CORTLAND, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team traveled to Cortland for its first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) postseason appearance since 2019, falling 36-3 to top-seeded Cortland in a semifinal matchup on Wednesday evening at Grady Field.
Plattsburgh's offense saw three different players find the back of the net, as sophomore midfielder
Steven Fenner (Pequannock, N.J. / Pequannock) and junior attackers
Peter Urso (Bay Shore, N.Y. / Bay Shore) and
Jamie Gipe (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) each scored. Fenner also added two caused turnovers and a ground ball, while Gipe recorded two ground balls and a caused turnover. Defensively, senior
Kevin Murray (Bellmore, N.Y. / Kellenberg Memorial) led the team with five ground balls and three caused turnovers. Junior goalie
Cole Orehosky (Hauppauge, N.Y. / Hauppauge) made six saves in net, taking the loss, while senior goalie
Jack Mulcahy (Poughkeepsie, N.Y. / Arlington) added nine saves for Plattsburgh.
For the Red Dragons, Nick Stoecker led all players with nine points on six goals and three assists, followed by Drew Williamee with seven points on five goals and two assists. Chad Bowen and Nicky Miltenberger each won 15 faceoffs, with Miltenberger also collecting a game-high 11 ground balls. Charlie Falowski earned the win in net for Cortland.
The Cardinals were solid in transition, finishing 14-for-22 on clears, while Cortland went 15-for-19. The Red Dragons controlled many of the statistical categories, holding advantages in shots (77-28), ground balls (67-23), and faceoffs (37-6). On extra-man opportunities, Plattsburgh went 0-for-4, while Cortland converted 2-of-5 chances.
Cortland came out strong, scoring the first seven goals before Plattsburgh got on the board. After a successful clear, Fenner initiated the offense up top, using a screen before driving straight to the net from the right side for the Cardinals' first goal, making it 7-1 with 7:43 remaining. Despite breaking through, the Cardinals were held scoreless for the remainder of the quarter and trailed 11-1 heading into the second.
Plattsburgh opened the second quarter with a goal, as Gipe found the back of the net at the 13:12 mark. With possession at GLE, the attacker spun off his defender before finishing a crease roll on the doorstep. Cortland responded with a decisive scoring run, extending its lead to 25-2.
Both teams traded goals out of the break, as Urso scored with 12:15 to go in the third quarter. In a one-on-one matchup, Urso worked his defender above GLE, creating just enough space before ripping a quick shot to make it 26-3.
Despite showing flashes of offense through the first three quarters, Plattsburgh was held scoreless the rest of the way, falling 36-3.
With the loss, Plattsburgh State concludes its season with a 9-6 record, marking the program's best overall record since 2017.
