Cortland wins 2019 SUNYAC men's lacrosse title
CORTLAND, N.Y. - Cortland men's lacrosse defeated Geneseo, 13-9, Saturday at home to win its second-straight and 26th overall State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) crown. With the win the Red Dragons received an automatic berth into the 2019 men's lacrosse NCAA tournament where they will make their 19th consecutive appearance.
Cortland's Brian Williams was named the Tournament MVP after winning 16-of-23 faceoffs and scooping up 12 ground balls in today's game giving him a single-season school record of 178 on the season. He had nine ground balls and two caused turnovers in the semifinal game on Wednesday.
Junior Terrence Haggerty led Cortland with five points on two goals and three assists. Senior Dean Riley tallied two goals and one assist, while sophomore Brandon Stiles and freshman Dante Yacavone each netted two goals.
Freshman goalie Marc Esposito made four saves and collected two ground balls for Cortland. Junior goalie Tyler Wetzel registered 12 saves and three ground balls in 58:55 for the Knights.
Junior Dillion Rogers had three goals for Geneseo while sophomore James Pratt added two goals and two assists.
Elite 20
The SUNYAC Elite 20, an award modeled after the NCAA ELITE 90 program, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. This year's men's lacrosse honoree is Bryce Kelly a junior political science major from Geneseo.
2019 Men's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Plattsburgh, Michael Van Bommel
Oswego, Kevin O'Donnell
Geneseo, James Pratt
Geneseo, Tim Fallo
Geneseo, Jack Crowley
Cortland, Alex Waelder
Cortland, Dominick Natale
Cortland, Justin Wainwright
Cortland, Terrence Haggerty
Cortland, Brandon Croteau
Cortland, Brian Williams -- MVP
Team Stats
| Game Statistics | Geneseo | Cortland |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 33 | 39 |
| Ground Balls | 28 | 38 |
| Saves | 12 | 4 |
| Clears | 20-28 | 20-28 |
| Turnovers | 22 | 21 |
| Face Offs Won | 8 | 17 |
| Man Up | 2-5 | 1-3 |
