FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The Fredonia State lacrosse team has been making strides under third-year head coach Tori Poffenberger, and this season the team finally broke through with a SUNYAC Tournament berth. The team finished the regular season with a 9-8 mark, which included a 4-5 mark in conference play, checking them in with the No. 6 seed.

"I've been talking about playoffs to whoever would listen since I first got to Fredonia," said head coach Tori Poffenberger. "I knew from the start we would get to this moment and I'm so proud of this group for putting in the physical and mental work to become a playoff team."

The Devils will depart for New Paltz on Friday morning, and take on the Hawks at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Game coverage can be found here:

• Live Stats HERE
• Webcast HERE
• Previous matchup HERE
• New Paltz women's lacrosse homepage HERE
• SUNYAC statistics HERE

Poffenberger has been able to rely on the steady influence of veteran players such as seniors Sydney Buchko and Emma Cockerel, while also trusting a mix of new faces such as freshmen standouts Mieley Baran and Kiera Young. 

Buchko has her name all over the team's record book. She recently became the first player in program history to eclipse 300 draw controls, and has accumulated over 100 goals. This season, Buchko leads the offense with 70 points, including 41 goals and 29 assists. Right on her heels is Cockerel, who leads the team with 43 goals and is second with 22 assists and 65 points.

The freshmen duo of Baran and Young have combined for 39 goals and 22 assists. Baran's line is 24-16-40, and Young went for 15-6-21.

 "This year's group of attackers and middies are all threats on the offensive end. Sydney and Emma are our heavy hitters typically, but each of our girls brings a different strength to our offense, which makes us unique to scout and prep for."

Sophomore Cailin Karalus and junior Noelle Mendez have also both eclipsed the 20-goal mark, with 20 and 22 scores, respectively.

Sophomore midfielder Gabriella Lewinski has started all 17 games, with her season highlight being the game-winning goal in overtime vs. Plattsburgh to open SUNYAC play back on March 22. She has accounted for 12 goals and six assists.

Juniors Alyssa Vukosic and Camryn Jacobs have also started every game and have anchored the defensive end of things.

Sophomore goaltender Ashleigh Manns has also answered the call every game. She has 127 saves with 195 goals against for a .394 save percentage. 

Poffenberger added, "During our non-conference play early in the season, we were holding teams to under ten goals most games. The SUNYAC is a great conference with a lot of athletic and shifty attackers who challenge us every game and have ultimately made us ready for this weekend."