CANTON, NY - Brian Coughlan (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River) posted his first career hat trick on Tuesday evening against SUNY Canton, as he led the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team to a 4-0 win over the Roos. Juan Velez (Cuenca, Ecuador/Peekskill(NY))picked up the other goal for the Cardinals, as the team nearly matched their season single-game high of five goals.

With the win, the Cards improve to 7-6-2 overall (2-4-2 SUNYAC) as they prepare for a conference matchup on Saturday. Canton falls to 5-10-1 overall as they prepare for their final regular season game on Saturday versus SUNY Delhi. 

The Cardinals wasted no time getting after it offensively, with Coughlan scoring his first goal in the sixth minute. Receiving a pass from Andrew Braverman (Sayville, NY/Sayville), the sophomore midfielder took a couple of dribbles left, working to his non-dominant foot, and hit the 18-yard shot off his left for the first goal of the game. 

Seven minutes later, Coughlan deposited a deep free kick, some 30-plus yards from the net, for his second score of the game. Velez added the other first-half goal in the 22nd minute, as he ripped a shot off a rebounded corner into the net for his fourth goal of the year.

Coughlan secured his first career hat trick in the 82nd minute of the game, as he earned a penalty kick and was successful in his attempt for the score. He now has seven goals and eight assists on the year, good for 22 points, as all are tops on the Cardinals team. His 22 points also put him in sole possession of second place on the SUNYAC leaderboards for the 2022 season.

Teddy Healy (Amityville, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) earned the victory in goal, as he collected his fifth shutout making three saves in the win. He now holds a 6-6-1 record on the season, as his save total on the year rises to 45.

The Cardinals showed their offensive prowess on Tuesday, putting up 28 shots in 90 minutes, forcing the Canton goalies to see 17 shots on goal. 

Plattsburgh sits in a three-way tie with Oswego and Fredonia for the final two spots in the conference playoffs with each team having one game remaining and all sitting at 2-4-2 in the conference. The Cardinals will look to earn a victory on Saturday when they will travel to Buffalo St. for a 1 p.m. matchup in their final SUNYAC game.