After being honored with the SUNYAC’s Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Week, Plattsburgh State sophomore attackman Ryan Hubbard is gaining recognition in a very competitive conference.
Hubbard first picked up a lacrosse stick in third grade, although this took precedent to football in his hometown of Aquebogue, New York. For him, Friday night-lights caught his eye earlier than taking shots on goal.
“It was a huge football town,” Hubbard said. “When I was younger, my goal was always to play football in college, but once I got to high school, I started to realize there were a lot more opportunities in lacrosse.”
Although there were more collegiate offers for Hubbard in lacrosse than football, this did not undermine his capability to perform on the gridiron. In fact, he was a jack-of-all-trades on the team, playing wide receiver, cornerback, as well as taking kick and punt returns for Riverhead high school.
His talents on the football field provided him with offers to play football in college from Division III schools, such as Lehigh and Cortland. Hubbard knew it was in his best interest to continue his career in lacrosse. However, he still finds similarities in both football and lacrosse, even though he has hung up his football cleats for more than two years now.
“Both require a lot of athleticism,” Hubbard said. “You have to be fast and agile. I like how you have to always be aware on both fields. Everything’s so fast-paced.”
To view more videos, visit our Multimedia page.Hubbard has seemed to develop a comfortability to these fast-paced competitions as he is already making a name for himself on the PSUC team at such an early stage in his career.
The sophomore currently leads the Cards in goals scored with 23 and is ranked second on the team in points with 30.
One game against Geneseo marked the rise of the sophomore superstar, however. In a 19-8 victory over their SUNYAC competitors, the Cards found Hubbard helping the offensive cause tremendously with a total of eight goals, his career-high.
“He’s really just let his game speak for itself,” fellow attackman Ryan Callahan said. “He has a great vision of the field, which helps him always be in a great position to score.”
With being the leader on the team with number of goals scored, Hubbard is no stranger to finding the back of the net. He has even developed a favorite way to score on his opponents. Hubbard has grown a liking to dodge from behind the cage, losing his defender, and then hit top shelf. That is his perfect goal.
When Hubbard is not putting his time in on the practice field or hitting the books to keep up with his major in business administration, Hubbard enjoys playing ice hockey, as well as feeding his adrenaline needs by snowboarding in the winter.
Whatever Hubbard may find himself doing, he is always trying to be the absolute best that he can be. This is a quality of Hubbard that his peers and coaches have picked up on quickly.
“He’s a really nice and respectable kid on and off the field,” head coach Joe May said. “He’ll never back down from a challenge. It’s where he strives.”
Email Kevin Morley at kevin.morley@cardinalpointsonline.com
