POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team grinded out an 11-9 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) win over SUNY Potsdam on Wednesday evening under the lights at Maxcy Turf Field.
 
The Cardinals were aggressive defensively from the get-go, with the team combining for 15 caused turnovers, including four and three from freshman attackman Stephen Kane (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) and junior defenseman Chris Rupp (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), respectively. Sophomore defenseman Kyle Smith (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem East) scooped up a career-high 11 ground balls to help aid Plattsburgh State in the possession game.
 
In a rivalry game that always tends to be evenly-matched, Wednesday was no different. The Cardinals outshot the Bears, 39-31, and were 2-for-3 on extra-man opportunities, but Potsdam went 11-for-17 on clears compared to Plattsburgh State's 14-for-22 mark in transition. The Bears were 2-for-5 with the extra attacker, while the Cardinals held a 38-25 edge in ground balls.
 
Plattsburgh State rises to 3-8 overall (2-1 SUNYAC) with the win and now has a week and a half off from competition before hosting The College at Brockport in a 1 p.m. Senior Day matchup on Saturday, April 21. Potsdam slips to 3-7 overall (0-2 SUNYAC) with the loss and next hosts SUNY Oneonta on Saturday, April 14, at 1 p.m.
 
Junior attackman Jake Carroll (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) opened scoring midway through the first quarter by finding the back of the cage on a pass from senior attackman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue, N.Y./Riverhead), while Potsdam's senior attackman Eric Soderquist countered 59 seconds later to tie the game at 1-all. Freshman attackman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna) connected with Carroll for a man-up goal with 5:53 left in the first quarter before sophomore midfielder Nick Slate tied the game on a pass from Soderquist with 1:15 remaining in the period to knot the tally at 2-all through 15 minutes of play.
 
Potsdam took its only lead of the evening 56 seconds into the second quarter, as junior midfielder Gabe Carbone cashed in on a Soderquist dish with the extra-man advantage. Plattsburgh State countered with three unanswered goals, as Kane found sophomore midfielder Kevin Murphy (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) for a score 4:31 into the period before Hubbard scored unassisted and senior midfielder Billy Moller (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) tallied on a pass from Carroll midway through the quarter. Moller's goal handed Plattsburgh State a 5-3 advantage, which held as the halftime score.
 
The Bears drew within one 57 seconds into the third quarter on a goal by sophomore midfielder Josh Huiatt, and Slate tied the game with a man-up tally midway through the stanza. Moller regained the lead for the Cardinals with 5:16 left in the third before Soderquist squared matters once again nine seconds after Moller's goal, burying a pass from Huiatt following a face-off win. Hubbard put Plattsburgh State on top for good with a marker less than a minute after Soderquist's, and senior attackman E.J. Suris (Kings Park, N.Y./Smithtown West) and Hubbard each scored with under two minutes to play in the period. Suris' goal, which was man-up and his first of the season, was assisted by Carroll, while senior defensive midfielder Nicco Narbutas (Holbrook, N.Y./Miller Place) registered his first assist of the year on Hubbard's marker.
 
Moller stretched the Cardinal cushion to four goals 4:30 into the fourth quarter with his third goal of the game, while Potsdam spent the remainder of the final regulation stanza chipping away at the deficit. Senior midfielder Nick Orsini found twine midway through the period before Hubbard scored his fourth goal of the contest less than a minute later on a pass from Moller. Huiatt posted two unassisted goals down the stretch—with his second one coming 15 seconds before the horn—but the gap proved too large to overcome as the Cardinals emerged with an 11-9 victory.
 
Hubbard registered five points on four goals and an assist, while Moller (three goals, one assist) and Carroll (two goals, two assists) each had four points. Senior face-off specialist Travis Mauro (Northport, N.Y./Northport) slightly edged his counterpart at the X, going 12-for-23 on face-offs while adding five ground balls.
 
For Potsdam, Huiatt (three goals, one assist) and Soderquist (two goals, two assists) led the way offensively with four points apiece, while Huiatt scooped up five ground balls and caused three turnovers.
 
Senior goalie Donald Tesoriero (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) earned the win between the posts for the Cardinals, making 10 saves in 57:59 of work, while senior goalie Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) did not face a shot on goal in 2:01 of action. Potsdam's junior goalie Zach Sheridan turned aside 13 shots in the loss.