SOUTH HUNTINGTON, N.Y. – Despite holding a 5-1 lead through one quarter of play, the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team was unable to hang on to the advantage in a 9-8 loss to Wheaton (Mass.) College on Saturday afternoon at Saint Anthony High School's Cy Donnelly Field in non-conference action.
 
Wheaton built a 9-6 lead with 4:22 left in regulation with a goal by junior midfielder Matt Morgan before senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) cashed in on a feed from senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) with 1:08 to go in the fourth quarter to trim the gap to two. Following that goal, the Lyons were assessed pair of slashing penalties, giving the Cardinals a one-minute extra-man opportunity.
 
Hubbard ended up taking advantage of the situation, scoring a man-up goal with 42 seconds left to make it a 9-8 game. While Plattsburgh State had the ball twice in the final 42 seconds of play, it was unable to create a scoring opportunity and settled for the 9-8 loss.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 1-3 overall with the setback and next visits Swarthmore College on Wednesday, March 14, at 1 p.m. Wheaton rises to 2-2 overall with the win and next visits New England College on Wednesday, March 14, at 4 p.m.
 
Wheaton struck first, as junior midfielder Josh Talanian scored unassisted 2:27 into the game. Hubbard countered with an unassisted marker of his own 4:21 into the first quarter, and Moller recorded a natural hat trick—with the second goal coming on the extra-man advantage and being assisted by sophomore midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington)—to stretch the lead to 4-1. Hubbard capped the five-goal tear just nine seconds later with a score following a face-off, and senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) earned an assist on the play.
 
Wheaton's senior attackman Scott Whear converted on a pass from junior attackman C.J. Leighton 2:48 into the second quarter, while sophomore midfielder Maxwell McLaughlin tallied unassisted with 9:42 left in the stanza. Leighton connected with Morgan for a man-up goal midway through the period, and an unassisted man-up score from Talanian tied the score at 5-all. Morgan gave Wheaton a 6-5 halftime lead with an unassisted goal 1:31 before the intermission.
 
The Lyons capped their six-goal spurt with 9:15 remaining in the third quarter, as Whear found the back of the net on a man-up tally. Freshman attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) found twine with the extra-man advantage late in the third quarter, capitalizing on a Litchauer feed. Junior attackman Alex Stomberg posted a goal on a pass from Talanian before Morgan netted the eventual game-winner with 4:22 to go in regulation.
 
Plattsburgh State outshot Wheaton, 40-26, but the Lyons held the upper hand in ground balls, 35-23. Wheaton finished 13-for-16 on clears, while Plattsburgh State was 13-for-18 in transition. Both teams had success with the extra-man advantage, with the Lyons going 3-for-7 and the Cardinals going 3-for-8.
 
Hubbard led the way for Plattsburgh State with four goals, while Moller finished with four points on three goals and one assist. Mauro, senior defensive midfielder Brad Johnston (Altamont, N.Y./Guilderland) and sophomore defenseman Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) each scooped up three ground balls, while junior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) caused two turnovers.
 
Senior goalie Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) was tagged with the loss in between the posts for the Cardinals, making five saves in 30:26 of action. Senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) stopped two shots in 29:34 of reserve action. Sophomore goalie Chandler Miller turned aside 13 shots in the winning effort for the Lyons.