CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland men's lacrosse team held Potsdam scoreless for a stretch of 22 minutes, 31 seconds spanning the first to third quarters and defeated the Bears, 16-8, Saturday afternoon in SUNYAC action at the Stadium Complex. The Red Dragons improved to 6-3 overall and evened their record at 1-1 in the conference. Potsdam fell to 5-4 and 0-2.

Senior Dante Yacavone (Homer) led Cortland with three goals and two assists. Sophomore Caden Yancey (Fayetteville-Fayetteville-Manlius) tallied two goals and two assists, senior Jason Chiodo (Hamburg) recorded two goals and an assist and senior Troy Morris (Long Beach) and sophomore Klay Stuver (Fairport) each netted a pair of goals.

Seniors Tyler Starrett (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) and Austin Palmer (Hamburg/St. Francis) and sophomore Ryan Smith (East Islip) registered one goal and one assist apiece, while freshmen Jono Arena (Sachem/Sachem East) and Kyle Valinchus (Kings Park) each scored a goal for the Red Dragons. Freshman Nick Stoecker (East Setauket/Ward Melville) contributed two assists, and senior Justin Wainwright (Homer) and sophomore Kole Stuver (Fairport) added assists.

Junior goalie Travis Wagner (Penfield) stopped 15 shots and allowed just six goals in 48:54 for Cortland. Senior Matt Stento (Bethlehem) made one save in 7:04, and freshman Nick Mathes (Smithtown/Smithtown East) turned aside one shot over the final 4:02. Sophomore Owen Neubauer (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) won all 13 of his faceoffs and scooped up six ground balls. Sophomore Rich Finn (LaGrange/Arlington) won 6-of-9 faceoffs. Wainwright and sophomore Johnny Bowen (Yorktown) each collected five ground balls, and Chiodo added four ground balls.

Sophomore Owen Walsh (Ballston Spa) paced Potsdam's offense with three goals. Senior Noah Strader (Ogdensburg/Ogdensburg Free Academy) and sophomore Drew Rose (Brasher Falls/St. Lawrence Central) each netted two goals. Senior Peyton Walsh (Ballston Spa) tallied a goal and two assists, and senior Ayden LaFave (Philadelphia/Indian River) recorded three assists.

Junior goalie Liam O'Neil (Liverpool) made 15 saves and secured three ground balls. Senior Ryan Derion (Fairport) finished with three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Sophomore Cole Slavin (Corning/Corning-Painted Post) collected five ground balls, junior Cobie Cree (Akwesasne/Salmon River) scooped up four ground balls, and sophomore Ben Lagoner (Webster/Webster Thomas) finished with three faceoff wins, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Potsdam held a 2-1 lead after the first quarter, but the Red Dragons outscored the Bears, 6-0, in the second quarter to build a 7-2 advantage at the half. The lead grew to 10-2 with three quick third-quarter scores before Strader ended Potsdam's scoring drought at the 10:49 mark of the quarter. Cortland ended the quarter with three of the final four goals for a commanding 13-5 lead. The teams split six goals over the last 15 minutes for the 16-8 final.

Cortland 16, Potsdam 8

GAME SUMMARY:

Team                  1-2-3-4  Final
Potsdam             2-0-3-3       8
Cortland              1-6-6-3     16

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Potsdam: Owen Walsh 3-0, Noah Strader 2-0, Drew Rose 2-0, Peyton Walsh 1-2, Ayden LaFave 0-3
Cortland: Dante Yacavone 3-2, Caden Yancey 2-2, Jason Chiodo 2-1, Klay Stuver 2-0, Troy Morris 2-0, Tyler Starrett 1-1, Austin Palmer 1-1, Ryan Smith 1-1, Jono Arena 1-0, Kyle Valinchus 1-0, Nick Stoecker 0-2, Kole Stuver 0-1, Justin Wainwright 0-1

Goalkeepers:
Potsdam: Liam O'Neil, 15 saves (16 GA in 60:00)
Cortland: Travis Wagner, 15 saves (6 GA in 48:54), Matt Stento, 1 save (1 GA in 7:04), Nick Mathes, 1 save (1 GA in 4:02)

Shots: Cortland 50, Potsdam 48
Ground Balls: Cortland 40, Potsdam 33
Turnovers: Cortland 18, Potsdam 16
Caused Turnovers: Potsdam 7, Cortland 6
Clears: Potsdam 21-of-24, Cortland 20-of-24
Faceoffs Won: Cortland 21, Potsdam 6
Penalties: Cortland 6-5:00, Potsdam 4-2:30
Extra-Man Offense: Potsdam 3-6, Cortland 2-4

Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 6-3, 1-1 SUNYAC, Potsdam (Bears) 5-4, 0-2 SUNYAC