New Paltz Women's Soccer Tallies 2-0 Non-Conference Victory over Drew
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Vega (Oceanside, N.Y./Baldwin Senior) continued a red-hot October, picking up her third win and second shutout of the month, as the State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer team (11-2-1) defeated Drew University (5-6-1) in a non-conference matchup, 2-0, on a cloudy Wednesday at the Turf Field.
Vega stopped four shots on the afternoon en route to her ninth victory of the season and her seventh clean slate. Credit the Hawks' back line for keeping Vega out of trouble for 90 minutes, and also for bailing her out with a team save in the second minute of the game.
The Hawks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when senior defender Emily Rokitowski (Wappingers Fall, N.Y./Roy C. Ketchum) headed a free kick from senior defender Gabby Martino (Islip, N.Y./Islip) past the keeper to the back of the net.
Martino picked up her second assist at the 86:14 mark, feeding senior forward Samantha Abravanel (Islip, N.Y./Islip) with a pass right in front of a wide open net to push the advantage to two. Abravanel's goal marks her seventh of the season as well as her team-leading 20th point.
Kim Jaikissoon suffered the loss for the visiting Rangers, matching Vega with four saves, but allowing two Hawk goals. Caroline Kuras led the Rangers with two shots on target.
The Hawks held a 15-9 shot advantage on the afternoon, including a 7-2 edge in shots on net. They also eked out the lead in corner kicks by a 2-1 margin.
New Paltz returns to State University of New York Athletic Conference play this Saturday, Oct. 13, with a road contest at SUNY Oneonta. The Hawks and Red Dragons are set to kick off at 1 p.m.
