POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team dropped a non-conference decision to Clarkson University on Tuesday afternoon at Hantz Turf Field, falling by a 14-5 final.
 
Clarkson outscored Plattsburgh State 7-1 in the second half to build on a 7-4 halftime lead and finished with a 51-16 edge in shots. Both teams transitioned the ball well, with the Cardinals going 22-for-26 on clear attempts and the Golden Knights going 22-for-24. Clarkson also finished with a 36-22 edge in ground balls and was 14-for-23 at the X, while both squads were 1-for-3 on extra-man opportunities.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 1-1 overall with the loss and next visits the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday, March 13, at 4 p.m. Clarkson rises to 3-0 overall with the win and opens up Liberty League play at home against the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, March 9, at 12 p.m.
 
Clarkson tallied twice in the first five minutes of the game, as senior midfielder Shane Kilday and junior attackman Pierce Currie both scored unassisted. Sophomore attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) put the Cardinals on the board with a man-up goal with 9:23 left in the first quarter, finding the back of the cage on a feed from junior midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington). The Golden Knights received a marker from junior attackman Evan Burgett on an assist from junior defenseman Derek Beatty before opening up a 4-1 lead after a Currie tally on a feed from freshman midfielder Bryan Penney. Junior attackman Jack Mullen (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and Kane both scored unassisted in the final two minutes of the first quarter to trim the gap to 4-3.
 
Junior midfielder Tanner Cioffi and freshman midfielder Billy Bergan each scored unassisted to pad the Golden Knights' lead before sophomore midfielder James Sherwood (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor) brought the Cardinals back within two with a tally with 3:28 left in the second quarter. Junior attackman Conor Bartlett connected with Currie 1:21 before the end of the first half to give Clarkson a 7-4 advantage at the intermission.
 
Mullen found senior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) for a goal 13 seconds into the third quarter to make it a two-goal game once again, but Clarkson controlled the tempo offensively from that point forward, scoring each of the final seven goals of the contest. During that stretch, Bartlett scored four times, while Currie, Burgett and senior attackman Peter Herrick all tallied once. Herrick's goal came on an extra-man opportunity.
 
Kane scored twice to lead the Cardinal attack, while Mullen had two points on a goal and an assist. Carroll and Sherwood also scored, while Litchauer registered an assist. Senior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), junior long-stick midfielder Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and sophomore defensive midfielder Justin Wise (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) all scooped up three ground balls, while Rupp caused three turnovers. At the X, senior face-off specialist David Force (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) went 5-for-12, while freshman face-off specialist Daniel Umbro (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) went 3-for-7. Freshman long-stick midfielder Tommy DiGiorgio (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor) also earned a face-off win.
 
For Clarkson, Bartlett finished with six points on four goals and two assists, while Currie recorded five points on four goals and an assist. Cioffi (one goal, one assist), Burgett (two goals), Bergan (one goal, one assist) and Penney (two assists) also registered multiple points for the Golden Knights. Beatty paced Clarkson defensively with five ground balls and two caused turnovers, while sophomore midfielder Riley Holzman went 14-for-22 at the X.
 
In his first start as a Cardinal, sophomore goalie Joe Falco (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central) made 18 saves in 54:38 of work, while senior goalie Jack Hayes (Thornwood, N.Y./Westlake) turned aside one shot in the final 5:22 of the contest. Clarkson's sophomore goalie Kevin Dyckman tallied five saves in the victory.