CORTLAND, N.Y. – Despite holding a two-goal lead over No. 14 SUNY Cortland late in the third quarter, the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team was unable to overcome a three-goal fourth by the Red Dragons, falling by a 10-7 final in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action Saturday afternoon at Stadium Red. The game was a rematch of last year's SUNYAC Tournament final and was the SUNYAC opener for both teams.
 
Plattsburgh State stayed in the game due largely to the performance of senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington), who made a career-high 20 saves in the loss. Cortland finished with a 53-30 edge in shots and held a 33-30 cushion in ground balls. In transition, the Red Dragons held the upper hand, going 15-for-18 on clears versus a 15-for-25 performance for the Cardinals. Cortland went 12-for-21 at the X and was 2-for-5 with the extra attacker, while Plattsburgh State scored on one of its three extra-man opportunities.
 
The Cardinals drop to 1-7 overall (0-1 SUNYAC) with the loss and next host regional rival St. Lawrence University on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m. The Red Dragons rise to 6-3 overall (1-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next visit the Rochester Institute of Technology on Wednesday, April 4, at 7 p.m.
 
Sophomore midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) opened scoring 1:01 into the game on a pass from senior defensive midfielder Brad Johnston (Altamont, N.Y./Guilderland), while junior midfielder Joey Panariello tied the score 1:04 later with a goal on a feed from senior attackman Thomas McNaney. Cortland's junior attackman Dean Riley connected with junior attackman Terrence Haggerty for a man-up goal with 9:32 left in the first quarter, while senior attackman Liam Erickson cashed in on a pass from junior midfielder Cam LaPorta 1:10 later to hand the Red Dragons a 3-1 advantage. With three seconds left in the first quarter, senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) scored unassisted to draw the Cardinals within one heading into the second stanza.
 
After scoreless stretch for both teams to start the second, Litchauer tallied unassisted midway through the period to tie the game, while Haggerty found twine on a pass from Panariello 1:10 later to give Cortland the lead once again. Hubbard squared the score at 4-all with an unassisted goal with 3:59 left in the half before Haggerty reclaimed the advantage for the Red Dragons. With 38 seconds left in the first half, Hubbard completed the hat trick to tie the score at 5-all entering the intermission.
 
Freshman midfielder James Sherwood (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor) scored a man-up goal on a feed from senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) to open up scoring in the third quarter, while freshman midfielder Justin Wise (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) handed Plattsburgh State a 7-5 lead with 6:48 left in the third, converting on a pass from freshman attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional). Cortland scored twice in the final 5:06 of the third quarter to tie the game, as Riley tallied on a pass from Panariello while freshman midfielder Sam Bulman scored on a feed from freshman midfielder Brandon Stiles.
 
Cortland took the lead with 2:03 gone in the fourth quarter, as junior midfielder Mike McNaney found the back of the cage on an assist from graduate student attackman Devin Phelps. Stiles scored unassisted with 9:38 left in regulation to give the Red Dragons a 9-7 lead, while Panariello added insurance with 34 seconds remaining, netting a man-up goal on a pass from Thomas McNaney.
 
Hubbard and Litchauer led the Cardinal attack with three and two goals, respectively, while senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) scooped up a game-high eight ground balls. Hubbard helped Plattsburgh State gain possession, too, collecting a career-high seven ground balls. Defensively, senior defenseman Sean Hayes (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue) caused three turnovers.
 
For Cortland, Haggerty keyed the attack with three goals, while Panariello scored twice and added two assists. Sophomore face-off specialist Gage Gomez went 9-for-13 on the draw and totaled seven ground balls, while Thomas McNaney caused two turnovers. Senior goalie Joe Scalise earned the win in net, making 10 saves.