NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - SUNY New Paltz scored two first quarter goals and another before halftime and the Hawks went on to defeat the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) field hockey team 5-1 in a non-league game in the Hudson Valley. Rensselaer drops to 0-5, while the Hawks improve to 3-2.

New Paltz jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a Natasia Plunkett goal just 1:35 into the game and Rachel Beam doubled the advantage with only 38 seconds left in the first quarter. Shannon Bernhardt scored 6:37 into the second quarter and Jamie Wagner had a pair of fourth quarter goals.

Rensselaer's tally came less than a minute after Wagner's second goal as senior Charisse Stakutis scored for the first time this season. 

Freshman Jen Richardson finished with 22 saves for the Engineers, who got a defensive save from Kaitlyn Stulen. Ryan Dowling made eight saves on the other end.

Rensselaer is back on the road on Saturday when it plays Nazareth College in Rochester (11:30am). New Paltz also heads to Western New York, where it will play St. John Fisher on Saturday at 4pm.