By Ziaire Ferrell, Justin Rushia
The Plattsburgh State men’s lacrosse team got revenge against the New England College Pilgrims in a non-conference matchup March 26.
The Cardinals lost their contest against the Pilgrims last season in a double overtime thriller that ended 11-10 in New England’s favor. This year, Plattsburgh defeated the Pilgrims, winning by a score of 14-10.
“Last year, we lost to them in double overtime. So that was definitely tough. We wanted to have a big game against them,” junior defenseman Kevin Murray said.
This is the Cardinals’ fourth win in eight games, tying their win total from last season in half of the games.
The players have been thriving under new head coach Zach Nedbalski so far this season.
“Compared to last year, this year is definitely a big culture change,” senior midfielder Donald Woods said. “I’m a senior now. I’ve been through this. I’m on my third coach in four years, so it’s kind of difficult to get a program going when you’re bouncing around. You know, nothing really sticks.”
“Coach came in focusing on the culture and not just dilly-dallying. You’re here to play lacrosse; let’s lock in on what you’re doing buy into it, and buy into the team,” Woods said.
With no games over spring break, the Cardinals used their time wisely by watching film on their upcoming opponents.
Head coach Zach Nedbalski takes a lot of time reviewing the tape. Though every game is different, going into this one, he made sure the team focused on limiting their attachments, feeding, and finishing abilities and that this was a huge part of their success.
“We always scout and watch film to get to understand our opponents’ strategies,” Nedbalski said.
After the first whistle, the Pilgrims struck 30 seconds into the game.
Plattsburgh responded with three unanswered goals. Sophomore attacker Peter Urso led the charge with back-to-back scores, followed by a goal from sophomore midfielder Jamie Gipe to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead at the 6:32 mark.
A non-releasable penalty on Plattsburgh allowed New England College to capitalize with two man-up goals, tying the game at 3-3.
Gipe responded with his second goal off an assist from Urso, giving Plattsburgh a 4-3 advantage after the first quarter.
“They had two great attackmen, so we had to match up well. Defensively, we held them to just a few goals, which was huge for us,” Woods said.
New England College opened the second quarter with a quick goal to tie the game again, but the Cardinals answered with a three-goal run fueled by two man-up goals from Woods.
Plattsburgh extended its lead to 7-4 before the Pilgrims scored a man-down goal at the 7-minute mark. Ruland struck again in the final minute of the half, cutting Plattsburgh’s lead to 8-6 at the break.
The Cardinals extended their lead early in the third quarter as Gipe completed his hat trick off an assist from Ruland. The Pilgrims stayed within reach, scoring at the 11:50 mark, making it a 9-7 game.
After a long stretch without a goal, Urso added another tally for Plattsburgh at 4:49, but the Pilgrims responded with two late goals, closing the gap to 10-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cards took over in the final period, outscoring the Pilgrims 4-1 to seal the win.
“The biggest thing that I’ve always been trying to preach to these guys is playing with effort for four quarters,” Nedbalski said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is. I want them to continually give that effort every quarter. “That’s something I think they continue to do well.”
A three-goal run put the Cardinals ahead 13-9 by the 11:02 mark, and their defense locked down the Pilgrims’ attack.
The Pilgrims managed to get one goal back to make the score 13-10, but a forced turnover by sophomore Fynn Whitlock led to a transition goal from first-year attacker Brayden Shattuck, putting the game away.
Sophomore goalie Cole Orehosky made four net saves for Plattsburgh, securing the win, while New England College’s Nate Finn recorded 16 saves in the loss.
The Cards will take on the Cortland Red Dragons for their next matchup April 5. This game also serves as Plattsbugrh’s yearly Morgan’s Message game.
Morgan’s Message is a non-profit organization that supports the mental wellness of student-athletes and encourages schools and organizations to provide equal treatment for mental and physical health.
“There’s a lot of new people stepping into new roles this year, more playing time, new people in leadership positions and a completely new coaching staff. And that can be a lot, that can be really overwhelming, but we’re handling it together and moving forward really well,” Keenan said.
