TROY, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's soccer team lived up to its "Cardiac Cards" nickname on Wednesday evening, erasing an early deficit and converting on both of its shots on target to secure a 2-1 comeback victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in non-conference action.
Looking to bounce back after their first loss of the season, the Cardinals squared off against an RPI team they defeated 2-0 last fall. The Engineers struck first in the 15th minute when Thomas Corcoran finished a cut-back pass from Joshua Jarden to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage. RPI controlled much of the opening half, outshooting Plattsburgh 6-1, and carried its lead into the halftime break.
The Cardinals, who have made a habit of second-half comebacks this season, found an equalizer just seven minutes into the second period. Junior Gabriel Moscheni (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) netted his second goal of the year off a feed from senior Mariano Marra (Ossining, N.Y./Ossining), leveling the score at 1-1.
Plattsburgh completed the turnaround in the 70th minute, when sophomore Alex Guevara (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas) fired home his first goal of the season from the top of the box, set up by junior Jake McGowan (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley), to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. The two goals proved to be all the Cardinals needed, as their only two shots on target in the match both found the back of the net.
With the victory, Plattsburgh improves to 5-1-3 on the season. The Cardinals return to SUNYAC play on Saturday, traveling to Morrisville in search of their first conference win.
