NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Tournament MVP Hannah Ackerman scored the game's lone goal late in the first quarter to lead the nationally 17th-ranked New Paltz field hockey team to a 1-0 victory versus 15th-ranked Cortland Saturday afternoon in the title game of the 2021 SUNYAC Field Hockey Tournament. The Hawks improved to 16-2 on the season and earned an automatic NCAA Div. III playoff berth. The Red Dragons dropped to 16-2 and await a possible at-large bid. The NCAA tournament field will be revealed on Sunday at ncaasports.com.

Senior goalie Megan McGuinness (Carle Place) made seven saves for Cortland, which was shut out for the first time this season. Freshman Carolena Purpura (Centerport/Harborfields) registered a defensive save.

Jessica Ascencao assisted on Ackerman's goal. Goalie Ryan Dowling turned aside six shots, including all five she faced in the third quarter. Ascencao and Julia Cummings each recorded a defensive save.

The Red Dragons created the first scoring chance, but Ascencao made a defensive save on junior Lily Fox (Northport) at the 11:09 mark of the opening quarter. Just over a minute later, Purpura denied a shot by Ascencao, but Ackerman followed up with the game-winning goal 2:36 before the end of the first quarter. Little action occured in the second quarter as New Paltz held a 2-0 advantage in shots.

Early in the third quarter, the Red Dragons unleashed a flurry of five shots, four off penalty corners, but Dowling denied two chances by Fox and freshman Keirra Ettere (Mahopac/Lakeland) and one bid by freshman Hanna Corrigan (Barneveld/Holland Patent) to keep Cortland off the scoreboard. The fourth quarter featured very tight play with much of the action in the midfield as neither team was able to generate a shot and the Hawks held on for the 1-0 victory.

Joining Ackerman on the All-Tournament Team are Ascencao, Kayla Ahern, Natasia Plunkett and Courtney Kruzikas of New Paltz; McGuinness, Ettere and Corrigan of Cortland; Erin Clark and Emily Raymond of Oneonta; and Olivia Hernick and Cassidy Sturdevant of Geneseo.

New Paltz 1, Cortland 0

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: no scoring
New Paltz: Hannah Ackerman 1-0, Jessica Ascencao 0-1

Halftime: New Paltz 1, Cortland 0
Shots: New Paltz 9, Cortland 8
Penalty Corners: Cortland 5, New Paltz 2
Saves: Megan McGuinness (Cortland) 7 saves (1 GA in 60:00); Ryan Dowling (New Paltz) 6 saves (0 GA in 60:00)

Record after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 16-2 (ranked 15th in Div. III), New Paltz (Hawks) 16-2 (ranked 17th in Div. III)