PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team entered Wednesday looking to secure its third consecutive victory, but fell to Oneonta, 21-5, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play at home. Junior attacker Peter Urso (Bay Shore, N.Y. / Bay Shore) led the Cardinals with three points, recording three assists.

Junior attacker Jamie Gipe (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) paced the team with two goals for two points and added two ground balls. Plattsburgh also received goals from sophomores James Henningsen (North Bellmore, N.Y. / Mepham) and Steven Fenner (Pequannock, N.J. / Pequannock), along with senior Tim Keenan (Poughquag, N.Y. / Arlington). Defensively, junior Fynn Whitlock (Middlebury, Vt. / Middlebury Union) collected a team-high eight ground balls and caused a game-high four turnovers, while classmate Cole Orehosky (Hauppauge, N.Y. / Hauppauge) made 10 saves in net.

For the Red Dragons, Thomas Hnis led all players with eight points on five goals and three assists, followed by Aidan Boyle with five points on four goals and one assist. Sean Grimes won a game-high 18 faceoffs and added a game-high 11 ground balls, while Mark Restivo recorded nine saves in the win.

Oneonta controlled the statistical battle, outshooting Plattsburgh 52-20 while holding advantages in ground balls (41-31) and faceoffs (21-7). The Cardinals converted one of three extra-man opportunities, while the Red Dragons went 4-for-8. Plattsburgh was efficient on clears, going 21-for-26, while Oneonta finished 24-for-28.

It didn't take long for either team to get on the board, as Oneonta struck first at the 14:20 mark. Plattsburgh answered less than 30 seconds later, with Jamie Gipe (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) tying the game at 13:51 on a transition goal. From there, however, the Cardinals were unable to keep pace with the Red Dragons' offense. Oneonta responded with an eight-goal run, including two more tallies in the opening quarter, to take a 3-1 lead into the second.

The Red Dragons carried that momentum into the second quarter, extending their run with six straight goals before Gipe halted the surge with his second score of the game at 4:10. Once again, Gipe capitalized in transition, this time finishing a setup from Dylan Ruland (Medford, N.Y. / Patchogue-Medford). Oneonta added one more goal before the break, sending Plattsburgh into halftime facing a 10-2 deficit.

Plattsburgh came out of the break with some newfound momentum, as Urso fired a cross pass to Keenan for a score on the doorstep. However, the Red Dragons quickly stifled that momentum, going on another run before Urso found another teammate for a goal. Fenner finished the feed to make it 17-4 with 5:08 to go, and later, Oneonta added another tally to take an 18-4 lead into the final quarter.

Once again, the Cardinals struck first, this time from Henningsen, as Plattsburgh capitalized on a turnover and worked a tic-tac-toe sequence to the attackman for a goal on the doorstep. From that point, the Cardinals were unable to add any more goals, as Oneonta pulled away and Plattsburgh fell 21-5.

With the loss, Plattsburgh State falls to 9-4 (4-2 SUNYAC) and will return to action on Saturday, Apr. 25, traveling to Cortland for a 1 p.m. opening faceoff.