BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's soccer team fell in a back-and-forth affair Saturday morning to Buffalo State, falling 3-2 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) 3-2. The Cardinals led 2-1 with just over 11 minutes to go, but two late goals from the Bengals gave the home team the win.

Xavier Kamba (Valley Cottage, N.Y./Nyack) and John Hayes (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) each scored for Plattsburgh, with Kamba picking up his fifth goal of the season and Hayes his ninth. Santiago Vargas (Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) and Brian Coughlan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) each had assists for the Cards, while Teddy Healy (Amityville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) picked up just his second loss of the season in goal as he made five saves.

Buffalo State won the shot battle 19-8, but the shots were nearly even on goal, as they were 8-6 in favor of the Bengals. On corners, the teams were each able to earn three in the 90-minute game action.

Plattsburgh State falls to 7-2-3 (2-2-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts New Paltz for a midweek SUNYAC clash on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. Buffalo State stays undefeated with the win and moves to 12-0-1 (5-0 SUNYAC) and will next host the current No. 20 Oneonta Red Dragons, on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

In the first half, Buffalo State appeared to be in control, outshooting the Cardinals 10-2 and taking a 1-0 lead in the 31^st minute off of Adam Webster's ninth goal of the season. However, in the second half, Plattsburgh State immediately gave themselves chances, with a Coughlan shot being saved within the first 10 minutes. Finally, in the 58^th minute, Kamba scored his fifth goal of the season, tying the game off a Vargas assist.

The Cardinal offensive attack continued to produce chances for the Cards as the game began to shift in their favor. In the 78^th minute, the chances came to fruition as Hayes tallied his team-leading ninth goal thanks to a Coughlan assist to give his team a 2-1 lead.

The lead was short-lived, however, as a Cardinal foul in the box resulted in a penalty kick less than 30 seconds later, setting up Diego Rivera for the chance to take the lead. The initial kick was saved by Healy, but Rivera was able to rebound his own miss, knotting the game at two goals apiece.

The next shot from either team gave the Bengals the lead as Manu Prieto scored off a Rivera assist, giving Buffalo State a 3-2 lead in the 84^th minute of action.

Plattsburgh State was able to earn a corner kick in the 87^th minute, but was unable to produce a shot, as they took just their second loss of the 2024 season.

Shae Wirt earned the win in goal, making four saves in 90 minutes of action, while both Rivera and Prieto tallied a goal and assist.