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GENEVA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team pulled off a 5-2 upset win over No. 9 William Smith College in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship Tournament Wednesday at William Smith's McCooey Field. The win served as the Hawks' first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament.

New Paltz (14-8) advances to the tournament's second round and will take on No. 5 Bowdoin College on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. at Montclair State University. Montclair State is hosting a four-team second- and third-round pod, with top-ranked Montclair State and No. 16 Mount Holyoke College facing off in an 11 a.m. second-round contest. The winners of those second-round games will play on Sunday, Nov. 17.

William Smith, which earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, finishes its season at 15-5 overall.

Senior Danielle Conklin (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) added to her legacy on Wednesday, contributing to every Hawk goal by scoring four markers and adding one assist in the victory. Conklin now holds every career program record for offensive players, as she became the all-time leader in goals with 34. Patricia Erickson set the former mark of 32 from 2002-04.

In addition, Conklin was one goal shy of tying the NCAA Tournament record for goals in a game; three different players have notched five goals in a single game in the tournament's history. She will look to chase the NCAA Tournament record for goals in a single tournament (9) beginning on Saturday against Bowdoin.

William Smith, which made its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament this year, was stymied in the loss, giving up the most goals in a single game since allowing five in a 5-0 defeat against Skidmore College on Sept. 24, 2010. Furthermore, it marked the Herons' largest margin of defeat since losing, 4-0, to Ursinus College on Oct. 16, 2010.

Conklin started off the game's scoring with an unassisted goal 9:49 into the contest, as she ripped a backhand shot to the opposite side's netting. She scored unassisted again in the 20th minute, burying a rebound off a saved shot that came from a penalty-corner opportunity.

New Paltz added to its lead at 25:38, as sophomore forward Dani Ackerman (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) cashed in on a pass from Conklin, but William Smith made it a two-goal game a minute and a half later, as senior defender Margaret McConnell fed sophomore forward Cory Connolly on a penalty-corner chance. With just less than five minutes to go until the halftime intermission, Conklin completed a hat trick with a backhand goal that came from the top right-hand side of the arc.

The Hawks, who owned a 4-1 advantage at the break, held just an 8-7 margin in shots through 35 minutes of play. Senior goalkeeper Antonija Pjetri (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) was brilliant in the first half, making five saves.

Conklin rattled the back of the cage for the fourth and final time just 1:23 into the second stanza, tapping in a pass from sophomore defender Jessica Caruana (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East). The Herons were unable to create the offensive chances they needed down the stretch to get back into the game, but they did receive a goal from senior forward Taylor Cappello off a Connolly pass in the 63rd minute to trim the deficit to three. That 5-2 score would hold until the final buzzer, and New Paltz picked up its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Pjetri finished the game with eight saves, while freshman goalkeepers Biz Chirco and Amy Feda combined to make four stops in goal for the Herons. With her eight saves, Pjetri is now the program's all-time leader in the statistical category with 437 on her career, surpassing Liz Clarke's former standard of 434 that she set from 2000-01.

New Paltz held a 14-13 edge in shots and an 8-6 margin in penalty corners.

The Hawks, who are in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, earned the SUNYAC's automatic bid by winning the SUNYAC Field Hockey Championship Tournament despite being the No. 3 seed. New Paltz lost, 6-1, to Bowdoin in its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round last year and will look to avenge that setback this Saturday.