Devin Phelps was named MVP (Darl Zehr Photography)
CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland men's lacrosse team jumped out to an early 5-0 first-quarter lead in earning a 22-12 win versus Plattsburgh in the title game of the SUNYAC Men's Lacrosse Tournament Saturday afternoon. The 22 goals are the most-ever scored in a conference championship game, surpassing the previous mark set in 2005 when the Red Dragons defeated Geneseo, 20-8.
Cortland improved to 12-6 on the season and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III playoffs. The Cardinals had a six-game winning streak snapped and finished the season at 7-9.
Tournament MVP Devin Phelps (Chittenango) scored a game-high seven points for the Red Dragons on two goals and five assists. Senior Thomas McNaney (Marcellus) tallied four goals and two assists, and junior Terrence Haggerty (Centerport/Harborfields) also netted four goals with one assist.
Seniors Nate Beresovoy (LaFayette) and Eddie Eddington (Geneva), junior Joey Panariello (Islip) and sophomore Danny Caroussos (Smithtown/Smithtown West) each notched two goals for Cortland. Junior Dean Riley (Homer) recorded one goal and four assists, sophomore Tristan Moreno (Clarkstown/Clarkstown North) chipped in with one goal and one assist, and sophomore Brian Williams (Holtsville/Sachem East) and freshman Ryan Forcino (West Islip) added one goal apiece.
Senior goalie Joe Scalise (Fairport) made eight saves in 47:55 before giving way to sophomore Jake Craybas (Bethel, CT), who stopped one shot over the final 12:05. Williams won 12-of-22 faceoffs and collected seven ground balls. Freshman Rob Free (Port Jefferson Station/Comsewogue) secured four ground balls, freshman Tristan Hogan (Westhampton Beach) collected three ground balls and caused two turnovers, and Phelps and junior Ethan Parks (Penfield) each scooped up three ground balls.
Senior Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue/Riverhead) paced Plattsburgh offense with five goals, and senior Billy Moller (Greenlawn/Harborfields) netted three goals. Sophomore Kevin Litchauer (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) and freshman Connor Wolff (Niskayuna) each recorded one goal and one assist, and junior R.J. Ehli (Smithtown/Smithtown West) and sophomore Kevin Murphy (Sayville) scored one goal apiece.
Senior Donald Tesoriero (Huntington) started in goal, making seven saves through three quarters. Senior Austin Graham (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) stopped two shots in the fourth quarter. Senior Travis Mauro (Northport) won 20-of-35 faceoffs and collected 11 ground balls.Sophomore Kyle Smith (Holbrook/Sachem East) secured five ground balls, and Hubbard recorded four ground balls.
Cortland built its 5-0 lead just 5:44 into the opening quarter as McNaney scored twice and Phelps recorded two assists. Plattsburgh made it a 5-2 game before McNaney's third goal put Cortland ahead, 6-2, after the first quarter. The Red Dragons quickly extended their lead to 9-2 5:02 into the second quarter with goals from Beresovoy, Phelps and McNaney. Goals from Moller and Hubbard cut Cortland's lead to 9-4, but Riley Scored at 3:34 and Phelps found the back of the net nine seconds before the half to make it an 11-4 game.
Haggerty opened the third quarter with back-to-back goals before Moller scored, and Cortland led, 13-5. The Red Dragons responded with five consecutive goals, including two man-up scores from Haggerty, to take a commanding 18-5 lead at the 5:42 mark. Hubbard and Moreno then traded goals to close the third quarter with Cortland ahead, 19-6. The Cardinals netted five goals in a row from five different players to make it a 19-11 game, but the Red Dragons scored three of the game's last four goals for the 22-12 final.
Cortland 22, Plattsburgh 12
GAME SUMMARY:
Team 1-2-3-4 Final
Plattsburgh 2-2-2-6 12
Cortland 6-5-8-3 22
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Plattsburgh: Ryan Hubbard 5-0, Billy Moller 3-0, Kevin Litchauer 1-1, Connor Wolff 1-1, Kevin Murphy 1-0, R.J. Ehli 1-0, Jake Carroll 0-1
Cortland: Thomas McNaney 4-2, Terrence Haggerty 4-1, Devin Phelps 2-5, Nate Beresovoy 2-0, Joey Panariello 2-0, Eddie Eddington 2-0, Danny Caroussos 2-0, Dean Riley 1-4, Tristan Moreno 1-1, Brian Williams 1-0, Ryan Forcino 1-0, Mike McNaney 0-1
Goalkeepers:
Plattsburgh: Donald Tesoriero, 7 saves (19 GA in 45:00), Austin Graham, 2 saves (3 GA in 15:00)
Cortland: Joe Scalise, 8 saves (7 GA in 47:55), Jake Craybas, 1 save (5 GA in 12:05)
Shots: Cortland 41, Plattsburgh 31
Ground Balls: Cortland 37, Plattsburgh 36
Turnovers: Plattsburgh 22, Cortland 19
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 8, Plattsburgh 8
Clears: Cortland 18-of-21, Plattsburgh 10-of-16
Faceoffs Won: Plattsburgh 20, Cortland 17
Penalties: Plattsburgh 7-6:30, Cortland 3-2:00
Extra-Man Offense: Oswego 3-4, Cortland 1-3
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 12-6; Plattsburgh (Cardinals) 7-9
