PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Despite holding No. 8/8 SUNY Cortland scoreless in the first half and finishing with an 11-8 edge in shots, the Plattsburgh State men's soccer team lost a 2-0 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) game to the Red Dragons on Saturday afternoon at the Field House Complex.

Cortland holds a No. 8 national ranking in both the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Men's Top-25 Poll as well as the D3soccer.com Men's Top-25 Poll.

The loss was Plattsburgh State's first in SUNYAC play in 2017, and the Cardinals now are tied with SUNY Geneseo for fourth in the SUNYAC standings with six points. Cortland, the defending SUNYAC champion, now sits alone atop the standings with 12 points.

While Plattsburgh State held the upper hand in shots, both teams finished with five corner kicks. Neither goalkeeper saw much action, with sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Feeley (Harriman, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) and Cortland's senior goalkeeper Connor Young each making one stop.
 
Plattsburgh State drops to 8-3-0 overall (2-1-0 SUNYAC) with the loss and next visits SUNY Oneonta on Friday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m. Cortland rises to 10-1-0 overall (4-0-0 SUNYAC) with the win and next visits Fredonia on Friday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m.
 
Cortland got on the board in the 63rd minute, as freshman midfielder Jake Kaufman headed in a ball on a set piece sent in by sophomore midfielder Miguel Tunas from about 24 yards out. Feeley got a piece of it but was unable to corral the ball in, and the Red Dragons took a 1-0 lead.
 
Just 7:25 later, Cortland took a 2-0 advantage. Junior forward Matt Aprile launched a throw-in from the left sideline out to sophomore forward Cam LaVallee, and LaVallee won a foot race with a Plattsburgh State defender to get to the ball along the endline. LaVallee then beat out a second Cardinal defender while driving to goal and unleased a shot from the top left corner of the six-yard box, burying the ball far post.
 
After that second goal, the Cardinals began creating offensive chances, earning three corner kicks and taking four shots in the final 13 minutes of the contest. Plattsburgh State was unable to capitalize on those opportunities, however, and the Red Dragons escaped with the 2-0 victory.
 
Senior forward Nicholas Laurent (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South), junior forward Alex Price (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) and sophomore forward Kyle Pfaff (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) all took two shots in the loss for Plattsburgh State.