Utica, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team was defeated by the St. John Fisher Cardinals by a score of 32-7. Cooper Fitzgerald led the Wildcats offense with three points, while goalies Joseph VanZandt and Owen Infantino combined to make 11 saves. The Wildcats are now 5-6 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
From the opening faceoff, the Cardinals made their presence felt, scoring eight unanswered goals in the first quarter and setting a blistering pace that SUNY Poly struggled to match early on. Colin Blakeslee opened the scoring, followed quickly by tallies from JP Revitte, Brady Mason, and Jordan Leuze as the Cardinals built a commanding lead. The Wildcats, meanwhile, struggled to generate clean offensive possessions in the early going, but managed to settle in as the game progressed.
Down 9–0 early in the second quarter, SUNY Poly capitalized on a man-up opportunity when Cooper Fitzgerald fired home their first goal of the afternoon. It was a much-needed spark, and though SJF quickly answered, the Wildcats continued to work hard for ground balls and force turnovers in the middle of the field.
Defensively, goalie Joseph VanZandt made several key saves against an onslaught of shots, showing poise under pressure and helping the Wildcats hold strong during multiple St. John Fisher possessions. The Cardinals were ahead 20-1 heading into halftime.
Though SJF led 20–1 at halftime, SUNY Poly never folded. In fact, they played their best lacrosse of the day in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Cardinals 6–5 over the final 15 minutes. Carroll led the late charge with a pair of goals, including a sharp finish off a feed from Fitzgerald. SUNY Poly also made the most of extra-man opportunities, scoring three man-up goals in the fourth to show off their special teams execution.
Griffin LaFleur, Ian Short, and Joseph DiBlasi each added to the goal column, highlighting the Wildcats' offensive depth. However, their efforts would not be enough to overturn the score, and the Cardinals would end the game on top by a score of 32-7.
