PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team entered Saturday looking to snap a two-game skid and did just that. Facing a team the Cardinals had defeated in each of the previous nine meetings, Plattsburgh made it 10 straight with an 18-8 non-conference victory over Vermont State University (VTSU) Castleton at the Field House Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. Eleven different Cardinals scored in the win, led by junior attacker Jamie Gipe (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker), who recorded a career- and game-high seven points on three goals and four assists while adding five ground balls.

Plattsburgh also received a strong performance from junior attacker Peter Urso (Bay Shore, N.Y. / Bay Shore), who finished with six points on four goals and two assists to go along with three ground balls. Sophomore midfielder Matt White (Medford, N.Y. / Patchogue-Medford) and first-year midfielder Connor Wiggins (Whitesboro, N.Y. / Whitesboro) each added two goals. Senior defender Kevin Murray (Bellmore, N.Y. / Kellenberg Memorial) led all players with four caused turnovers while adding two ground balls. At the faceoff X, sophomore Owen O'Hara (Tappan, N.Y. / Tappan Zee) won a career- and game-high 10 faceoffs, while sophomore Aiden Deegan (New London, N.H. / Kearsarge Regional) secured nine. Junior goalie Cole Orehosky (Hauppauge, N.Y. / Hauppauge) earned the win in net for Plattsburgh.

For the Spartans, Liam Evarts led his team with four points on one goal and three assists, while Matt Gregoire finished with a team-high three goals. Willem Aiston won nine faceoffs, and Gabe Rubio recorded a team-high four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Finn Maniaci made 20 saves in 60 minutes of action and took the loss for Castleton.

Plattsburgh controlled the offensive tempo, outshooting Castleton 61-22 and holding a 51-31 advantage in ground balls. The Cardinals also led at the faceoff X, 20-10. Both teams scored four times on extra-man opportunities, with Plattsburgh converting on four of six chances and Castleton on four of nine. On clears, the Cardinals were efficient, going 16-for-18, while the Spartans finished 14-for-24.

The Cardinals got off to a strong start, scoring back-to-back goals from Brayden Shattuck (Queensbury, N.Y. / Queensbury) and Gipe to take an early 2-0 lead at the 10:04 mark. Castleton responded with two goals of its own before the teams traded tallies, tying the score at 3-3 with 2:48 remaining in the quarter. Urso then broke the tie with a strong drive from behind the net, finishing with a leaping shot, and Gipe followed with another goal to give Plattsburgh a 5-3 lead after one.

The second quarter belonged to Plattsburgh, as the Cardinals scored eight unanswered goals to take control of the game. Urso led the surge with two man-up tallies, helping extend the lead to 13-3 heading into halftime.

The scoring surge continued as Plattsburgh opened the third quarter with three straight goals, capped by a tally from James Henningsen (North Bellmore, N.Y. / Mepham) off a feed from Fynn Whitlock (Middlebury, Vt. / Middlebury Union) for a transition score that pushed the Cardinals' lead to 16-3 with 6:53 remaining. Castleton answered with three consecutive goals in an attempt to build momentum, but Plattsburgh still held a commanding 16-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Lucas Longhitano (Lake George, N.Y. / Queensbury) opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a strong drive through multiple defenders, finishing with a bounce shot to give Plattsburgh a 17-6 lead at the 10:01 mark. The Spartans added two more goals, but the outcome was well in hand as White sealed the victory with a goal at the 3:30 mark to secure an 18-8 win for the Cardinals.

With the win, Plattsburgh State improves to 4-2 and will return to action Wednesday, Mar. 18, when the Cardinals travel to New England College for a 4 p.m. opening faceoff.