ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The nationally seventh-ranked Cortland men's lacrosse team built a 7-2 halftime lead and held off Nazareth in the fourth quarter for a 12-9 win in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon in a game postponed a day due to inclement weather. The Red Dragons improved to 11-3 with their sixth straight win, while the Golden Flyers fell to 6-8.

Cortland relied on balanced scoring as nine different players tallied goals for the Red Dragons. Juniors Matt Savlov (Liverpool), Mike Cantelli (Holmdel, NJ) and Matt Rakoczy (Clifton Park/Albany Academy) each netted a pair of goals with Cantelli and Rakoczy each adding one assist. Senior Eric Ohman (Islip) had one goal and one assist, and seniors Fred Mase (Levittown/Division Avenue) and Mike Cummings (Syracuse/East Syracuse Minoa), junior Hunter Osborne (Homer) and sophomores Zach Hopps (Akwesasne/Massena) and Conor Scavone (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Don Bosco Prep) scored one goal apiece. Junior Benjamin Dunlavey (Elmira/Corning East) chipped in with two assists.

Junior goalie Scott Tota (Webster/Webster Schroeder) registered 13 saves, including eight in the first half as Cortland built its lead. Sophomore Pat Baldwin (Alpharetta, GA) recorded five ground balls, while senior J.T. Foltz (Auburn) picked up four ground balls and caused four turnovers.

Troy Haefele led Nazareth with three goals, all in the second half. Drew Simoneau and Kyle Fanning each recorded one goal and one assist and Nick Arnold, Brian Wright, Collin Clark and Matt O'Neill scored one goal apiece. Will Fallo had two assists. Simoneau won 15-of-23 faceoffs and scooped up 12 ground balls. Scott Brown played the first half in the cage, making six saves. Michael Cuciti stopped five shots in the second half.

Cortland grabbed a 2-0 lead after the first quarter on goals from Rakoczy at 9:45 and Savlov at 29 seconds. O'Neill put the Golden Flyers on the scoreboard at 13:32 of the second quarter before the Red Dragons rattled off five consecutive goals for a 7-1 lead. Cantelli scored twice during the run, including his second tally with just six seconds remaining in the half. Simoneau, however, won the ensuing faceoff and assisted Fanning's goal with only 1.8 seconds on the clock to make it a 7-2 game at the break.

After Savlov and Rakoczy sandwiched goals around a Simoneau score to open the third quarter, Nazareth pulled to within 9-6 with a three-goal burst. Osborne stopped the string of goals with his score at 2:52 of the third and Cortland took a 10-6 lead into the final quarter. Clark and Mase traded scores and the Red Dragons still held a four-goal lead at 11-7 with 9:53 on the clock. Haefele then netted back-to-back goals at 8:08 and 7:02 to make it an 11-9 score and the Golden Flyers were their closest since trailing 3-1 early in the second quarter. Hopps slowed the Nazareth momentum with his goal at 5:03 and the Red Dragons kept the Golden Flyers from getting any closer to earn the 12-9 victory. 

Cortland 12, Nazareth 9

GAME SUMMARY:

Team                 1-2-3-4 Final
Cortland (11-3) 2-5-3-2 12
Nazareth (6-8)  0-2-4-3   9

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Mike Cantelli 2-1, Matt Rakoczy 2-1, Matt Savlov 2-0, Eric Ohman 1-1, Mike Cummings 1-0, Fred Mase 1-0, Hunter Osborne 1-0, Zach Hopps 1-0, Conor Scavone 1-0, Benjamin Dunlavey 0-2, Nate Beresovoy 0-1
Nazareth: Troy Haefele 3-0, Drew Simoneau 1-1, Kyle Fanning 1-1, Nick Arnold 1-0, Brian Wright 1-0, Collin Clark 1-0, Matt O'Neill 1-0, Will Fallo 0-2

Goalkeepers:
Cortland: Scott Tota, 13 saves (9 GA in 60:00)
Nazareth: Scott Brown, 6 saves (7 GA in 30:00), Michael Cuciti, 5 saves (5 GA in 30:00)

Shots: Cortland 37, Nazareth 35
Ground Balls: Nazareth 32, Cortland 31
Turnovers: Nazareth 13, Cortland 13
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 11, Nazareth 5
Clears: Cortland 23-of-28, Nazareth 15-of-19
Faceoffs Won: Nazareth 15, Cortland 8
Penalties: Cortland 4-5:30, Nazareth 3-2:00
Extra-Man Offense: Nazareth 2-4, Cortland 0-2