PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team downed New England College, 13-5, in its home opener Tuesday afternoon at the Field House Complex in non-conference action.
 
The Cardinals finished with a 37-20 advantage in shots and edged the Pilgrims in ground balls, 30-29. Plattsburgh State went 11-for-21 on face-offs and also was successful on 17 of its 20 clear attempts. New England was 17-for-26 on clears. On extra-man opportunities, the Cardinals were 1-for-2, while the Pilgrims were 1-for-3.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 3-4 overall with the win and hosts SUNY Geneseo in its home opener on Saturday, March 30, at 12 p.m. New England falls to 1-7 overall with the loss and next hosts Emmanuel College on Thursday, March 28, at 4 p.m.
 
Junior midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) opened scoring midway through the first quarter on a pass from sophomore attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna), while freshman attackman/midfielder Dilon Smith (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) scored unassisted with 3:45 left in the first. Senior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) closed the opening quarter with two goals, the second of which he scored with 0.9 seconds left in the period, to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead through 15 minutes of play.
 
Junior attackman Jack Mullen (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) scored back-to-back goals early in the second quarter, the first of which was assisted by Litchauer, while sophomore attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) tallied unassisted with 4:47 left in the frame. Sophomore attackman/midfielder Patrick Storie put New England on the board with 3:04 remaining in the second before Carroll connected with Litchauer for a goal 45 seconds before the halftime intermission to extend the Plattsburgh State advantage to 8-1.
 
New England's junior midfielder Jacob Blanchette used a pass from sophomore attackman Charles Hacking to score 1:58 into the third quarter, while Mullen found Wolff for a goal with 5:06 left in the third. Carroll scored a man-up goal on a pass from senior midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) less than a minute later, while Mullen netted a man-down tally with 25 seconds remaining in the third to swell the Cardinal lead to 11-2.
 
Freshman attackman Zach Gill (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) scored his first collegiate goal 1:12 into the fourth quarter, but the Pilgrims answered right off the ensuing face-off, with sophomore attackman Connor Smith scoring on a Blanchette feed seven seconds later. Mullen connected with Kane with 9:53 left in the fourth to make it a 10-goal game, while New England scored twice in the final 2:30. Storie scored man-up unassisted before Connor Smith cashed in a pass from freshman defensive midfielder Josh Owen.
 
Mullen recorded a career-high-tying five points on three goals and two assists, while Carroll tallied four points on three goals and one assist. Litchauer (two goals, one assist), Wolff (one goal, one assist) and Kane (two goals) also notched multiple points. Gill and Dilon Smith each scored once, while Murphy dished out an assist. Senior defensive midfielder Nick Della Ratta (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) pressured the Pilgrims defensively with three caused turnovers and six ground balls, while senior face-off specialist David Force (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) and freshmen face-off specialists Daniel Umbro (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) and Sean Fitzpatrick (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) combined to go 11-for-21 at the X.
 
For New England, Connor Smith and Storie each scored twice, while Blanchette posted a goal and an assist. Senior long-stick midfielder Connor Fries paced the defense with four caused turnovers and six ground balls.
 
Sophomore goalie Joe Falco (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central) made four stops in the winning effort for the Cardinals, while senior goalie William Platt turned aside nine shots in the loss for the Pilgrims.