SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sophomore attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) scored a career-high four goals, as the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team defeated non-conference Skidmore College, 10-8, in the Cardinals' season opener Saturday afternoon at Wachenheim Field.
 
Skidmore took a 7-6 lead with a man-up goal by senior attackman Eric Megnia that was assisted by junior attackman Garrett Munck with 10 seconds left in the third quarter before the Cardinals scored four straight goals in the fourth quarter to pull ahead for good.
 
Junior attackman Jack Mullen (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) cashed in on a feed from senior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) with 12:13 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the score before Kane tallied on a pass from junior midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) less than a minute later. Sophomore attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) deposited a man-up goal into the back of the cage with 10:28 to go in the fourth before Mullen connected with Carroll for a score midway through the period to give Plattsburgh State a 10-7 lead. Skidmore's senior midfielder Colby Farnham tallied unassisted with 1:05 to go in regulation to spell the final score.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 1-0 overall with the win and visits Clarkson University next on Tuesday, March 5, at 3 p.m. Skidmore drops to 0-2 overall with the loss and next hosts SUNY Oneonta on Tuesday, March 5, at 4 p.m.
 
Megnia put the Thoroughbreds on the board just 1:26 into the contest before Kane tied the score 1:02 later on feed from Mullen. Litchauer tallied unassisted less than a minute after that to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. That score held up through the remainder of the first quarter.
 
Wolff ripped a man-up goal on a Litchauer pass 41 seconds into the second quarter before Skidmore's junior attackman Will Lukas trimmed the gap to one with 10:10 left in the second on a pass from sophomore midfielder Jason Shlonsky. Plattsburgh State then went on a three-goal tear, beginning with a Kane marker that was assisted by Mullen with 5:38 remaining in the second. Litchauer tallied on a Mullen feed less than a minute later before senior midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) connected with Kane with 2:33 remaining in the half to hand the Cardinals a 6-2 advantage.
 
Skidmore finished the second half with a pair of goals, as sophomore midfielder Alex Miller tallied unassisted and senior midfielder Nick DeBlasio found twine thanks to a Megnia assist with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Thoroughbreds tied the score in the third quarter as a result of two goals by junior midfielder Ward Mahoney. Mahoney's second marker, which was scored with 1:19 left in the third, came with the man advantage on an assist from Megnia.
 
Plattsburgh State finished with a 42-33 edge in shots and dominated at the X, going 17-for-21 on face-offs. The Cardinals went 15-for-16 on clears, while the Thoroughbreds were 19-for-24 in transition. Plattsburgh State also won the ground ball battle, 38-30. On extra-man opportunities, the Cardinals were 2-for-4, while the Thoroughbreds were 2-for-5.
 
Litchauer and Mullen each led the Cardinal attack with five points, as Litchauer had two goals and three assists and Mullen finished with one goal and four assists. It marked the first points for Mullen in a Cardinal uniform. Kane scored four goals, while Carroll and Wolff each notched two points, tallying a goal and an assist and two goals, respectively. In addition, Murphy registered an assist. Junior long-stick midfielder Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and sophomore defensive midfielder Justin Wise (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) scooped up seven and six ground balls, respectively, while senior defensive midfielder Nick Della Ratta (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) caused three turnovers. Senior face-off specialist David Force (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) was dominant at the X, going 13-for-16 on face-offs, while freshman face-off specialist Daniel Umbro (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) went 4-for-5 in his collegiate debut.
 
For Skidmore, Megnia led the way with four points on two goals and two assists, while Mahoney scored twice. Lukas, Miller, Farnham and DeBlasio all had goals, while Munck and Shlonsky each recorded an assist. Miller also won four face-offs, corralled seven ground balls and caused three turnovers.
 
Freshman goalie Christian Bassi (Windham, N.H./Kimball Union Academy) and sophomore goalie Joe Falco (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central) combined to make 11 saves in their Plattsburgh State debuts, while senior goalie Tim Rahill turned aside 19 shots in the loss for Skidmore.