PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead), the reigning State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Offensive Player of the Year, finished with six points on five goals and an assist, helping lead the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team to a 12-4 season-opening victory over non-conference Castleton University on Wednesday afternoon at the Field House Complex.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 51-25 edge in shots and went 11-for-20 at the X. They also went 14-for-18 on clear attempts while holding the Spartans to an 11-for-17 outing in transition. Plattsburgh State went 1-for-4 with the extra-man advantage, while Castleton was 1-for-6 with the extra attacker.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 1-0 overall with the win and next visits Skidmore College on Saturday, March 3, at 1 p.m. Castleton drops to 0-1 with the loss and next takes on St. Lawrence University back at the Field House Complex on Sunday, March 4, at 1 p.m.
 
Senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) opened scoring 2:35 into the game before Hubbard tallied nearly two minutes later on a feed from junior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport). Senior midfielder Brandon Heimbuch (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) found the back of the net with 8:33 left in the first quarter on a pass from freshman attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna), marking Wolff's first career assist. Hubbard connected with Carroll with 3:57 remaining in the first quarter to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead through one quarter of play.
 
Hubbard scored a man-up goal 2:42 into the second period, cashing in on a pass from Wolff, before scoring unassisted midway through the period. With 1:56 left before the halftime intermission, junior attackman Kevin McCarthy put the Spartans on the board with a man-up tally, burying a goal on a pass from junior midfielder Jason Sedell. Plattsburgh State held a 6-1 advantage at the half.
 
Sophomore midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) scored unassisted 2:36 into the third quarter before the Spartans answered with a goal right after the ensuing face-off. Sophomore midfielder Cameron Russell scooped up the ground ball to give Castleton the face-off win and ended up passing the ball off to McCarthy, who scored from a few strides inside the box.
 
The Cardinals closed the third quarter with three straight unassisted goals, with senior defensive midfielder Brad Johnston (Altamont, N.Y./Guilderland) entering the goal column with 8:07 left in the period before Hubbard tallied with 4:24 remaining and 2:13 left, respectively.
 
Freshman midfielder James Sherwood (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor) buried his first career goal 2:54 into the fourth quarter, converting on a pass from Carroll, while Litchauer scored unassisted 1:05 later to hand Plattsburgh State a 12-2 lead. Castleton's junior midfielder Colin Clark found twine on a feed from Lutinski with 7:35 to go in the fourth, while McCarthy completed the hat trick on a Russell assist with 1:04 left in regulation.
 
Hubbard led the Cardinal attack with six points on five goals and one assist, while Carroll notched three points on one goal and two assists. Litchauer and Wolff also tallied multiple points, with Litchauer scoring twice and Wolff dishing out two assists. Senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) excelled on the draw, going 10-for-17, while senior defenseman Sean Hayes (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) paced the defense with four ground balls and two caused turnovers.
 
For Castleton, McCarthy keyed the offense with three goals, while Russell distributed two assists. Russell scooped up five ground balls, while senior defenseman Edward Doton and junior defenseman Malik Hines each caused a turnover.
 
Senior goalie Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) earned the win for the Cardinals, making four saves in 47:54 of work before turning the reins over to senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington), who turned aside three shots in the final 12:06 of the game. Junior goalie Brandon Myron stood on his head, making 19 stops in the loss for the Spartans.