PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Trailing 7-6 early in the third quarter, the nationally fifth-ranked Cortland men's lacrosse team went on a 6-1 run that stretched past the midway point of the fourth quarter in securing the top seed in the upcoming SUNYAC Tournament with a 12-9 win at Plattsburgh Saturday afternoon.

The Red Dragons won their 53rd consecutive regular-season conference game, improving to 14-1 overall and 6-0 in the SUNYAC, and will host fourth-seeded Geneseo in a tournament semifinal on Wednesday, May 3. The Cardinals fell to 10-5 and 5-1 but earned the second seed and host third-seeded Brockport in the semifinals.

Juniors Devin Phelps (Chittenango) and Nate Beresovoy (LaFayette) led Cortland with three goals each with Phelps also collecting an assist. Sophomore Joey Panariello (Islip) tallied two goals and one assist. Sophomore Dean Riley (Homer) totaled one goal and two assists, senior Jimmy Nielsen (Miller Place), junior Eddie Eddington (Geneva) and sophomore Ethan Parks (Penfield) netted one goal apiece, and junior Thomas McNaney (Marcellus) recorded four assists.

Junior goalie Joe Scalise (Fairport) registered 14 saves  and four ground balls for the Red Dragons. Senior Dave Foster (Farmingville/Sachem East) also collected four ground balls and Parks and junior Trevor Pratt (Denver, CO/Colorado Academy) scooped up three ground balls.

Austin Belz notched two goals for the Cardinals. Kevin Litchauer and Mike Gay each recorded one goal and one assist, and Ryan Hubbard, Joe Eiseman, Jake Carroll, Nick DeCeglia and Brandon Heimbuch scored one goal apiece. Ryan Callahan had three assists. Austin Graham made five saves in 47:25, and Donald Tesoriero stopped four shots in 12:35.

The Cardinals opened the game by taking a 4-1 lead after one quarter, outshooting Cortland, 19-2, in the opening 15 minutes. The Red Dragons pulled even at the half, 5-5, as four different players scored. After Beresovoy gave Cortland its first lead of the game at 13:57 of the third quarter, goals by Carroll and Hubbard made it 7-6 in favor of Plattsburgh with 10:42 on the clock. Cortland closed the third quarter on 3-0 run to take a 9-7 lead. Gay cut the margin to one goal with a man-up goal at 14:07, but another three-goal burst by Cortland put the Red Dragons ahead, 12-8, with 6:19 to play. DeCeglia concluded the scoring with a man-up goal just before the final horn for the 12-9 final.

Cortland 12, Plattsburgh 9

GAME SUMMARY:

Team               1-2-3-4       Final
Cortland           1-4-4-3         12
Plattsburgh      4-1-2-2           9

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Devin Phelps 3-1, Nate Beresovoy 3-0, Joey Panariello 2-1, Dean Riley 1-0, Jimmy Nielsen 1-0, Eddie Eddington 1-0, Ethan Parks 1-0, Thomas McNaney 0-4
Plattsburgh: Austin Belz 2-0, Kevin Litchauer 1-1, Mike Gay 1-1, Ryan Hubbard 1-0, Joe Eiseman 1-0, Jake Carroll 1-0, Nick DeCeglia 1-0, Brandon Heimbuch 1-0, Ryan Callahan 0-3

Goalkeepers:
Cortland: Joe Scalise, 14 saves (9 GA in 60:00)
Plattsburgh: Austin Graham, 4 saves (10 GA in 47:25), Donald Tesoriero, 4 saves (2 GA in 12:35)

Shots: Plattsburgh 46, Cortland 26
Ground Balls: Plattsburgh 27, Cortland 25
Turnovers: Plattsburgh 11, Cortland 8
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 8, Plattsburgh 6
Clears: Cortland 17-of-17, Plattsburgh 11-of-13
Faceoffs Won: Plattsburgh 14, Cortland 9
Penalties: Cortland 7-6:00, Plattsburgh 2-1:30 
Extra-Man Offense: Plattsburgh 3-6, Cortland 1-1

Records after the game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 14-1, 6-0 SUNYAC (ranked 5th nationally in Div. III), Plattsburgh (Cardinals) 10-5, 5-1 SUNYAC