Alexandra Howell Becomes Oneonta’s All-Time Assists Leader as New Paltz Win 2-1 in Overtime
Alexandra Howell will remember Tuesday for the record, even if the result went the other way. The SUNY Oneonta senior captain set up the equaliser that forced overtime against New Paltz, and in doing so became the Red Dragons’ all-time leader in career assists.
The assist was her 35th. It passed Ruth Rapp’s record of 34, a mark that had stood since 1987, and it came in exactly the kind of moment records should come in. New Paltz had broken three scoreless quarters when Caydence Parker scored in the 55th minute, assisted by Maya O’Keefe. With time running out, junior Miranda Colacchio finished off Howell’s pass in the 58th minute to make it 1-1 and send the game to overtime. Colacchio’s goal was her fifth of the season.
New Paltz had the last word. Joleigh Kozack scored 3:17 into the first overtime period, assisted by Parker, to give the Hawks a 2-1 win and lift them to 6-11 for the season. Oneonta dropped to 8-7, and the numbers say they were second best on the day: New Paltz outshot them 18-7 and held a 13-8 edge in penalty corners. Freshman goalkeeper Eva Klessel kept Oneonta in it with nine saves, while Grace Grant made three for the Hawks.
The record puts Howell’s career in proper perspective. The Holtsville, New York native now has 47 goals and 35 assists for 129 points in just under four years at Oneonta, which puts her fifth in program history for career points and sixth for career goals. Head coach Kelly Kingsbury called her “a selfless player even though she can do it all when needed” and said Tuesday “was the perfect day for that record breaking assist in a big moment.”
Oneonta still have something to play for. They travel to Oswego for their final regular-season SUNYAC game on Saturday 31 October at 1pm, and Kingsbury said Tuesday’s tempo is exactly what she wants going into that conference finale. A record in a losing game stings, but Howell goes into Saturday as the most prolific creator her program has ever had.
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