CORTLAND, N.Y. – Junior Shelby Kondelka (Bloomingburg/Pine Bush) scored midway through the first half and the goal stood up as the second-seeded New Paltz women's soccer team defeated nationally 23rd-ranked and top-seeded Cortland, 1-0, Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the SUNYAC Tournament. The Hawks improved to 13-5-2 and earned the automatic NCAA Div. III berth with the victory. The Red Dragons, who had their 10-game unbeaten streak snapped, fell to 12-5-2 and await a possible at-large NCAA bid.

Cortland graduate student goalie Pam Monnier (East Northport/Northport) made four saves, and New Paltz junior goalie Stephanie Vega (Oceanside/Baldwin Senior) stopped five shots. Vega was named the Tournamenet MVP after posting two shutouts in the tournament.

Cortland had the first chance to put a goal on the scoreboard in the 12th minute. Sophomore Kelly Knight (Rochester/Greece Olympia) possessed the ball on the left side of the box, cut inside a defender but put an open 15-yard shot over the crossbar. Ten minutes later, Kondelka scored the game's lone goal. On a free kick just outside of the box, senior Alexa Balestrieri (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) struck a high shot off a touch from senior Shannon Cobb (Poughkeepsie/Arlington). Monnier denied the shot with a leaping save, but the ball bounced off the crossbar and back into the box where Kondelka finished off the play with a clean header for her team-high ninth goal of the season. Moments later, New Paltz nearly made it a 2-0 game, but freshman Eleni Anselmi's (Garnerville/North Rockland) shot from 18 yards out hit the left post.

In the second half, Cortland pressed for the tying goal, controlling much of the play, out shooting the Hawks, 11-3, over the final 45 minutes. Senior Jackie De Luise (Schenectady/Guilderland) had the Red Dragons' first opportunity in the second half, sending an open 16-yard shot wide right. In the 80th minute, senior Bridgette DeSantis (Rotterdam/Mohonasen) forced Vega to stop her 15-yard shot.

In the closing minutes, New Paltz dropped almost every player back defensively as Cortland pressed for the equalizer. The Hawks nearly added an insurance goal on a counterattack in the 84th minute, but junior Beth Bowling's (Islip) 18-yard one-time shot sailed over the crossbar. The Red Dragons had one last chance with just under two minutes remaining. DeSantis blasted a 20-yard shot that Vega stopped with a leaping save. In the final seconds, the Hawks were able to clear the ball past midfield to seal the win and the SUNYAC title.

De Luise, along with seniors Jennifer Cadolino (Massapequa) and Kelly Wanser (East Northport) were Cortland's selections to the All-Tournament Team. Besides Vega, Cobb and juniors Samantha Abravanel (Islip) and Emily Rokitowski (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) earned All-Tournament Team honors for New Paltz. Rounding out the All-Tournament squad were Olivia Panepinto and Julia Sanger of Geneseo and Reilly Condidorio and Lyz Dembrow of Fredonia St. 

New Paltz 1, Cortland 0

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
New Paltz: Shelby Kondelka 1-0, Alexa Balestrieri 0-1
Cortland: no scoring

Halftime: New Paltz 1, Cortland 0
Shots: Cortland 20, New Paltz 10
Corner Kicks: Cortland 4, New Paltz 2
Fouls: New Paltz 9, Cortland 6
Saves: Stephanie Vega (New Paltz) 5 (0 GA in 90:00); Pam Monnier (Cortland) 4 (1 GA in 90:00)
Record after game: New Paltz (Hawks) 13-5-2; Cortland (Red Dragons) 12-5-2