record to 6-4.  The loss for the Hawks was its first of the season in conference play, as they are now 7-3 overall and 3-1 in the SUNYAC.
 
The Inside Story
The largest lead by either squad was towards the end of the contest when a goal by junior Victoria Varone (Commack/Commack) gave Oneonta a 16-12 advantage with under eight minutes to go.
 
The two teams went goal-for-goal for the opening 13 minutes of the contest until back-to-back tallies by Oneonta gave them a two-goal cushion.  After a Rachel Purtell free position goal brought the Hawks back to within one score, junior Shannon Giddens (Franklin Square/H Frank Carey) and sophomore Sophia Calabrese (Bethlehem/Bethlehem Central) gave the Red Dragons a 9-6 lead heading into halftime.
 
New Paltz did not go away quietly battling back to tie the game at 11 apiece on a goal by Purtell just under ten minutes into the second half.
 
The Red Dragons countered with three unanswered goals, one each by Giddens, senior Kelsey Cohen (Baldwin/Baldwin) and sophomore Lily Avazis (Port Washington/Schreiber).
 
The Hawks scored a pair of goals to get as close as 16-14 with less than five minutes remaining, but the Oneonta defense stiffened anchored by goalie Lexi Keen (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) securing the win.
 
Just the Stats
Cohen led the offense with five goals while Calabrese added three goals and two assists.  Avasis, Giddens, Varone and sophomore Deirdre Buckley (Merrick/Kellenberg Memorial) all scored two goals each.  Senior Lauren Bascelli (Williston Park/Herricks) contributed three helpers.
 
New Paltz held a slight 38-34 advantage in shots, but Oneonta came out ahead on draw controls, 21-11, including 10 by Varone.
 
Oneonta was successful on 20-of-26 clear attempts and converted 5-of-15 free position attempts.  The Hawks were 17-of-25 on clears and were successful on 4-of-9 free position attempts.
 
Keen made eight saves in the game while her counterpart, Haley Timarky, made six stops.
 
What's Next
Oneonta will travel to SUNY Geneseo on Friday for another SUNYAC contest beginning at 6pm.