Utica, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team defeated the SUNY New Paltz Hawks by a score of 15-11. Seven Wildcats found the back of the net, with Ryan Carroll leading the way with four. Joseph VanZandt pushed away 11 shots, eclipsing 400 total saves in his career. The Wildcats are now 4-2 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game kicked off with SUNY New Paltz taking an early lead. Anthony Senecal netted the first goal just 42 seconds into the game, with an assist from James Flanagan. After a quick response attempt from SUNY Poly, the Hawks kept up the pressure, with Senecal striking again at the 12:04 mark to make it 2-0. At 7:24, Senecal completed his first-quarter hat trick, this time assisted by Ethan Scully, to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Wildcats would not go down quietly, as Ryan Carroll broke the shutout with a goal at 1:49, followed by Luke Taylor's late tally to cut the deficit to just one. However, SUNY New Paltz held on to the 3-2 advantage heading into the second quarter.
SUNY Poly made a strong push in the second quarter, quickly tying the game at 3-3 after Luke Taylor's goal just 31 seconds in. The Hawks quickly responded, as James Flanagan found the back of the net at 10:58, assisted by O'Hara, to give New Paltz a 4-3 lead. However, SUNY Poly came roaring back with goals from Ian Short, Cooper Fitzgerald, and another from Taylor to seize a 6-5 lead heading into halftime.
After the break, the Wildcats gained momentum, outscoring New Paltz 4-1 in the third quarter. The quarter started with SUNY Poly's Liam Podszebka finding the back of the net at 14:40, and they followed that up with goals from Taylor, Payton Thomas, and Mitchell Taylor. SUNY New Paltz's lone goal of the period came from Flanagan. After a series of missed opportunities for both teams, SUNY Poly led 11-6 as they entered the final quarter.
After the Wildcats extended their lead to 13-6 with goals from Ryan Carroll and Cooper Fitzgerald, the Hawks went on a three-goal run to tighten the game. Finn Smith scored at 13:21, assisted by Quinn Tucker, and then Scully netted a goal at 10:21 to make it 13-8. Despite the efforts from New Paltz, SUNY Poly responded with more pressure. Goals from Ryan Carroll and Cooper Fitzgerald gave SUNY Poly a comfortable 15-8 lead. The Hawks would score a few more, but it would not be enough as the Wildcats would secure a 15-11 victory.
"I am very proud of our players," said head coach Eric Miccio. "We dug ourselves out of a quick hole and played as a team for most of the game. That led to us executing our game plan and working as a team. We had great energy and contributions from the whole group!"
