CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Cortland men's lacrosse team jumped out to a 9-3 lead at the half and went on to earn a 13-7 victory versus Ithaca Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action at the Stadium Complex. The Red Dragons improved to 9-4, while the Bombers fell to 7-5.

Sophomore Klay Stuver (Fairport) led the Cortland offense with four goals. Seniors Dante Yacavone (Homer) and Tyler Starrett (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) each netted three goals. Senior Jason Chiodo (Hamburg) tallied a goal and an assist, senior Troy Morris (Long Beach) scored a goal, freshman Colin Doyle (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) scored his first career goal and sophomore Miles Kane (Hagerstown, MD/North Hagerstown) picked up an assist.

Junior Travis Wagner (Penfield) started in goal for the Red Dragons, tying his career high with 18 saves in 56:52. Senior Matt Stento (Bethlehem) stopped two shots in 3:08. Sophomore Owen Neubauer (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) won eight faceoffs and collected four ground balls. Senior Dominick Natale (Homer) secured four ground balls, and Wagner and freshman Nathan Nagengast (Bay Shore) each scooped up three ground balls.

Junior Kyle Savery (Duxbury, MA) and freshman Tim Rogers (Weymouth, MA/Boston College High) paced Ithaca with two goals apiece. Junior Charlie Niebuhr (Frenchtown, NJ/Delaware Valley) and freshman Brendan Occhino (Unionville, CT/Farmington) each recorded a goal and an assist, sophomore Jack Pastore (Sherborn, MA/Xaverian Brothers) notched a goal, while four others each registered an assist.

Senior Ryan LaForty (Ridgewood, NJ) played the first half in goal for the Bombers, making five saves. Freshman Andrew Minard (South Salem/John Jay) stopped six shots in the second half. Sophomore Chase Gulick (Darien, CT) won 11-of-17 faceoffs. Junior Hunter Wallace (South Glastonbury, CT) secured nine ground balls, and graduate student Demetri Lowry (Ambler, PA/Wissahickon) scooped up five ground balls and caused three turnovers.

Cortland took a 5-2 lead after the first quarter as Starrett scored twice for the Red Dragons. After Occhino made it a 5-3 game early in the second quarter, Cortland closed the half with four straight goals from four different players for a 9-3 advantage. The Red Dragons pushed their lead to 12-3 after three quarters as Stuver scored twice and Yacavone netted a goal. Starrett's goal 40 seconds into the fourth quarter gave Cortland its biggest lead at 13-3 before the Bombers closed the game with four late goals for the 13-7 final.

Cortland 13, Ithaca 7

GAME SUMMARY:

Team                  1-2-3-4  Final
Ithaca                 2-1-0-4       7
Cortland             5-4-3-1     13

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Ithaca: Kyle Savery 2-0, Tim Rogers 2-0, Charlie Niebuhr 1-1, Brendan Occhino 1-1, Jack Pastore 1-0, Jake Erickson 0-1, Kyle Proctor 0-1, Andrew Tinnesz 0-1, Graham Brady 0-1
Cortland: Klay Stuver 4-0, Dante Yacavone 3-0, Tyler Starrett 3-0, Jason Chiodo 1-1, Troy Morris 1-0, Colin Doyle 1-0, Miles Kane 0-1

Goalkeepers:
Ithaca: Ryan LaForty, 5 saves (9 GA in 30:00), Andrew Minard, 6 saves (4 GA in 30:00)
Cortland: Travis Wagner, 18 saves (4 GA in 56:52), Matt Stento, 2 saves (3 GA in 3:08)

Shots: Ithaca 53, Cortland 32
Ground Balls: Ithaca 42, Cortland 28
Turnovers: Ithaca 15, Cortland 15
Caused Turnovers: Ithaca 8, Cortland 5
Clears: Cortland 24-of-25, Ithaca 24-of-28
Faceoffs Won: Ithaca 15, Cortland 9
Penalties: Cortland 5-5:00, Ithaca 1-1:00
Extra-Man Offense: Ithaca 1-5, Cortland 1-1

Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 9-4, Ithaca (Bombers) 7-5