The Plattsburgh State men’s lacrosse team ended its five game road trip with a statement win against notoriously tough SUNYAC opponent, the College at Brockport, winning 15-11.
It was more of a statement win for themselves as a team for the Cardinals, rather than over their opponent, as they improve their conference record to 3-0 (8-4 overall).
“Playing Brockport was a really high-energy, high-stakes game,” head coach Joe May said. “Both teams knew what winning that game meant. I was proud of our guys for holding their heads high and keeping their composure; it was excellent to see.”
PSUC has won three out of its last four games, all of which coming on the road and against SUNYAC opponents.
“The thing I’m most proud of is that we are 3-0 in conference play,” May said. “Nobody really cares what you did in February and March. It’s about what you do in April and May.”
The Cards finish 3-3 on the road this season and are 3-1 at home so far with three games left to play on their turf. A win this Saturday would guarantee them at least the No. 2 seed in the conference, or even the No. 1 seed, which would also guarantee them a playoff game at home.
“Last year, we were a very good team but came up short in a lot of close games,” May said. “But this year, we came in very focused and hungry because we knew nobody was going to give us an easy game.”
This season, the enthusiasm from its bench players has been a strong, yet underlying force for this team’s success.
“We have a lot of guys that are awesome in practice and incredible on the sidelines during the games,” May said. “All 47 guys are dialed right in and doing whatever it takes to help the team, and that has been a huge part of our success.”
With that mentality, the Cards are a legitimate threat to each of their opponents with the amount of echoing and play calling they do on the field, as well as the cheering and hype that comes from the sidelines when someone does something good for the team.
Coming into its final stretch of the season, and with the semester also dwindling down, the team is making sure to put in extra work on the field but in the library as well.
“We’ve got these games, and luckily we’re not traveling for them, but they still have a lot on their plate right now,” May said. “The other day, we actually had a film session then a mandatory study hall session instead of practice.”
Looking ahead at their next opponent, the Cardinals will be hosting SUNY Geneseo to kick off their final three games of the regular season at home.
“We just want to continue our strong and enthusiastic mindset,” junior face-off man Travis Mauro said. “We’re determined to get that home playoff game.”
In last year’s meeting with Geneseo, the Cards doubled up the Knights 19-8 in Geneseo. This time around, PSUC looks to have a similar performance in front of its home crowd.
“If we come ready to play like how we did against Brockport, then we will have similar results,” Mauro said. “Not only do we want to win, but everybody wants to play too. It’s a big weekend.”
Email Ezra Kachaturian at sports@cardinalpointsonline.com
