MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Despite leading, 3-2, through one quarter of play, the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team was unable to find an answer for No. 16 Middlebury College, as the Panthers prevailed, 17-10, in a non-conference game Tuesday at Alumni Stadium.
 
Though the Cardinals hopped out to a 3-2 lead after 15 minutes of action, the Panthers outscored their opponent, 8-0, in the second quarter as a part of a 10-0 run that spanned two periods. Middlebury led, 10-3, at the half and held a 12-3 advantage at the end of its scoring spree.
 
Plattsburgh State scored seven of the game's final 12 goals, though Middlebury's lead proved too large to overcome.
 
The Cardinals drop to 4-2 overall with the loss and next host Plymouth State University on Thursday, March 23, at 4 p.m. Middlebury rises to 3-3 with the win and next hosts Bowdoin College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) contest on Saturday, March 25, at 1 p.m.
 
Senior midfielder Joseph Zelkowitz scored just 15 seconds into the game for Middlebury before sophomore attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) tied the score at 1-all 4:06 later. Senior midfielder John Simms tallied for the Panthers, while senior attackman Ryan Callahan (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) and Carroll netted back-to-back goals to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead that would hold through the end of the first quarter.
 
Middlebury's junior attackman Harry Giarrusso scored 4:22 into the second quarter, which ended up kick-starting a 10-0 spurt that spanned the remainder of the second stanza and the opening minute of the third quarter. During that stretch, junior midfielder Henry Riehl rattled off a natural hat trick and added a fourth goal for good measure. Freshman midfielder Frank Cosolito, junior midfielder Parker Lawlor, senior attackman Jake Schneider, sophomore midfielder Jack Gould and freshman attackman A.J. Kucinski also scored for Middlebury during that run.
 
Senior midfielder Austin Belz (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) and Carroll scored less than two minutes apart from each other to break up the Panther surge midway through the third quarter, but Zelkowitz fired right back 10 seconds after Carroll's goal to push the differential back to eight. Plattsburgh State went on to score three straight goals down the stretch in the third, receiving markers from senior midfielder Mike Gay (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot), Callahan (man-up) and Carroll to cut the gap to five (13-8). Middlebury's Kucinski closed out the third quarter with a tally with eight seconds remaining in the period.
 
Gould found the back of the net for Middlebury 5:25 into the fourth before the Cardinals retaliated with goals from Carroll (man-up) and junior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead). Cosolito and junior midfielder Stephen Clarke punctuated scoring in the contest, with Clarke's man-up goal coming with just one second left on the clock.
 
Carroll notched career-highs in both goals and points with five to pace the Cardinal attack, while Gay's four assists and five points also served as career-high totals. Callahan registered four points on two goals and two assists, while Belz tallied one goal and one assist for two points. Hubbard also scored for Plattsburgh State. Callahan scooped up a team-high five ground balls, while senior long-stick midfielder Kyle Espejo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) caused a game-high three turnovers.
 
For Middlebury, Riehl led the way with four goals and one assist, while Zelkowitz, Kucinski and Gould each chalked up four points on two goals and two assists. Junior midfielder John Jackson and freshman midfielder Jake Madnick tied for the game-high in ground balls with seven each, while Jackson went 14-for-15 on face-offs.
 
Junior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) shouldered the loss, making nine saves in the first half. Junior goalie Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) took over in the second half and made seven stops. Middlebury utilized three goalies in the win, with senior Will Ernst earning the start and the win. He made five stops against three goals allowed in 30 minutes of play.
 
Middlebury won the game at the face-off X, going 25-for-29. Plattsburgh State went 18-for-19 on clears, while its counterpart went 14-for-18. The Panthers finished with a 55-34 edge in shots and a 52-31 margin in ground balls, though the Cardinals went 2-for-3 on extra-man opportunities to the Panthers' 1-for-4 performance with the man advantage.