2019 SUNYAC Men's Lacrosse Tournament Semifinals

No. 3 Geneseo (7-9) at No. 2 Plattsburgh State (7-8)

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 • 4 p.m. • Plattsburgh, N.Y. • Field House Complex

Live Stats • Live Video • Bracket

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The second-seeded Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team will begin its road toward trying to reclaim the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title on Wednesday, May 1, as it hosts third-seeded SUNY Geneseo at 4 p.m. in the SUNYAC Tournament semifinals at the Field House Complex. The Cardinals won the conference title, their first in program history, in 2017 before falling to SUNY Cortland in the championship game last year.
 
TICKET PRICING: General admission tickets are $5, while tickets for children ages 5-12 are $3… Children 4 and under and students from SUNYAC schools with valid identification will be admitted free of charge... Tickets will go on sale beginning at 3 p.m. on site at the Field House Complex.

ABOUT THE SERIES: In a series that dates back to 1999, Plattsburgh State is 9-14 all-time against Geneseo... Though the overall series is tilted in favor of the Knights, the Cardinals have prevailed in each of the past seven meetings dating back to 2013... Geneseo won the lone meeting between the two teams in the SUNYAC Tournament, a 7-5 victory at Geneseo in the semifinal round on May 2, 2012... Earlier this season, Plattsburgh State needed a goal from senior midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) with 2:02 left in regulation to edge Geneseo, 7-6, which was the SUNYAC opener for both teams.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State is in the SUNYAC Tournament for the eighth consecutive season and will look to win its second-ever SUNYAC title after defeating SUNY Cortland, 10-6, in the 2017 SUNYAC Tournament final… Senior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) and junior attackman Jack Mullen (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) lead a balanced Plattsburgh State attack with 31 points apiece... Carroll has 21 goals and 10 assists on the year, while Mullen boasts 20 goals and 11 assists... Both Mullen and Carroll have been crucial to the team's success with the extra man, as they have scored five and four man-up goals, respectively... Junior midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) has dished out a team-high 16 assists, which ranks ninth in the SUNYAC... Defensively, the Cardinals are paced by senior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), who leads the SUNYAC in caused turnovers with 25... Junior long-stick midfielder Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) has been impactful as a wing player on face-offs, as he ranks second in the conference in ground balls with 81... On the draw, the Cardinals have split time between senior face-off specialist David Force (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) and freshman face-off specialist Daniel Umbro (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison), with Force going 96-for-186 on face-offs and Umbro going 62-for-122... Sophomore goalie Joe Falco (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central) has backstopped the Plattsburgh State defense with a .514 save percentage and a 10.86 goals-against average... Fourth-year head coach Joe May is 34-31 overall for his career.

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS: Geneseo returns to the SUNYAC Tournament after a one-year absence from the event... The Knights are looking to advance to the championship game for the first time since 2012 when they fell to Cortland, 9-2... Geneseo is the only team other than Cortland or Plattsburgh State to win a conference title, as they hoisted the championship trophy in 1982, 2004 and 2007... The Knight offense in 2019 is led by sophomore midfielder James Pratt, who ranks sixth in the conference in goals (29) and points (47)... Freshman attackman Kevin Cook and freshman midfielder Jake Steffen each have 23 points on the year... Sophomore defenseman Tyler Bushnell and senior defenseman Jack Crowley power the defense with 16 and 15 caused turnovers, respectively, while freshman midfielder Ryan Lee has fared well as Geneseo's face-off man, going 110-for-208 on the draw with 49 ground balls... In goal, junior goalie Tyler Wetzel has fashioned a .543 save percentage and a 10.39 goals-against average... Head coach Nick Fiorentino is in his third season helming the Geneseo men's lacrosse team and is 23-22 overall.

WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of this semifinal game will face the winner of the other semifinal-round contest between fourth-seeded Oswego State and top-seeded Cortland in the SUNYAC Tournament final on Saturday, May 4, at the site of the highest-remaining seed... The winner of the SUNYAC Tournament gains the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.