ALBANY, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team held off Curry College for a 10-7 victory in non-conference action, relying on timely defensive stops and a strong offensive showing from junior attacker
Dylan Ruland (Medford, N.Y. / Patchogue Medford). Ruland finished as the game's leading scorer, tallying four goals.
Senior midfielder
Lucas Longhitano (Lake George, N.Y. / Queensbury) also had a multi-goal outing with two goals, and sophomore midfielder
Ethan Francey (Canton, N.Y. / Canton) added two assists and a goal for three points. In net, junior goalie
Cole Orehosky (Hauppauge, N.Y. / Hauppauge) made 11 saves in 60 minutes of action for the win. He got support from junior defender
Fynn Whitlock (Middlebury, Vt. / Middlebury Union), who finished with two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Sophomore faceoff specialist
Owen O'Hara (Tappan, N.Y. / Tappan Zee) had a strong evening at the faceoff X, winning a game-high eight faceoffs to limit possessions for the Colonels.
For the Colonels, Donocan Mawhinney led his team with two goals, and Kai Johnson added a goal and an assist for two points as well. Niko DeCola took the loss in net, recording 15 saves in 60 minutes of action.
Plattsburgh dominated shots, 43-23, and held a slight edge in ground balls, 18-15. Curry narrowly won the faceoff battle, 10-9, but the Cardinals excelled on clears, converting 19 of 21 compared to 15 of 22 for the Colonels.
After Curry netted the opening goal, Plattsburgh answered with a man-up strike from
James Henningsen (North Bellmore, N.Y. / Mepham) at the 6:08 mark to even the score. The first quarter remained tightly contested until the Cardinals broke through with 26 seconds left. The Cardinals' shot in transition was saved, but
Jamie Gipe (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) collected the rebound and fed Longhitano, who finished with a behind-the-back shot to give Plattsburgh a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Cardinals quickly extended their lead to 3-1 when Ruland finished off a pass from Francey, but Curry answered with three straight goals to take a 4-3 advantage with 8:39 remaining. Plattsburgh capitalized on another rebound as
Tim Keenan (Poughquag, N.Y. / Arlington) scooped up a saved shot and buried it on the doorstep to tie the game at 4-4 with 5:58 to play. The Cardinals added three more goals before the break, while Curry netted one, sending Plattsburgh into halftime with a 7-5 lead.
The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, with each team scoring once as the Cardinals carried an 8-6 lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter continued much like the rest of the game, with both teams trading goals as Plattsburgh held a 9-7 lead with 5:57 remaining. The Cardinals then shut out Curry for the remainder of the quarter, with Francey sealing the 10-7 victory with a goal in the final minute.
With the win, Plattsburgh State rises to 3-0 and returns to action Saturday, Mar. 7, hosting Utica for a 12 p.m. opening faceoff.
