PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Despite a four-goal second quarter, the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team dropped an 11-6 non-conference decision to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday evening at the Field House Complex.
 
While senior defensive midfielder Brad Johnston (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) scored unassisted 25 seconds into the third quarter to hand Plattsburgh State a 5-4 lead, RPI netted seven unanswered goals across the third and fourth quarters to pull away.
 
RPI finished with a 49-25 edge in shots and a 38-25 cushion in ground balls. The Engineers also went 13-for-21 on face-offs and were 14-for-18 on clears. Plattsburgh State fared well in transition, too, going 19-for-22 on its clear attempts. RPI scored two goals on seven chances with the extra-man advantage, while Plattsburgh State went 1-for-2 on extra-man opportunities.
 
Plattsburgh State slips to 1-6 overall with the loss and visits No. 14 SUNY Cortland on Saturday, March 31, in a rematch of last year's State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship game to open up conference play. RPI rises to 6-1 overall with the win and visits Skidmore College next on Saturday, March 31, at 12 p.m.
 
The Engineers struck early, with freshman midfielder Jason Bram cashing in on a feed from junior midfielder J.T. Kelly 1:03 into the game before Kelly connected with sophomore midfielder Aidan Denecke on an extra-man opportunity with 8:59 left in the first quarter to stake RPI to a 2-0 lead. RPI put four more shots on goal in the first quarter, but senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) stood tall for the Cardinals to keep the deficit at 2-0 through 15 minutes of play.
 
Plattsburgh State then went on a four-goal tear, beginning with a man-up marker by senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) on a pass from junior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) 2:53 into the second quarter. Sophomore midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) scored unassisted 3:02 into the period before senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) tallied on a dish from junior defensive midfielder Nick Della Ratta (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) 26 seconds later to force an Engineer timeout. Moller capped the surge with 6:29 left in the half to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
 
RPI scored twice to end the half, first receiving a goal from junior attackman Parker Jean on a pass from junior midfielder Lucas Bastarache before junior attackman Cliff Kigar tallied on a Denecke feed with 13 seconds left in the second quarter to knot the tally at 4-all heading into the intermission.
 
Johnston took advantage of a turnover in the Engineers' defensive end after a Cardinal giveaway, scoring unassisted 25 seconds into the third quarter. RPI went on to score seven straight, beginning with a Bram marker that tied the game at 5-all 3:32 into the third. Kigar found twine on a Kelly pass midway through the third, while junior midfielder Corey Burns connected with Bastarache with 18 seconds remaining in the period to hand the Engineers a 7-5 cushion heading into the final regulation stanza.
 
The Bastarache-to-Kigar connection 17 seconds into the fourth quarter continued the Engineer spurt, while Kigar buried a man-up goal midway through the stanza on a Kelly dish. Bram scored unassisted twice to cap the scoring spree and push the Engineer lead to 11-5.
 
Hubbard once again scored on a pass from Della Ratta, finding the back of the cage with 3:47 left in regulation.
 
Hubbard and Moller each had two goals to pace the Cardinals, while Della Ratta dished out two assists. Sophomore defenseman Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) and Johnston scooped up five and four ground balls, respectively, while Smith caused two turnovers.
 
For RPI, Kigar and Bram each scored four goals, while Kelly distributed four assists. Denecke helped the Engineers gain possession with five ground balls, while senior defenseman Tom Feenstra caused two turnovers.
 
Tesoriero turned aside 14 shots in the loss for the Cardinals, while freshman goalie Brian Doughty made eight stops in the victory for RPI, marking his first intercollegiate win in his first career start.