SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Skidmore College men's lacrosse team fought valiantly in the second half, but a late Plattsburgh State run was the difference, as the Thoroughbreds dropped their home opener to the Cardinals by a 10-8 score, at Wachenheim Field Saturday afternoon.
Skidmore fell to 0-2 on the season. It was the season opener for Plattsburgh.
Eric Megnia led Skidmore with four points, via a pair of goals and assists.
Ward Mahoney also added a pair of goals. Nick DeBlasio,
Will Lukas,
Alex Miller, and
Colby Farnham also scored.
Garrett Munck and
Jason Shlonsky added assists.
Miller led with seven ground balls and three caused turnovers. Megnia, DeBlasio, and
Robert Meindl all caused one turnover.
Tim Rahill made 19 saves in goal. He also tallied six ground balls.
FKevin Litchauer led Plattsburgh with two goals and three assists. Jack Mullen also tallied five points, scoring a goal and adding four assists. Connor Wolff also bagged a pair of goals. Christian Bassi made 11 saves in the victory.
The Thoroughbreds got on the board just 1:26 into the game, on an unassisted goal by Megnia. Plattsburgh tallied three straight goals, capped by a Wolff man-up goal, taking a 3-1 lead. Shlonsky and Lukas broke the Plattsburgh run, connecting on a goal at 10:10, but the Cardinals responded with three more goals to take a 6-2 lead. The Thoroughbreds got a pair of important goals to end the half, as Miller caused a turnover on one end, racing down the field to score with 1:10 remaining. One minute later, with the clock running down, Megnia found DeBlasio, as the seniors connected to reduce the deficit to 6-4 entering the half.
Skidmore kept the momentum up after halftime, scoring three straight goals to take a 7-6 lead. Mahoney got things started with two straight goals, including a man-up strike to tie the game at six. Late in the third, Skidmore took advantage of another Plattsburgh penalty, as Megnia scored the man-up goal to take the lead entering the fourth.
Plattsburgh took control from there, essentially putting the game away with four straight goals. Farnham wrapped the scoring with just over a minute left in regulation, scoring an unassisted goal for the 10-8 final.
Plattsburgh outshot Skidmore by a 42-33 margin and won 17-of-21 face-offs. Both teams tallied two extra-man goals; Plattsburgh went 2-for-4, while Skidmore went 2-for-5. The Cardinals converted on 15-of-16 clear attempts and Skidmore went 19-for-24.
Skidmore's tour of SUNYAC schools continues on Tuesday, as Oneonta comes to Wachenheim Field for a 4 p.m. matchup.
