PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – In a game in which just 13 shots were taken between the two teams, the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team made the most of its chances, defeating North Country rival SUNY Potsdam, 3-0, in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon at the Field House Complex.
 
The Cardinals held a slight 8-5 edge in shots, while Potsdam posted a 9-5 advantage in corner kicks. Both teams played a clean brand of soccer, with just 10 combined fouls and no bookings.
 
Plattsburgh State, which extends its winning streak to four and has conceded just one goal during that span, rises to 7-2-0 overall (1-0-0 SUNYAC) with the win and continues SUNYAC play on Friday, Sept. 29, when it hosts Oswego State at 3 p.m. Potsdam slips to 4-4-0 overall (0-1-0 SUNYAC) with the loss and hosts SUNY Cortland on Friday, Sept. 29, at 3 p.m.
 
Sophomore forward Kyle Pfaff (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) put the Cardinals on the board in the 18th minute, driving in a centering pass from senior defender Elver Maldonado (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) at the top of the six-yard box. Maldonado eluded a slide tackle from a Bear defender along the left sideline and laced a left-footed pass to Pfaff, who booted the ball past the Potsdam keeper with a left-footed strike. That lead would hold through the end of the first half, with the Cardinals holding a slight 3-2 edge in shots through 45 minutes of play.
 
Sophomore forward Sean Cray (Modena, N.Y./Wallkill) buried an insurance goal in the 66th minute, as junior midfielder Taka Fukushima (Noda, Japan/Municipal Kashiwa) served as the final link to Cray on a counterattack. Sophomore midfielder Jimmy Marchena (Massapequa, N.Y./Plainedge) played a ball in to Fukushima on the left wing, and Fukushima, from left of the edge of the 18-yard box, found a streaking Cray who cut to the middle from the left side of the field. Cray and the Bear keeper each approached the ball, but Cray put a foot on it to beat the keeper, who was diving forward.
 
Ten minutes later, in the 76th minute, senior defender Juan Rodriguez (Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown North) put the game on ice with his first career goal. Marchena played a ball in from the midfield to Cray, who had beat every Bear defender to the upfield-bound ball. Cray had a one-on-one opportunity with the Bear keeper, drawing him to the top of the 18-yard box. Cray went around the right of the keeper and had just one defender standing between him and an empty net. Cray then found the feet of Rodriguez toward the near post, and Rodriguez booted the ball in at point-blank range to give the Cardinals a 3-0 lead that would stand up through the remainder of the contest.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Feeley (Harriman, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) made one stop in posting his third shutout of the season, while Potsdam's sophomore goalkeeper Jakeb Mitchell turned aside one shot in the loss for Potsdam.