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CORTLAND, N.Y. – Appearing in the program’s first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship game Saturday, the Plattsburgh State men’s lacrosse team held its own against Cortland through two quarters, but the Red Dragons scored six in the second half to hand the Cardinals a 9-2 loss at the Stadium Complex.
 
Two minutes into the contest, Cortland’s James Stavrakis scored an unassisted goal to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead. Plattsburgh State quickly regained some momentum when Brendan Damm picked up a rebound and fired a shot past Cortland’s Mike Kaminski to even the score with a man-up goal just 36 seconds later.
 
The action continued up-and-down the field with neither team able to find the net until the 8:44 mark of the second when Cortland’s Ben Dunlavey scored his 10^th of the year. Twenty-four seconds later, the Red Dragons struck again when Cody Consul made it a 3-1 game, allowing the home team to take a two-goal lead into the half.
 
The game got away from Plattsburgh State in the third when Cortland (17-0) dominated time of possession and scored five straight goals to take an 8-1 advantage.
 
The Cardinals got one back at the 8:29 mark of the fourth when James Higgins scored his seventh of the season from James Read.
 
Dunlavey added one more for Cortland with 3:09 left in the game to reach the 9-2 final.
 
Cortland’s Zach Hopps tallied three points while Consul and Dunlavey each added two points.
 
Plattsburgh State finished the day with an advantage in shots, 37-32, but Cortland held the edge in ground balls, 38-32. The Cardinals went 1 for 6 on extra-man opportunities while the Red Dragons were 1 for 4.
 
Gordie Gehring recorded 13 saves in the loss, dropping to 13-4 on the year. Gehring joined Plattsburgh State’s Tom Duggan and Nick Parrella on the All-Tournament Team.
 
Cortland goalie Mike Kaminski was named the most valuable player of the tournament, allowing two goals and making 14 stops in the win for the Red Dragons.
 
With a 14-4 record, the Cardinals’ fate now rests in the hands of the NCAA Selection Committee. Five teams receive at-large bids into the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. This year’s field of 29 teams will be announced in a live selection show Sunday night at 10 p.m. on ncaa.com.