PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team entered Saturday's contest looking to bounce back after dropping its first conference game of the season, and did just that. In a low-scoring, tightly contested matchup, the Cardinals earned a 7-4 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory over Morrisville on Senior Day at the Field House Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. Prior to the start of the contest, Plattsburgh honored six seniors: Joe Barcher (Troy, N.Y. / Catholic Central), Tim Keenan (Poughquag, N.Y. / Arlington), Jack Mulcahy (Poughkeepsie, N.Y. / Arlington), Kevin Murray (Bellmore, N.Y. / Kellenberg Memorial), George Rhatigan (Bethlehem, N.Y. / Bethlehem Central), and Connor Vanella (Holtsville, N.Y. / Sachem East).

Plattsburgh had four players record multi-point performances, led by Keenan with a game-high two goals. Sophomore midfielder Steven Fenner (Pequannock, N.J. / Pequannock) and junior attacker Peter Urso (Bay Shore, N.Y. / Bay Shore) added a goal and an assist, while sophomore midfielder Ethan Francey (Canton, N.Y. / Canton) finished with two assists. Jamie Gipe (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker), James Henningsen (North Bellmore, N.Y. / Mepham), and Matt White (Medford, N.Y. / Patchogue-Medford) each added a goal in the win. Defensively, junior Fynn Whitlock (Middlebury, Vt. / Middlebury Union) led the way with a game-high four caused turnovers and a team-high five ground balls, while Francey added four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sophomore faceoff specialist Owen O'Hara (Tappan, N.Y. / Tappan Zee) won six faceoffs, and junior goalie Cole Orehosky (Hauppauge, N.Y. / Hauppauge) made nine saves in the victory.

For Morrisville, Noah Taylor led the way with a goal and an assist. Jack Pendergass collected a team-high five ground balls, while Jason Finn won six faceoffs. In net, Blake Dunton took the loss despite making 16 saves.

Plattsburgh controlled the game statistically, holding advantages in shots (49-30) and ground balls (38-24), while both teams finished with seven faceoff wins. The Cardinals went 1-for-3 on extra-man opportunities, while Morrisville went 0-for-3. Plattsburgh finished 22-for-27 on clears, compared to 21-for-28 for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs struck first at the 13:08 mark, and while Plattsburgh held them scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, the Cardinals did not get on the board until 5:31. Fenner found Keenan across the field, who ripped a shot from distance to put Plattsburgh on the board. Urso then added a late unassisted tally after speeding past his defender and finishing on the doorstep, giving Plattsburgh a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second, Morrisville responded with back-to-back goals to take a 3-2 lead at the 6:35 mark, a margin that held into halftime.

Out of the break, it was all Plattsburgh as the Cardinals held the Mustangs scoreless in the third quarter. Keenan recorded his second goal of the game two minutes into the frame, and Fenner capped the scoring with 1:38 remaining to give Plattsburgh a 4-3 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
The momentum carried over for the Cardinals, who strung together three straight goals to build a 7-3 advantage with 5:49 left in the game. White scored at 9:45 off a feed from Francey, who found the midfielder cutting across the crease for the finish. Henningsen followed less than a minute later, also converting a pass from Francey for a one-on-one finish at the doorstep. Gipe capped the run after dodging his defender and ripping a shot home. Morrisville added a goal at 5:08, but the Cardinals held strong the rest of the way to secure the 7-4 victory.

With the win, Plattsburgh State improves to 8-3 (3-1 SUNYAC) and will return to action next Saturday, Apr. 18, traveling to Canton for a 1 p.m. opening faceoff.