PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Despite outscoring Clarkson University, 7-2, in the second half, the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team was unable to complete the comeback in an 11-10 loss to the Golden Knights on Tuesday afternoon at the Field House Complex in non-conference action.
 
Junior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) scored his 100th career point in the contest, which came following his first of two goals in the game. He became the 12th student-athlete in the history of the program to achieve the milestone.

Down, 9-3, at the half, the Cardinals made a furious comeback, beginning with a 3-0 advantage in goals in the third quarter. Senior midfielder Austin Belz (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point), sophomore attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) and senior attackman Ryan Callahan (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) each scored in the third to make it a 9-6 game.
 
Hubbard found the back of the net less than two minutes into the fourth quarter before the Golden Knights cashed in on a score two minutes later to push the edge back out to three. Belz scored before senior attackman Ryan DaRin netted a man-down goal just 23 seconds later to give Clarkson an 11-8 advantage. Hubbard scored with 7:55 left in regulation before freshman midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) put away his first career goal as a Cardinal with 3:27 remaining, drawing Plattsburgh State within one.
 
The Cardinals won the ensuing face-off and called a timeout upon entering their offensive zone. Hubbard and senior midfielder Mike Gay (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) each took shots for Plattsburgh State before Clarkson's senior midfielder Marc Simmons scooped up a ground ball with 2:47 left. Clarkson wound up holding possession the remainder of the game, though Plattsburgh State did force a turnover right before time expired in the Golden Knights' attacking area.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 2-1 overall with the loss and next faces Eastern Connecticut State University at Miller Place High School in Miller Place, N.Y., on Saturday, March 11, at 1 p.m. Clarkson rises to 3-0 overall with the win and next faces Nazareth College on Friday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
 
While the Cardinals trailed by only a goal (3-2) following the first quarter, Clarkson outscored Plattsburgh State by a 6-1 margin in the second half, with DaRin burying a goal with just 0.9 seconds left on the clock to give the Golden Knights a 9-3 lead heading into the halftime intermission.
 
Plattsburgh State went 14-for-18 on clear attempts, while Clarkson went 11-for-16. The Cardinals finished with a slight 38-35 edge in shots, while the Golden Knights were superior on the draw, going 15-for-24 in face-offs. Clarkson was 3-for-6 on the man advantage, while Plattsburgh State went 1-for-4 on extra-man opportunities.
 
Belz, Hubbard and Callahan all finished with two goals for Plattsburgh State, while Callahan (two goals and one assist) and Gay (one goal and two assists) each tallied three points. Carroll, Litchauer and junior midfielder Brandon Heimbuch (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) also scored for the Cardinals. Senior long-stick midfielder Kyle Espejo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) helped Plattsburgh State defensively by scooping up five ground balls and causing two turnovers while also dishing out an assist.
 
For Clarkson, DaRin keyed the attack with four goals and one assist. Freshman midfielder Ryan Gabriel helped the Golden Knights gain possession with four ground balls, and he went 13-for-21 on face-offs.