PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's soccer team edged Oswego State, 4-3, in an offensive shootout on Friday afternoon at the Field House Complex in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action.
 
The Cardinals, who led by a 3-2 score at the half, took a two-goal lead following an own goal by Oswego with 1:57 left in regulation. The Lakers countered 44 seconds later, however, to make it a one-goal game once again, but the visitors were unable to produce the equalizer in the waning moments of the contest.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 8-2-0 (2-0-0 SUNYAC) with the win and stretches its winning streak to five. The Cardinals face a tough test tomorrow as they host No. 8/8 SUNY Cortland at 1 p.m. at the Field House Complex. Oswego drops to 6-3-1 overall (1-2-0 SUNYAC) with the loss and looks to get back on track tomorrow when it visits SUNY Potsdam for a 1 p.m. encounter.
 
Oswego got on the board first with a goal in the seventh minute. Junior midfielder Karebo Wilson fed senior midfielder Connor Lunduski from the left wing, and Lunduski slide kicked the ball into the net to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead.
 
Plattsburgh State leveled the tally in the 12th minute with a goal by sophomore midfielder Connor Nembach (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West). Senior forward Nicholas Laurent (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) tied up a defender on the left wing with a cut-back move before lacing a pass into the box. Nembach received the ball on the far post and blasted a shot from inside the six-yard box that deflected off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the goal.
 
Just 1:35 later, sophomore forward Kyle Pfaff (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) crossed a ball in from the right corner, and Laurent received the pass with the first touch before scoring from 15 yards out with a right-footed strike on the second touch to hand the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
 
Oswego's junior forward Jason Siracuse tied the game at 2-all in the 34th minute, as he beat a Plattsburgh State defender off the ball on the far left wing, dribbled to the top of the 18-yard box and uncorked a shot that caromed off the inside of the left post and into the goal.
 
A Laker foul in their defensive 18-yard box resulted in a Cardinal penalty-kick chance in the 36th minute, and junior defender John LaTouche (Salisbury Mills, N.Y./Washingtonville) buried the attempt to put Plattsburgh State back on top. LaTouche's goal served as the first of his collegiate career, and the two teams entered the intermission with the Cardinals up, 3-2.
 
The second half proved uneventful for much of its duration until Plattsburgh State benefited from an Oswego own goal in the 89th minute. A Laker defender sent a ball back to the Oswego goalkeeper, but the goalie was unable to trap the pass, and the ball wound up trickling into the net for a goal. Down 4-2, Oswego made a valiant effort to mount a comeback with virtually no time left, cutting the deficit in half just 44 seconds after its own goal. The Lakers played in a ball from the midfield to Siracuse, who was at the top of the 18-yard box, and he fed a pass to sophomore forward Caleb Asamoah, who scored near post from six yards out.
 
Plattsburgh State finished with the upper hand in shots (17-14) and corner kicks (4-3).
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Feeley (Harriman, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) made three saves in the win for the Cardinals, while freshman goalkeeper Brian Terra turned aside two shots in the loss for the Lakers.