The Plattsburgh State Lacrosse team started its conference season on the right foot last weekend by defeating the Oswego State Lakers 14-3 on the road Saturday night.
“I saw our guys take our trip to Oswego very seriously,” head coach Joe May said. “Going on these overnight trips is fun, but they really took the trip down there knowing that we had a purpose, and we had a goal which was at the forefront of their minds.”
By kicking off their conference schedule with a loud victory on the road last weekend, the Cardinals went into their next game with sky-high confidence. Despite losing 11-6 to St. Lawrence on the road Wednesday, the Cards feel like they are ready for what is next on their schedule.
“St. Lawrence is a great lacrosse program,” May said. “We played right there with them, and I was proud of our composure, competitiveness and of our relentless effort. We scrapped and played our butts off and I was proud of our guys for that.”
Although May was proud of his team’s effort, the goal is always to win the game, which PSUC was not able to do against another nonconference opponent. With an overall record of 6-4, the Cards know there is no time to slow down, no matter who they play.
“Yeah we played well, but we lost,” May said. “They know that we took steps forward, even though we lost, and that is the thing they are focusing on. Honestly, it gave us a lot of motivation going forward.”
PSUC now has a week off until its next game on the schedule, which gives them time to rest as well as prepare for its road game against Oneonta next Wednesday.
“I think we have a great shot at winning Wednesday,” May said. “It’s a little bit of a longer trip, but we just have to adapt and overcome which I absolutely know we will.”
On their home turf last year, the Cards outlasted Oneonta 14-7. Now, PSUC will step onto Oneonta’s home turf looking for a similar result as last year.
“With this weekend off, we have an opportunity to really prepare for Oneonta,” assistant coach Brett McClelland said. “They run some quirky defenses and always throw different things at us to try to get us off our game. So, as a coaching staff it gives us an opportunity to sit down and study their film, and it gives the guys an opportunity to take a deep breath and rest.”
In their current five-game road trip, the Cards have lost two out of three to start. From here on out, it is nothing but SUNYAC lacrosse for PSUC where every game matters. Sticking with that mentality allows the team to take each day as it comes by putting forth its best efforts each time the players take the field.
“We have our last grind, but we will be well rested,” McClelland said. “I don’t see anything but a continued commitment to success from here on out.”
Despite its short season and having a hectic schedule, the Cards have been able to adjust to whatever the season throws at them, no matter who they face or where they travel to.
“We picked up a lot of momentum in our last game,” junior midfielder Matt Gonzales said. “The energy coming into SUNYAC is different. It’s really exciting. Our last two games we performed how we like to play and represented ourselves well, so I think everybody is excited to see where that takes us.”
Upcoming, the Cards have two more games on the road before finishing their regular season at home in their final three games of the season. PSUC plays Oneonta on the road tomorrow at 4 p.m.
“SUNYAC games are really what’s most important to us,” Gonzales said. “We just have keep it all rolling.”
Email Ezra Kachaturian at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
