VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team outscored New England College by a combined margin of 11-5 in the second and third quarters, as the Cardinals topped the Pilgrims by a 15-8 final in a non-conference contest on Wednesday afternoon at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
 
Plattsburgh State went a perfect 13-for-13 on clear attempts, and the Cardinals were 3-for-5 on extra-man opportunities and outshot the Pilgrims, 42-28. The Cardinals were dominant at the face-off X as well, winning 18-of-26 face-offs. NEC, meanwhile, went 11-for-15 on clear attempts.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 4-1 overall with the win and faces its stiffest test yet this season on Tuesday, March 21, when it squares off with nationally-ranked Middlebury College at 4 p.m. Middlebury is currently ranked at No. 10 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Nike NCAA Division III Coaches Poll. NEC drops to 1-4 overall with the loss and hosts Johnson & Wales University next on Saturday, March 18, at 1 p.m.
 
NEC scored the first goal of the game 3:06 into the contest, and nearly 10 minutes expired off the clock before the next marker crossed the goal line, as senior attackman Ryan Callahan (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) netted a man-up tally with 2:58 left in the first quarter to knot the score at 1-all, which stood up through the remainder of the period.
 
Plattsburgh State scored five unanswered goals in a span of 3:22 to open the second quarter to gain an advantage it would not surrender the rest of the afternoon. NEC countered with a pair of goals before senior midfielder Mike Gay (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) and Callahan each scored to push the Cardinal advantage to 8-3. The Pilgrims received two markers from junior attackman Matt Richard in the final two minutes of the second quarter to pull within 8-5 heading into the halftime intermission.
 
The two teams traded goals for the majority of the third quarter before Plattsburgh State rallied for three unanswered scores to close the stanza, and a goal by freshman midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) with six seconds left in the quarter made it a 12-6 game in favor of Plattsburgh State heading into the final period of play.
 
Senior attackman Logan Lamothe (St. Albans, Vt./Bellows Free Academy) and junior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) each found the back of the net in the first 3:57 of the fourth quarter, while NEC scored two consecutive goals midway through the period. Senior midfielder Austin Belz (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) capped off scoring for both teams with 1:21 left in regulation.
 
Callahan led the Cardinals offensively with six points (four goals and two assists), while Hubbard finished with three goals and one assist for four points. Belz netted two goals and added an assist, while junior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) also posted a multi-goal performance, scoring twice. Gay finished with three points, dishing out two assists to go along with his one goal. Litchauer, Lamothe and junior defensive midfielder Nicco Narbutas (Holbrook, N.Y./Miller Place) also scored for the Cardinals, with Litchauer and Narbutas each adding an assist. Narbutas' goal marked the first of his collegiate career.

Junior face-off specialists Joe Eiseman (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) and Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) each posted identical stat lines on face-offs, with each going 9-for-13, and each scooped up seven ground balls. Defensively, senior defenseman Joey Duckham (Poughquag, N.Y./Arlington) caused three turnovers.
 
Richard was the star of the game for NEC, chalking up seven points (four goals and three assists). Sophomore long-stick midfielder Connor Fries helped the Pilgrims gain possession of the ball with seven ground balls.
 
Junior Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) stopped three shots in 30 minutes of action before turning the reins over to junior goalie Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), who made two saves in the second half. For NEC, sophomore goalie William Platt turned aside eight of the 20 shots he faced on target in three quarters of play before freshman goalie William Aufranc took over in the fourth quarter and made three stops.