Patchogue, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz men's lacrosse team fell to St. Joseph's-Long Island, 5-4 in a battle to the final minute Saturday. With cancellations of its last two games, the Hawks (0-2 overall) went into the matchup playing for just the second time and despite the loss, coach Dwayne Stewart was pleased in the improvements his team showed Saturday. "We improved tremendously from a composure standpoint," Stewart said. "The game wasn't too big for our minds. The more games we play, the better we will be able to handle different types of game situations." The Golden Eagles (1-0) came out strong, scoring three goals with junior goalie Nate Lindsey making seven saves in just the first quarter. The Hawks fought hard on defense causing seven turnovers. "Our defense competes and takes their defensive assignments very seriously," Stewart said. "We forced shots that we wanted for our goalkeepers. We have a solid defense and great goaltenders." Patrick Harnaga SUNY New Paltz scored the lone goal of the second quarter three minutes and 50 seconds in. Junior attacker Thomas Armetta was assisted by junior midfielder Aiden Jones, closing out scoring for the quarter early. Lindsey made his last two saves before sophomore Ryan Steinhart came in to finish the second half of action. SUNY New Paltz tied the score at 4-4 after another goal by Armetta with 12:42 to go in the fourth. The Hawks had a hard-fought quarter with Steinhart making 10 saves, but the Golden Eagles snuck one through with 41 seconds left in the game. With a valiant effort, a final shot was wide by Armetta with just six seconds left. "Both Armetta and Jones did a great job of getting our offense going," Stewart said. "Overall, we need better game play on the offensive side of the field which I believe will happen sooner than later." Armetta and Jones led the scoring for SUNY New Paltz in the game with Armetta scoring three goals and Jones adding one goal and one assist. Sophomore attacker John Reese also found himself on the board with an assist to Armetta in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles out-shot the Hawks 51-33 in the game, while also holding the advantage on ground balls (52-27) and faceoff wins (9-3). SUNY New Paltz's defense, backed by Lindsey and Steinhart, held strong and forced 17 turnovers with the two goalies combining for 24 saves — 17 by Steinhart in the second half alone. "It was a great game to be [a part of]," Stewart said. "We need to keep working to end up on the right side of the scoreboard." The Hawks play again Wednesday at 3 p.m. against Mount Saint Mary College in their 2022 home opener on South Turf Fiel