Box Score PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After back-to-back losses to Geneseo to close out the 2012 season, the Plattsburgh State men’s lacrosse team got a bit of revenge in a 14-5 victory over the Blue Knights in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader Saturday at the Field House Lacrosse Complex.
Saturday’s win marks the just the third time in program history the Cardinals have defeated conference rival Geneseo. The Cardinals’ last victory against the Blue Knights was a 10-9 decision on April 27, 2002 – exactly 11 years ago to the day.
With the win, the Cardinals finish the regular season with a 13-3 overall record and a 5-1 mark in league play. Plattsburgh State will enter the 2013 SUNYAC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament as the No. 2 seed.
Geneseo drops to 5-8 on the year and 2-4 in the SUNYAC.
It took both teams time to settle in with the first goal of the game not coming until the 3:30 mark of the first quarter. Geneseo’s Zach Yehl scored his fifth of the year to give the Blue Knights the 1-0 lead.
Plattsburgh State’s Brendan Damm retaliated at the 1:02 mark to tie it up before Nick Travers scored an unassisted goal with 38 seconds left in the quarter, giving the Cardinals a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
Damm struck again at 12:36 of the second quarter with an assist going to Charlie Dullea on the Cardinals’ third goal of the afternoon. Cole Andersen gave the Cardinals a three-goal edge with the first of two goals at the 9:55 mark, closing out the scoring for the first half.
Geneseo’s Tim Burgess opened the scoring in the second half with an unassisted goal to cut the Plattsburgh State lead to two at 14:17 of the third. Travers answered back with his second of the game at 13:06 but Yehl countered for the Blue Knights at 11:55 to make it a 5-3 game in favor of the Cardinals.
Joey Kramer got in on the action at the 11:27 mark, stretching the Cardinals’ lead to 6-3, before Damm completed the hat trick at 2:38 with his 35
th of the year.
Andre Keating got one back for Geneseo late in the third, but the Cardinals dominated the Blue Knights in the fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors 7-1 in the final 15 minutes.
Damm and Travers led the Cardinals’ offense as each contributed three goals and one assist. Kramer also added three goals while Tim Lawrence scored finished the day with three points. Lawrence and Travers each picked up a team-high eight ground balls while Dullea led the Cardinals with four caused turnovers.
Gordie Gehring allowed five goals and recorded eight saves in the win for the Cardinals. Gehring, who is already the all-time wins leader with 23, set a new single-season record today with his 12
th victory of 2013.
Geneseo’s Ryan Zaremba made 19 saves in the loss. Michael Greubel stepped in for Zaremba for the final 8:07, stooping two of the four shots he faced.
The Cardinals nearly tripled the Blue Knights in shots, finished the day with a 66-24 advantage which included a 22-6 margin in the fourth quarter. Plattsburgh State also held a 49-24 edge in ground balls and successfully completed all 19 clear attempts.
Prior to the game, the Cardinals honored the 2013 senior class, which includes Dan Field, Gordie Gehring, Ryan Hastings, Will Hockenjos, Joey Kramer, Mike Lind, Brett McClelland, John Olsen, Ryan Phillips and Nick Travers. The 2013 senior class is the winningest class in program history, compiling a 45-22 record over a four-year span.
With a 6-0 record in the SUNYAC, Cortland will be the top seed in the conference tournament. Brockport defeated Oneonta to secure the third seed while Potsdam will come into the tournament as the fourth seed. The SUNYAC Semifinals will take place Wednesday with No. 2 Plattsburgh State hosting No. 3 Brockport and No. 1 Cortland hosting No. 4 Potsdam.
Wednesday’s SUNYAC semifinal game, which will begin at 4 p.m. at the Field House Lacrosse Complex, will mark the first home playoff game in program history for the Cardinals. Additional information for the SUNYAC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament will be released Monday at gocardinalsports.com
