2015 Roster
2015 Schedule
2014 Statistics
 
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Coming off a winning record in its non-conference games and looking to beat their record of 8-8-2 overall (2-5-2 SUNYAC) from 2014, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's soccer program is gearing up for what they aim to be a successful fall season.
 
"We have been working extremely hard [this year]," 18th-year head coach Colleen Bruley said. "There has been a real connection between everyone. They have been working hard for each other."
 
Upon graduating four of her starters after last season, Bruley looks to her captains, senior defender Allie Festa (Centereach, N.Y./Centereach), senior midfielder Kristina Gandolfo (Merrick, N.Y./ Sanford H. Calhoun) and junior defender Sloane Lipshie (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue), to lead the team to a triumphant season.
 
Festa, who started and played all 17 games in 2014, firing off three shots with one goal, said: "This season our goals are to come together and succeed as a team. We have been working hard during preseason and coming together to make things work. I expect my teammates to work hard and have a great work ethic. I will be working at 100 percent all the time and I need them to be doing that as well. I also expect them to be honest, trustworthy, and respectful to one another."
 
Forward:
Gabriela Cabello (Hauppage, N.Y./Smithtown West) returns for her sophomore year as a Hawk. With her fast-paced speed of play and ace ball work, Cabello started in two of the 16 matches she played and ended her freshman season with one goal for two points.
 
Junior Kara Butzke (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and newcomer Rachel Purtell (Minetto, N.Y./Oswego) provide exemplary depth for the Hawks.
 
Midfield:
Gandolfo, the team MVP and Third-Team All-Conference honoree in 2014, kicks off her senior year with her fierce attack. Last season, she appeared in all 18 games, where she tallied 11 points with four goals and three assists.
 
Senior Chelsea Weir (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) returns for her final year as a Hawk, with the aim to make a difference this season. Weir has been a key player in her past three years at New Paltz, using her speed to beat out opponents in the final third of the field. She enters this season with career totals of 13 in goals and five in assists.
 
Further, juniors Kaite Mulry (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), Skye Kaler (Charlton, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) and Hannah Moran (Albany, N.Y./Albany) have matured immensely since their first seasons and will be fundamental playmakers.
 
Sophomore Danielle Grossi (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) worked hard in the offseason and is expected to make an impact on the field.
 
Newcomer Jackie Donaldson-Hawkins (Huntington, N.Y./Harborfields) adds increased depth to the midfield.
 
Defense:
Co-captain defenders Lipshe and Festa, in conjunction with junior Alex Miller (Racho Santa Margarita, Calif./Trabuco Hills), provide a solid foundation in the back, logging over 4,000 minutes last season collectively.
 
Bruley looks forward to seeing freshman Raven Blake (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) get on the field. "She is a tremendous athlete," Bruley said. "We had a hole in our back four and I am excited to see her get on the field and work as a unit with the other girls."

Junior Allison Vaccaro (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) also will help fortify the back line, and she expects to see time in the midfield as well.

Sophomores Julia Friedman (Centerport, N.Y./Harborfields), Alexa Appel (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and Monica Rouse (Amsterdam, N.Y./Amsterdam) return to the Hawks for their second seasons and look to be ready when Bruley needs them.
 
Freshman Jamie Hectus (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) displays control that will provide support throughout the season.
 
Goalkeeper:
Between the posts, New Paltz returns sophomore Katelyn Cordero (Airmont, N.Y./Suffern). Cordero started all 18 games and closed out the season playing 1,562 minutes and fashioning a .804 save percentage.
 
New to the position for the Hawks are freshman Mary Flanagan (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and sophomore Mikaela Stiklickas (Nesconset, N.Y./The Stony Brook School).
 
Coaches:
The newest addition to the team comes from New Paltz women's soccer alumna Kelby Buckner, who will be on the sidelines with Bruley as a first-year assistant coach. Buckner is a 2015 graduate of New Paltz.
 
"She knows and understands what we need and expect," Bruley said. "She's just a great person for me and for the team."
 
Schedule:
The Hawks kick off their 2015 season with a non-conference game against Purchase College followed by the fifth-annual Michelle Vargas-Robin Memorial Tournament, where they will host Medgar Evers College and Stockton University from Sept 4-6.
 
Following a lineup of tough non-conference matches, New Paltz will enter State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play with two consecutive home matches, with the conference opener against SUNY Cortland slated for Sept. 25 at 3p.m.
 
The Hawks will then go on the road for four games before concluding the SUNYAC regular season with three home matches, with an Oct. 24 encounter against SUNY Fredonia serving as the season finale.
 
The quarterfinal round of the SUNYAC Tournament begins on Oct. 31, while the semifinal and final rounds are set for Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, respectively. The top-six teams in the final regular-season standings qualify, and the winner of the tournament earns the conference title and an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.