MLAX: Wildcats Battle Back But Fall to Hartwick on the Road

Oneonta, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team came up short on the road Wednesday, falling to conference opponent Hartwick College, 16–8. Payton Thomas led the Wildcats offensively with a four-goal performance, while goalkeeper Joseph VanZandt turned in a strong outing between the pipes, recording 24 saves to help keep SUNY Poly within striking distance. With the loss, the Wildcats drop to 5–7 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

Hartwick came out firing, scoring nine unanswered goals in the first quarter while winning the faceoff battle and keeping SUNY Poly pinned in its own defensive end. The Hawks' Colin August had a first-quarter hat trick, while Tyler Nocito and Garrett Frost added two goals apiece during the early surge. The Wildcats faced relentless pressure early but stayed composed despite the scoreboard, with goalie Joseph VanZandt making several high-quality saves to prevent the game from slipping further.

The Wildcats found their footing in the second quarter. Payton Thomas broke the shutout with a goal midway through the frame. Hartwick would score three more goals before the end of the half, extending their lead to 12-1 after the first 30 minutes. 

The third quarter was SUNY Poly's strongest stretch, as they outscored Hartwick 5–2 behind a surge in energy and execution. Griffin LaFleur notched two goals—including a man-up score—while Ryan Carroll and Thomas each added to the scoreboard. Defensively, VanZandt remained a standout in net, racking up save after save to give his team a chance to chip away at the deficit.

The Wildcats continued to press in the fourth, getting goals from Thomas and Carroll to cut the lead to seven with just over five minutes remaining. Hartwick, however, responded with timely goals from Jacob Joly to seal the game late by a score of 18-6.