OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team held Oswego State scoreless in the second half on its way to a 14-3 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)-opening win on Saturday afternoon at Laker Turf Stadium.
 
Though the Cardinals won by a lopsided margin, the Lakers actually held a 34-33 edge in shots. Plattsburgh State won the game due in part to its success on face-offs, as it went 12-for-20 at the X, and its ability to stop the Lakers in transition. Oswego was just 14-for-23 on clear attempts. The Lakers were unable to score on seven extra-man opportunities, while the Cardinals went 3-for-6. Plattsburgh State also finished with slight 34-32 margin in ground balls and went 15-for-19 on clears.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 6-3 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits nationally-ranked St. Lawrence University on Wednesday, April 5, at 7 p.m. St. Lawrence is currently ranked at No. 4 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Nike Division III Coaches Poll. Oswego drops to 3-6 overall (0-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Geneseo on Saturday, April 8, at 12 p.m.
 
Senior midfielder Austin Belz (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) and senior attackman Ryan Callahan (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) each scored in the opening three minutes of the game to give the Cardinals an early 2-0 lead, but Oswego's freshman attackman Kyle Bacon cut the deficit to one with a goal 4:46 before the end of the first quarter. Junior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead), junior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) and senior attackman Mike Gay (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) all tallied within 3:32 of the conclusion of the period, however, to hand the Cardinals a 5-1 advantage through 15 minutes of play.
 
After 7:18 of scoreless action in the second quarter, Bacon netted his second goal of the game, but Callahan cashed in on a man-up goal 3:35 before halftime to push the lead back out to four. Sophomore midfielder Jarrod Wilkom trimmed the gap to three with 1:03 left in the quarter before Callahan registered his third goal of the half with 28 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a 7-3 halftime advantage.
 
It was all Plattsburgh State from there on out, with Hubbard, Callahan and Belz each scoring in the third quarter and Gay (twice), senior long-stick midfielder Kyle Espejo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) and sophomore attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) all tallying in the fourth. Gay and Callahan each scored on extra-man chances.
 
Callahan continued his push for 100 career points, as he pushed his collegiate total to 77 with five points (four goals, one assist) for the afternoon. Belz collected four points on two goals and two assists, while Hubbard (two goals, one assist), Moller (one goal, two assists) and Gay (three goals) all recorded three points. Carroll and Espejo also scored for the Cardinals. Espejo helped Plattsburgh State in the possession game with five ground balls.
 
For Oswego, Bacon (two goals) and Wilkom (one goal, one assist) each finished with two points, while freshman midfielder Tim Schof dished out an assist.
 
Junior goalie Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) stood tall in goal for the Cardinals with nine saves in 58:33 to earn the win, while junior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) turned aside one shot in the final 1:27 of regulation. Senior goalie Wyatt Russo made eight saves in the loss for Oswego.