CORTLAND, N.Y. - The nationally 11th-ranked Cortland men's lacrosse team built a 14-6 lead in the fourth quarter and held off a late rally by Plattsburgh to earn a 14-12 victory in the SUNYAC Finals Saturday afternoon at the Stadium Complex. With the win, the Red Dragons improved to 14-4 and earned an automatic NCAA Div. III playoff berth. The Cardinals fell to 13-6.
Junior
Zach Hopps (Akwesasne/Massena) tallied two goals and one assist for Cortland, becoming the 10th player in program history to eclipse 200 career points (104-98-202), and earned Tournament MVP honors. Senior
Benjamin Dunlavey (Elmira/Corning East) scored a game-high five points on three goals and two assists, and senior
Matt Savlov (Liverpool) also netted three goals.
Senior
Mike Cantelli (Holmdel, NJ) and sophomore
T.J. deLyra (Brightwaters/Bay Shore) each scored twice, senior
Billy Davis (Manhasset) totaled one goal and three assists and senior
Matt Rakoczy (Clifton Park/Albany Academy) had one goal and two assists for the Red Dragons.
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Senior Zach Hopps, who surpassed 200 career points, was named the MVPSenior goalie
Scott Tota (Webster/Webster Schroeder) registered 10 saves for Cortland. Junior
Pat Baldwin (Alpharetta, GA) won 12-of-24 faceoffs and collected a game-high 10 ground balls, while junior
Gino Prestigiacomo (Rochester/Greece Athena) won 3-of-4 faceoffs and Cantelli scooped up five ground balls.
Senior Jack Felter (Binghamton/Chenango Forks) led Plattsburgh with three goals and one assist. Freshman Ryan Hubbard (Aquebogue/Riverhead) recorded two goals and one assist and junior Brendan Damm (Montauk/East Hampton) and sophomore Austin Belz (Bayport/Bayport-Blue Point) each scored twice. Senior James Read (Miller Place) tallied one goal and two assists, junior Matt Renko (Scotia/Scotia-Glenville) had one goal and one assist, sophomore Mike Gay (Ronkonkoma/Connetquot) scored once and sophomore Ryan Callahan (Miller Place) chipped in with two assists.
Junior goalie Matt Massaria (Floral Park) turned aside 16 shots for Plattsburgh. Junior Joey Kromer (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) won 13-of-28 faceoffs and registered seven ground balls. Read collected four ground balls, and Renko and junior Peter Johann (Montauk/East Hampton) each secured three.
Cortland led 2-1 after the opening quarter and pushed the lead to 4-1 early in the second quarter on goals from Savlov and Cantelli. The Cardinals answered with three of the next four goals from three different players to pull to within 5-4 with 7:25 to play in the first half. Dunlavey and Felter traded scores and the Red Dragons held a 6-5 lead at intermission.
Cortland appeared to have taken control of the game by outscoring Plattsburgh, 6-0, in the third quarter for a12-5 lead. Dunlavey and deLyra each netted a pair of goals for the Red Dragons in the quarter. The advantage grew to 14-6 with 10:18 remaining as Hopps and Davis sandwiched goals around Gay's score.
From that point, the Cardinals began chipping away at the lead. Belz, Damm, Felter and Hubbard each scored in less than a two-minute span and Cortland's lead was cut to 14-10 with 6:56 on the clock. Hubbard netted his second of the game at 5:01 before Read made it a 14-12 score at the 1:53 mark. Kromer won the ensuing faceoff for the Cardinals, but Plattsburgh turned the ball over with 1:15 to play as Cortland senior
Patrick Brown (Camillus/West Genesee) collected an errant pass and worked the ball into Cortland's offensive zone where the Red Dragons were able to run out the clock and secure the win.
Joining Hopps on the All-Tournament Team were Rakoczy, Dunlavey, Tota and sophomore
David Foster (Farmingville/Sachem East) of Cortland; Massaria, Renko and senior Brendan Cefalu (East Islip) of Plattsburgh; Ed Doherty and Pete Gropp of Potsdam; and Calvin Bollar and Brandon Hickey of Oneonta.
Cortland 14, Plattsburgh 12
GAME SUMMARY:
Team          1-2-3-4 Final
Plattsburgh      1-4-0-7   12
Cortland        2-4-6-2   14
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Plattsburgh: Jack Felter 3-1, Ryan Hubbard 2-1, Brendan Damm 2-0, Austin Belz 2-0, James Read 1-2, Matt Renko 1-1, Mike Gay 1-0, Ryan Callahan 0-2
Cortland:
Benjamin Dunlavey 3-2,
Matt Savlov 3-0,
Zach Hopps 2-1,
Mike Cantelli 2-0,
T.J. deLyra 2-0,
Billy Davis 1-3,
Matt Rakoczy 1-2Â
Goalkeepers:
Plattsburgh: Matt Massaria, 16 saves (14 GA in 60:00)
Cortland:
Scott Tota, 10 saves (12 GA in 60:00)
Shots: Plattsburgh 46, Cortland 38
Ground Balls: Cortland 36, Plattsburgh 30
Turnovers: Plattsburgh 13, Cortland 13
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 5, Plattsburgh 5
Clears: Cortland 15-of-17, Plattsburgh 15-of-18
Faceoffs Won:Â Cortland 15, Plattsburgh 13
Penalties:Â Plattsburgh 5-4:30, Cortland 4-2:30
Extra-Man Offense: Cortland 2-4, Plattsburgh 2-4
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 14-4 (ranked 11th nationally in Div. III); Plattsburgh (Cardinals) 13-6
