PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Senior midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) scored the game-winner with 2:02 left in regulation to help the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team edge SUNY Geneseo, 7-6, in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon in the Field House Complex.
 
Murphy's goal punctuated a possession that saw the Cardinals put three shots on frame. Sophomore attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) fed Murphy from X, and Murphy rifled a right-handed shot from the left side of the cage past the Geneseo goalie.
 
The Knights won the ensuing face-off and took two shots before Plattsburgh State was whistled for a tripping penalty—the first infraction of the game for either team—to give Geneseo the extra-man advantage with 25 seconds left on the clock. The Knights took a shot that was blocked, and the ball trickled out of bounds off a Geneseo player to give Plattsburgh State possession with four seconds left. The Cardinals called a timeout and ended up sending a high-arcing ball down the field to run out the clock.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 4-4 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win to stretch its winning streak to three games. The Cardinals next visit St. Lawrence University on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. Geneseo drops to 3-7 overall (0-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and visits St. John Fisher College next on Wednesday, April 3, at 4 p.m.
 
Freshman attackman Zach Gill (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) opened scoring 2:59 into the contest, burying a pass from sophomore midfielder James Sherwood (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor), before Geneseo leveled the score with 9:23 left in the first with an unassisted goal by junior attackman Patrick Morris. Junior attackman Matt Malone connected with sophomore midfielder James Pratt to hand the Knights a 2-1 lead, while senior midfielder R.J. Ehli (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) found the back of the cage on a pass from Murphy with 1:18 left in the first to tie the game at 2-all heading into the second quarter.
 
Sherwood found twine thanks to a feed from Murphy at 11:10 of the second quarter before Geneseo tied the game 15 seconds before the halftime intermission, as freshman midfielder Jack Joyce buried a pass from freshman midfielder Drew Liguori.
 
A goal by Malone 2:38 into the third quarter staked the Knights to a 4-3 lead, but unassisted tallies by junior midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) and junior attackman Jack Mullen (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) gave Plattsburgh State a 5-4 lead with 9:27 to go in the third. Geneseo's sophomore midfielder Cameron Chiodo cashed in on a feed from freshman midfielder Jake Steffen to knot the score at 5-all with 5:54 left in the third quarter, but Wolff found the back of the net on a pass from senior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) with 1:01 left in the frame to take a 6-5 lead into the final regulation period.
 
Geneseo wound up tying the game once again—providing the sixth tie score of the contest—thanks to a goal by freshman midfielder Sean Byrne with 12:12 remaining in regulation.
 
The Knights held a slight 37-36 edge in shots and went 11-for-17 on face-offs, while the Cardinals won the ground ball battle, 29-26. Both teams had similar success on clear attempts, with Geneseo going 18-for-24 and Plattsburgh State going 19-for-25. The Knights were scoreless on the lone extra-man opportunity of the game.
 
Murphy keyed the Cardinal attack with three points on a goal and two assists, while Sherwood and Wolff each finished with a goal and an assist. The Cardinals' balanced offense also saw goals from Litchauer, Mullen, Gill and Ehli and an assist by Carroll. Carroll scooped up four ground balls and caused two turnovers, while senior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) smothered Geneseo's offense with four caused turnovers and two ground balls.
 
For Geneseo, Malone tallied two points on a goal and an assist, while Pratt, Morris, Byrne, Chiodo and Joyce also scored. Junior goalie Tyler Wetzel led the Knights with five ground balls, while sophomore defenseman Tyler Bushnell caused three turnovers. At the X, freshman midfielder Ryan Lee was 6-for-8.
 
Both goalies stood on their heads, with sophomore goalie Joe Falco (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central) making eight saves in the win for the Cardinals and Wetzel turning aside 16 shots in the loss for the Knights.