PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team closed the game with three unanswered goals and held Oswego State scoreless in the fourth quarter to defeat the Lakers, 9-6, in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) action Saturday afternoon at the Field House Complex.
 
The Cardinals outshot the Lakers by a 39-35 margin and went 15-for-19 on clears. The Cardinal defense pressured Oswego early and often in transition, as the Lakers successfully converted just 11 of their 18 clear attempts. Plattsburgh State won 12-of-18 face-offs, and with the extra-man advantage, the Cardinals were 2-for-7, while the Lakers were 1-for-6.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 2-8 overall (1-1 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits SUNY Potsdam on Wednesday, April 11, at 7 p.m. Oswego drops to 6-3 overall (0-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Cortland on Wednesday, April 11, at 4 p.m.
 
Oswego hopped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Junior attackman Bobby Emerson scored a man-up goal on a pass from sophomore midfielder Tim Schof 3:35 into the game, while junior midfielder Jarrod Wilkom connected with senior midfielder Mark Niechcial 1:04 later to make it 2-0 score. Sophomore attackman Caleb Alford scored man-down with 5:13 left in the first quarter to stretch the Laker lead to three.
 
Senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead) put the Cardinals on the board with an unassisted goal with 59 seconds left in the first quarter, while freshman attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) trimmed the gap to one by cashing in on a feed from junior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) on the extra-man advantage with 19 seconds remaining in the first.
 
Freshman attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) tied the score 2:03 into the second quarter, and just more than a minute later, sophomore midfielder Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) gave the Cardinals the lead on a man-up goal that came on an assist from senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields). Niechcial tallied on a pass from Schof midway through the period to tie the game, while Litchauer scored unassisted with 6:51 left in the half. That score wound up giving Plattsburgh State a 5-4 halftime lead.
 
Sophomore midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) scored his first career goal to open up the third, burying a feed from Carroll 1:06 into the third quarter. Oswego tied the game at 6-all midway through the third, as sophomore attackman Kyle Bacon found the back of the cage on a Schof pass before Wilkom converted on an Alford dish 2:01 later. Kane scored unassisted with 15 seconds left in the third to stake the Cardinals to a 7-6 edge heading into the final regulation period.
 
Senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) held Oswego scoreless in the fourth, making five saves in the quarter, while Hubbard and Carroll added insurance goals. Hubbard scored unassisted with 5:56 left in regulation, and Carroll put the game on ice with 45 seconds remaining on a pass from Moller.
 
Carroll led the Cardinals with three points on one goal and two assists, while Hubbard, Litchauer and Kane all scored twice. Senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) went 12-for-18 on face-offs and scooped up six ground balls, while junior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) caused four turnovers.
 
For Oswego, Schof posted three points on three assists, while Niechcial scored twice. Alford collected six ground balls to help the Lakers gain possession.
 
Tesoriero made 10 saves in the win for the Cardinals, while freshman goalie Kevin O'Donnell turned aside 14 shots in the loss for the Lakers.