NEW PALTZ, NY - Behind three first-half goals, the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team shocked the third-seeded New Paltz Hawks, defeating the home team 3-2 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference first-round game. The sixth-seed Cardinals got goals from three individuals and played strong defense to turn away numerous Hawk attempts in the second half.  

The Cardinals rise to 8-7-3 overall and will move on to the SUNYAC semifinal game to play the second-seeded Oneonta Red Dragons, who defeated the Cardinals back in mid-October. The Hawks finish their season at 9-5-3, as the Cards snapped a three-game win streak for New Paltz. 

Dylan Shalvey (Cavan, Ireland/Tappan Zee (NY)) opened the scoring for the Cardinals as Brian Coughlan (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River) held possession for Plattsburgh and passed to Shalvey, streaking down the middle of the field. Despite being about 10 yards out from the top of the box, Shalvey took a high chip shot, that got over the keeper's head, and into the left corner of the net for his third goal of the year. Coughlan registered his 10th assist of the year with the pass, putting him in the conference lead in that category. 

The Cardinals added their second goal in the 29th minute after a corner kick from Coughlan bounced around several times between multiple players from each team before finding the foot of Cole Weiner (Saint James, NY/Smithtown). The senior midfielder deposited the shot into the right corner of the net but was originally called offsides by the linesman. After meeting with the referee on the field, the call was reversed and the goal was upheld, putting Plattsburgh up 2-0 and pushing the momentum even further in their direction. 

Coughlan got the final goal of the half to go for Plattsburgh in the 38th minute, as a misplay by the New Paltz defender left just Coughlan and the goalie, a battle the sophomore has won all season. The Pearl River native put the shot into the right corner of the net, his eighth goal of the year, and took sole possession of the conference lead in points with the score. 

At halftime, Plattsburgh held the advantage in shots at 10-7, doubling their shot total against the Hawks over 90 minutes in their previous meeting. With the large advantage, Plattsburgh opted for a more defensive approach in the second half, taking only six more shots moving forward, as the Hawks ended with 16 second-half shots and the shot advantage overall at 22-16.

New Paltz didn't waste much time in the second half working to dwindle the deficit, as Joseph DiPreta scored for the Hawks in the 54th minute. Plattsburgh settled in defensively over the next 30-plus minutes, not allowing New Paltz to make it a one-score game. The Hawks added their second goal of the game late in the second half, as they were awarded a penalty, and made the score 3-2. 

New Paltz would put five more shots up in the final five minutes, but only one on goal, which Teddy Healy (Amityville, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) was able to save. The sophomore keeper tied his season-high mark of six saves and moved to 7-7-2 on the year with the win. 

Plattsburgh now looks to a meeting with Oneonta on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. in Oneonta, NY. The Red Dragons defeated the Cardinals 1-0 at the Field House Complex in a closely paled game in mid-October. All time, Oneonta has the series advantage, going 36-10-3 against Plattsburgh. The Cardinal's last win over the Red Dragons came in October of 2015, as they won 1-0.