PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Junior attackman Dilon Smith (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) posted eight points on two goals and a career-high six assists, as the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team returned to action for the first time in 384 days with a season- and State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC)-opening 13-3 win over SUNY New Paltz on Monday afternoon at the Field House Complex. It also marked the first win for first-year head coach Andrew Hauk.
 
Smith's six assists are tied for the fourth most in a single game in program history and are the most a Cardinal has dished out since Brendan Damm distributed seven against Norwich University on March 2, 2016.
 
The Cardinals held a 51-37 edge in the shot department and went 13-for-20 at the 'X.' Plattsburgh State went 25-for-30 on clear attempts compared to New Paltz's 20-for-36 showing. The Cardinals also outgained the Hawks in ground balls, 49-29. With the extra man, New Paltz was 2-for-3, while Plattsburgh State was 1-for-2.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 1-0 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next hosts SUNY Oneonta on Friday, April 2, at 4 p.m. New Paltz falls to 0-2 overall (0-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits SUNY Potsdam on Friday, April 2, at 4 p.m. This marked the first-ever meeting between Plattsburgh State and New Paltz, with Monday's contest serving as New Paltz's first-ever SUNYAC game.
 
Sophomore attackman Michael Swift (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) registered his first collegiate goal 3:38 into the contest to open scoring, firing a bounce shot that went through the legs of the Hawks' goalie. Senior midfielder Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) earned an assist on the play. Kane cashed in on a feed from sophomore attackman Gus Rugg (Haverstraw, N.Y./North Rockland) just 30 seconds later to put the Cardinals on top, 2-0, but New Paltz got a man-up goal from first-year midfielder Ryan Kaelin off a pass from sophomore midfielder Aidan Gregory and an unassisted score from freshman attackman John Reese midway through the first quarter to tie the game at 2-all. Smith used tic-tac-toe passing to assist on Plattsburgh State's final two goals of the opening frame, with Kane scoring with 4:16 left and Rugg dunking in his first collegiate marker 2:18 before the end of the period.
 
Smith also assisted on a Kane score with 5:12 to go in the second quarter and a tally by senior attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) with 2:56 remaining in the half before Wolff connected with Smith for a goal with five seconds before the horn to hand the Cardinals a 7-2 advantage heading into the halftime intermission.
 
Wolff scored man-up 2:03 into the third quarter on a feed from Smith before first-year attackman Brian Pohoreckyj (Port Washington, N.Y./Paul D. Schreiber) potted his first collegiate goal with 9:20 left in the frame on another Smith assist. New Paltz's Kaelin scored man-up on a dish from Gregory to stop the run with 4:29 to go in the quarter, cutting the gap to 9-3.
 
Plattsburgh State accounted for all the scoring in the fourth quarter, with Wolff tallying unassisted 3:25 into the frame before Pohoreckyj found the back of the net on a Wolff pass with 4:10 to go. Pohoreckyj broke Smith free with a pass in transition, and Smith delivered his second goal and eighth point of the afternoon to close out scoring with 1:04 remaining in the contest.
 
Beyond Smith's eight-point effort, Wolff registered six points on four goals and two assists, while Kane recorded four points on three goals and one assist. Pohoreckyj finished with three points on two goals and one assist in his intercollegiate debut, while Rugg and Swift each scored once. Senior face-off specialist Brendan Heggers (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) went 8-for-14 at the 'X' and scooped up six ground balls, while sophomore long-stick midfielder Julian Pigliavento (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) had a career day defensively with eight ground balls and five caused turnovers.
 
For New Paltz, Kaelin scored twice, while Reese scored once. Gregory dished out assists on both of Kaelin's markers. Freshman defenseman Zachary Leung led the defense with five ground balls and three caused turnovers, while freshman defenseman Tim Russell tied Pigliavento for the game high in ground balls with eight.
 
Junior goalie Christian Bassi (Windham, N.H./Kimball Union Academy) earned the win in net for the Cardinals, making 11 saves in the victory, while sophomore goalie Nate Lindsey took the loss for the Hawks with an 11-save effort through three quarters.