PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The second-seeded Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team edged third-seeded The College at Brockport, 6-4, in the semifinal round of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament Wednesday afternoon at the Field House Complex to advance to the championship game for the second time in as many years.

Down 5-4 late in the fourth quarter, Brockport successfully cleared the ball and called a timeout with 1:57 left in regulation. The Golden Eagles' freshman attackman Liam O'Connor took a shot that was saved by senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) with 1:22 left, and with 52 seconds remaining, sophomore long-stick midfielder Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) forced a turnover and came up with the ground ball to give the Cardinals possession.

Plattsburgh State transitioned down the field and called a timeout once it entered the box. Senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) chewed time off the clock before Brockport sustained a penalty with 11 seconds left. Four seconds into that extra-man opportunity, senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) scored a goal on a pass from junior defensive midfielder Nick Della Ratta (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's), as Della Ratta beat a double team to find a wide-open Moller. That marker wound up being the final play of the game, as neither team gained possession of the ball on the ensuing face-off before the clock expired.

The Cardinals rise to 7-8 overall and stretch their winning streak to six with the victory. They will face top-seeded SUNY Cortland in a rematch of last year's SUNYAC championship game on Saturday, May 5, at 4 p.m. on the road. The Golden Eagles end their season at 5-9 overall.

Both teams were scoreless for the first 29:11 of play before the Cardinals got on the board 49 seconds before the halftime intermission, as freshman attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) found twine on a pass from Della Ratta. Kane tallied again 3:22 into the second half, converting on a feed from junior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport), before Carroll made it a 3-0 game with 9:58 left in the third quarter, as Carroll used an assist from junior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) to score. It marked Rupp's first assist of the 2018 campaign.

Brockport got on the board midway through the third, as freshman attackman Patrick Sheridan cashed in on a pass from sophomore midfielder Corey Choberka. Moller scored unassisted with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, while the Golden Eagles countered with a goal by junior attackman Nick Daigle 1:05 later. O'Connor scored on a feed from senior midfielder Colton Oliver with 1:58 left in the stanza to cut the gap to 4-3 heading into the final regulation period.

Sophomore midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) ripped a shot into the back of the net 2:05 into the fourth quarter, using a Hubbard assist, but Brockport made it a one-goal game once again with 6:35 left in regulation, as Oliver connected with Sheridan for a goal.

Plattsburgh State finished with a 35-29 edge in shots and held a 39-22 advantage in ground balls. A shaky first half in the transition game for both teams resulted in a 17-for-23 performance on clears for the Cardinals and a 13-for-18 outing in transition for the Golden Eagles. Plattsburgh State won the battle at the X, going 8-for-12 thanks to senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport). With the extra-man advantage, Plattsburgh State was 1-for-3, while Brockport was 0-for-4.

Kane and Moller led the Cardinals offensively with two goals each, while Carroll tallied a goal and an assist. Smith scooped up 10 ground balls and caused two turnovers to pace Plattsburgh State defensively.

For Brockport, Sheridan scored two goals, while Oliver had two assists. Defensively, senior defenseman Pat Quinlivan posted three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Tesoriero picked up the win in goal for the Cardinals, making 11 saves, while senior goalie Dallas Meyers turned aside 16 shots for the Golden Eagles in the loss.