SUNYAC championship first round preview: No. 6 Buffalo State Bengals vs. No. 3 New Paltz Hawks
North Turf Field – New Paltz, N.Y.
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Last time out
In their last outing, the Bengals fell to their "Battle by the Lake" rivals, Fredonia Blue Devils, 9-8, in their regular season finale.
Vanessa Willick (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) led the Bengals with five points (three goals, two assists). Kira Grzechowiak (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca West) added three goals, while Emilee Josker (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) contributed a goal and an assist.
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Josker now ranks fourth all-time for career goals in Buffalo State women's lacrosse, surpassing Christina Krowel's 149 with 150.
Willick had four caused turnovers, five draw controls and six groundballs on defense.
Goalies Brielle Lum (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) and Moira Penot (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby) split time in net, with Penot tallying a career-high 13 saves.
After a three-game road stretch, the Bengals returned home aiming to close their regular season with a win over rival Fredonia in the "Battle by the Lake."
Both teams started slowly, trading early turnovers that limited chances. The Bengals then scored twice in succession for a two-goal lead and added another late in the quarter behind strong defense, entering the second period ahead by three.
The Bengals carried momentum into the second quarter, but the Blue Devils quickly responded with goals in the opening minutes and midway through the period, shifting momentum. The Bengals reclaimed a two-goal lead, but the Blue Devils answered with three straight goals to take their first lead. The Bengals scored just before halftime to tie it, 5-5.
After halftime, both sides regrouped to start the third quarter. The Blue Devils scored quickly. As pressure built and turnovers increased, both teams struggled through tough possessions. Despite the challenges, the Bengals tied the score, then took a one-goal lead in the last 30 seconds of the quarter, entering the final period ahead.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils struck, bringing the score level once more. The momentum shift favored the Blue Devils, who scored again with under seven minutes left to reclaim the lead. A Bengals goal tied the heated contest with five minutes remaining, as each team pushed to finish "Battle by the Lake" in regulation. Costly Bengals penalties soon gave the Blue Devils a player advantage, leading to the game-winning goal with less than three minutes left. Though the Bengals made a final push, their effort fell short.
How we got here
Falling in their last three matchups of the season, the Bengals were still able to lock a spot in the SUNYAC Championship Tournament, securing the sixth and final spot.
Last time we met
In their last matchup against the New Paltz Hawks, the Bengals fell at home, 14-7, in their Team Molly game. Willick led with five goals. Her five points tie her for third all-time in Buffalo State women's lacrosse (268), and her 212 career goals rank second in program history, trailing Karen Shaddock's 262.
Bri Struck (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan) had two assists, while Emilee Josker and Kaylee Cadez (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) each recorded a goal and an assist.
On defense, Dejah Evans-Murphy (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) led with three caused turnovers. Willick led with six draw controls. Kira Grzechowiak recorded three groundballs and five draw controls. Brielle Lum made nine saves in the net.
The Bengals returned home to Coyer Field to host the New Paltz Hawks for their annual Team Molly game, with Kira Grzechowiak being honored with the No. 18 jersey.
Trouble began early for the Bengals, as the Hawks scored in the first minute. This fast start set the tone for the quarter: The Bengals struggled to contain the Hawks' offensive attack, allowed five goals and trailed heading into the second quarter.
The Bengals struck first in the second quarter, finally finding the back of the net at the 10-minute marker. Afterward, the teams traded goals, each finishing the quarter with three. As a result, the Bengals trailed at halftime by five goals.
After halftime, the Bengals worked to seize momentum and scored within the opening seconds of the second half. However, this proved to be their only goal of the quarter, as the Hawks responded with four unanswered goals, increasing their lead to eight entering the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Bengals kept things competitive and netted another goal in the first minute. Still, the Hawks slowed the Bengals' attack throughout the quarter. Although the Bengals outscored the Hawks 3-2, their comeback hopes fell short, leaving them with their second SUNYAC loss of the season.
Lexi Atwater led all scorers with eight points on seven goals and an assist. Piper Mascaros and Gabriella Tommaso each saw time in the net, with Mascaros picking up the win and leading the Hawks with seven saves.
The Bengal breakdown
At 9-7 (4-5 SUNYAC), the Bengals enter the SUNYAC Championship Tournament with a sour taste in their mouths. Falling in four of their last five matchups, the Bengals will be seeking to play party crashers with a win over the New Paltz Hawks in their SUNYAC Championship first-round matchup. While things may not have ended the way the Bengals planned, this season marks the Bengals' second consecutive trip to the SUNYAC Championship Tournament, their first time doing so since the 2017-18 seasons. This season also marks their second consecutive season with a .500 or better record since the 2013-14 season.
As a team, the Bengals were led by their defense, which allowed 126 total goals, their lowest total since 2005, when they allowed 112. Their 126 total goals (7.88 GAA) rank fifth in the SUNYAC, and their 118 total saves rank fifth in the conference. On offense, the Bengals finished the season with 196 total goals (12.25 GPG), good for fourth in the SUNYAC.
Vanessa Willick leads with 86 points (59 goals, 27 assists), followed by Emilee Josker (71 points: 45 goals, 26 assists), Kaylee Cadez (48 points: 28 goals, 20 assists) and Kira Grzechowiak (43 points: 39 goals, four assists).
Record breakers
Individually, several Bengals continued to rewrite the Buffalo State women's lacrosse record book. Leading the charge was Vanessa Willick. At the start of the season, Willick was outside the top five on the career scoring list; now, after surpassing Alanna Herne's 268 points with her own 288, she holds the No. 3 spot. Additionally, Willick became the program's second player to reach 200-plus career goals, now totaling 225, putting her just behind Karen Shaddock (293). She also set new program records for career groundballs (175) and draw controls (357), replacing the previous leaders in both categories.
Willick was not the only one rewriting the record book, as Emilee Josker joined her on their journey. Another member of the career scoring leaders, Josker sat in the 17th position before the season started and made her way into the top 10 with 194 career points, surpassing Christina Krowel's mark at 175. At this point, Josker has 150 career goals, putting her in the No. 4 spot for all-time career goals.
Defensive effort
The Bengals' team effort on defense helped lead to their lowest goals-allowed season since 2005. Leading the charge in that department are defensive anchors Dejah Evans-Murphy and Syrianna Running Rabbit (Siksika, Alberta/Outreach). Running Rabbit finished fourth on the team with 20 caused turnovers, while Evans-Murphy cleaned up with 20 groundballs, also fifth on the team.
In net, Brielle Lum finished with her career high in save percentage for the season with .448, while Moira Penot also set her career high in save percentage with .527.
Scouting New Paltz
The New Paltz Hawks enter this matchup with an 11-5 overall record, finishing 7-2 in SUNYAC play. Entering the SUNYAC Championship Tournament as the No. 3 seed, they will make their last appearance in the SUNYAC Championship Tournament before leaving the conference for next season.
Leading the offensive attack for the Hawks is Lexi Atwater, who leads the conference with 71 goals for the season. Outside of Atwater, Allison Beattie finished the regular season with 62 points, on 28 goals and 34 assists, while Ava Padilla rounded out the Hawks' attack with 54 points, with 21 goals and 33 assists.
As a team, the Hawks finished second in total goals in the conference, while ranking third in goals against with 113.
The Hawks will be looking to make the SUNYAC Championship semifinals for the third year in a row and seek their first SUNYAC Championship in program history.
