UNIONDALE, N.Y. – In its first two games of the season, fast starts eluded the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team as it was outscored by a 7-1 margin in the first quarters of those tilts.

On Friday night, the Cardinals took the fight to the opposition right off the bat.

James Read, Andrew Sofroniou and Nick DeCeglia each registered a goal in the first quarter and four more Cardinals tallied the final goals of the game to help Plattsburgh State earn its first triumph of the 2015 campaign, 8-3, over Kean University at the Mitchel Athletic Complex.

Making his third start of the season between the pipes, Matt Massaria turned aside 15 shots by the opposition, improving his record to 1-2 in the process. Thanks to the Cardinals' (1-2) hot start and fantastic finish, they were able to hand Kean (2-1) its first setback of the season.

It took just 57 seconds for the Cardinals to get on the board as Joey Kromer won the opening draw, allowing the designated home team to drive up the field and go to work on the offensive end early. Matt Renko sent a sharp pass to Read who beat Kean netminder Maxwell Fields with a big rip.

Sofroniou added the first goal of his collegiate career with 7:34 left in the opening frame before Mike Singer trimmed Kean's deficit to just one with just under four minutes left in the first.

Read did the assisting on the Cardinals' third tally of the night, finding DeCeglia who pumped in his second of the season – this one on the man advantage – to up Plattsburgh State's edge to 3-1 with 1:52 to go in the first.

Sophomore Austin Belz continued his hot start to 2015, slinging in his third of the season 7:04 into the second stanza to up the Plattsburgh State edge to 4-1. Kean, though, still had no intentions of going down quietly as they sent in the next two scores to make things interesting.

Anthony Rybek struck for the Cougars before the half came to a close and Elden Andrews delivered another score with 5:05 to go in the third, pulling the visitors within one, 4-3.

Fortunately, Ryan Hubbard slipped past Kean's defense and was able to give the Cardinals some additional breathing room. The freshman was the recipient of another fine pass from Renko and tossed another score past Fields which made matters 5-3 with 3:47 to go in the third.

Read added his second of the game before all was said and done in the third. Junior Brendan Damm located his senior teammate three yards out from the goal and snapped a pass to him which Read deposited in the back of the Cougars' net in the closing seconds of the frame.

Owners of a 6-3 edge heading into the game's final 15 minutes, the Cardinals didn't take their foot off the gas. Just 1:27 into the last period, Damm laced a pass to Mitchell LaBianca and the money man didn't disappoint, conjuring up his first goal of 2015.

Damm rifled in the Cardinals' final goal of the tilt, an unassisted tally with 11:38 remaining in the game.

Peter Johann caused all sorts of problems for Kean's offensive game plan, causing a game-best five turnovers and scooping up six of the Cardinals' 41 ground balls. Read finished as the high-point man, adding two goals and two assists to his 2015 total while Damm finished with one score and a pair of helpers.

The Cardinals finished the game 2-for-4 on the man advantage and limited the Cougars to an 0-for-5 performance in that category.

In a rare Sunday tilt, the Cardinals will return to the Mitchel Athletic Complex to do battle against Widener. The opening face-off is slated for 1 p.m.