NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- A big second half propelled SUNY New Paltz (4-2, 1-1 SUNYAC) to a 15-14 overtime victory against Potsdam State (3-4, 0-1) on Tuesday afternoon. Sophomore attack Bri McClusky had a career and game-high eight points on four goals and four assists to lead the Bears. Junior attack Bailey Weigel added three goals and two assists and broke her own Potsdam single-game record with 15 draw controls. Senior attack Michelle Varney also had three goals for the Bears. Talia Tesler had a game-high seven goals for New Paltz.
The two teams traded the first six goals of the contest before Potsdam pulled away with a 5-0 run late. Sophomore defender Maggie McCabe, Varney and McClusky each scored for the Bears in the opening 11:29, but the Hawks answered each time. Weigel assisted on Varney's tally and freshman attack Katie Lapinski set up McClusky's marker. Both goals came on man-up situations. Weigel started the run and put Potsdam up for good at 14:19 on an assist from McClusky. Varney made it 5-3 nearly three minutes later on another assist from McClusky. McClusky then completed her own hat trick by scoring her second and third consecutively at 11:27 and 6:47. Varney then hooked up with Weigel again for her third of the day and Potsdam led 8-3 at the break.
Weigel buried her second goal on McClusky's fourth assist just 1:06 into the final period and McCabe scored her second at 26:41 to give the Bears their largest advantage of the game at 10-3. However, New Paltz would rally with an 11-4 run to send the contest to overtime. McClusky scored her fourth of the contest on a free position at 21:07. Weigel recorded her third goal of the game at 16:33 for a 12-7 Bears lead. Potsdam freshman attack Nicole Damon struck for her second collegiate goal on an assist from junior midfielder Emily Petit to make it 13-9 with 10:24 left. At the four-minute mark, sophomore midfielder Lizzie Marchbanks scored with an assist from junior captain Katie Putnam to make it a 14-12 contest. However, Hawks Julia Johnson and Carissa Citro each scored in the final 1:55 knot the score at 14-14 after 60 minutes.
The Bears outshot New Paltz 4-2 in the six minute overtime, but it was Citro finding the back of the net at the 4:50 mark for the decisive tally.
