Box Score New Paltz, NY – Up 2-0 at halftime against King's College Saturday, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's soccer team had a little déjà vu.
In their previous match up against Vassar College the Hawks saw their two goal lead disappear in the second half, but against the Monarchs (4-3) they made sure to walk off the field with a different result.
"We addressed it really quickly on how seriously we need to take halftime and the next 45 minutes. How we need to create a little bit better of an attitude and environment to finish off games," said SUNY New Paltz coach
Kyle Clancy following his team's 3-1 win. "It was something we didn't do well last game, but they did a much better job this game. Great energy, great defensive work."
The Hawks continued their hot first-half start, as they quickly put pressure on King's College's back line, and soon got on the board in the ninth minute.
Ryan Martinez helped SUNY New Paltz earn a corner following a solid strike from just outside the 18-yard box, with Monarch's goalkeeper Owen Geedey (four saves) making an impressive diving stop.
Kevin Doorley stepped up to take the kick and picked up his second-straight assist, as his cross found the head of teammate Sebastian Gordon-Somers-Archer who tallied his second goal of the season.
The Hawks doubled up on their lead 30 minutes later, as
Nick Comiskey came crashing in on a rebound off the initial cross by
Coltan Goodwine.
King's College nearly cut the deficit in half as time wound down before the break after earning a free kick just outside the box. However, SUNY New Paltz goalkeeper
John Guzzo came up big, as the senior got a hand on the shot that was headed toward the left corner of the net.
"I just set up my wall well, knew when to put four and when to put five," said Guzzo. "I was just in good position for each save and our goalie coach always helps me out, so going into the game I know what I need to do each time."
The Monarchs came out strong in the following half, but the Hawks defense stepped up and held the advantage. Their one blemish came in the 60
th minute, as Zach Wolcott found space down the right flank and played a ball in their air to an open Liam McLoughlin in the box, who headed in King's College's only goal of the game.
"There was one slip up [defensively] and it was a clear break down," Clancy said. "Half the group pressed and half the group stayed back, so we have to work a bit on that, not getting so stretched out in the second half. But overall, I was really pleased with how we played."
But the one-goal game didn't last long. Thirty seconds after the score SUNY New Paltz earned a penalty kick, which Martinez calmly placed in the back of the net, pushing the advantage 3-1.
"We talked about what was going to happen when adversity hits and about discipline and determination, and the guys just being able to attack adversity and change the momentum right back," said Clancy. So the challenge was on them to do that and they did it, so that was great."
The Monarchs continued to press and had numerous opportunities in the Hawks' defensive third. They had five set pieces within 40 yards of their goal in the second half, but Guzzo and his defense stayed firm, and ultimately held on to the final 3-1 score.
"New Paltz has some monsters and they are going to win in the air," said King's College coach Mark Bassett. "I think had some circumstances in the game not gone our way, we probably would have gotten a little bit closer in a hard fought game. But New Paltz is a good team and hats off to them for getting the result."
Guzzo finished a solid day with four saves, and the Hawks improved to 4-3 after the victory.
"Win felt good," added Guzzo. "Conference play starts next week so we definitely needed a win going into it. Last game we had against Vassar we played good in the first half and not so good in the second half, so this time we needed to bounce back and hold the lead in the second half."
King's College ended up out-shooting SUNY New Paltz, 10-9, but the Hawks held the advantage in shots on target (7-5).
"I think the guys showed a lot of character fighting back," Bassett said. "I think we struggled a little bit in the first half with our marking in the middle of the field and New Paltz got a good break as a result of that. Second half we came out flying and I was really pleased with the guys reaction to that."
The Hawks have a week until their back in action. They start SUNYAC play on Friday and Saturday on the road against SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland, respectively.
SUNY New Paltz will take on the Lakers at 3 p.m. and then the Red Dragons at 1 p.m. For live updates of both games follow
@nphawks on Twitter.