BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded Plattsburgh State men's soccer team edged past fourth-seeded The College at Brockport in the first round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament on Saturday afternoon at A. Huntley Parker Jr. Field, defeating the Golden Eagles, 2-1.
 
The Cardinals rise to 12-6-1 overall and visit top-seeded SUNY Cortland in the semifinal round on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. Brockport ends its season at 10-6-3 overall.
 
Junior forward Alex Price (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) put Plattsburgh State on the board early, tallying 9:58 into the game. Price, who scored unassisted, ripped a shot from just outside the box over top of the goalkeeper's head. That score wound up being all the offense either team offered in the first half, as Plattsburgh State entered the intermission with a 1-0 advantage.
 
The Cardinals took a two-goal lead in the 61st minute, as sophomore midfielder Connor Nembach (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) headed in a cross by senior forward Nicholas Laurent (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South). Brockport countered 58 seconds later, however, and cut the deficit in half after sophomore midfielder Jason Hayes scored on a free kick from the top of the 18-yard box.
 
Brockport had an opportunity to tie the game in the waning seconds of the contest, drawing a foul in its attacking third. A Golden Eagle student-athlete put a head on a free-kick service, but the ball sailed over top of the crossbar, sealing the Cardinal victory.
 
The Golden Eagles outshot the Cardinals by an 11-7 margin and also took three corner kicks to Plattsburgh State's zero.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Feeley (Harriman, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) earned the win in between the posts for the Cardinals, making one save, while his counterpart, sophomore goalkeeper Joseph Romano, turned aside two shots in the loss for Brockport.