Canton, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team earned a hard-fought road victory Saturday afternoon, holding off a late push to defeat SUNY Canton 11–9 behind a balanced scoring effort, strong faceoff play, and timely saves from goalkeeper Tyler Baisley. The Wildcats are now 2-0 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SUNY Canton struck first in the opening quarter, capitalizing on early possession when Eystn Wylie finished a feed from Eli Bullock to give the Roos a 1–0 advantage. The Wildcats answered quickly as Luke Taylor found the back of the net at the 13:02 mark to even the score. Canton regained the lead midway through the period when Bullock scored to make it 2–1, but SUNY Poly responded again as Kai Hew buried a pass from Ryan Carroll to tie the contest at 2–2. Despite steady pressure from the Wildcats offense and several saves from Canton goalkeeper Hayden Todd, the Roos grabbed momentum late in the quarter when Michael Newcomb scored with 26 seconds remaining, sending SUNY Poly into the second period trailing 3–2.
Canton extended its lead early in the second quarter when Brady Frost scored just 19 seconds into the frame to make it 4–2. SUNY Poly gradually settled in and began to generate consistent offensive opportunities. Ryan Carroll cut the deficit to one with a goal at the 10:19 mark, and later in the quarter Hew scored his second of the game off a ground ball scramble to tie the game at 4–4. Both defenses tightened down late in the half, with Baisley turning aside multiple Canton attempts and Todd making several key stops for the Roos to keep the game even heading into halftime.
The Wildcats seized control after the break with a strong third quarter. Carroll broke the tie at the 12:27 mark, finishing his second goal of the day to give SUNY Poly its first lead of the afternoon. Moments later Casey Ryan extended the advantage after collecting his own rebound and scoring to push the lead to 6–4. SUNY Poly continued to control possession and apply pressure, and Luke Taylor added another goal midway through the period to stretch the margin to three. Canton responded with a goal from Jonney Mclear late in the quarter, but Taylor struck again with 1:35 remaining to cap the Wildcats' run and send SUNY Poly into the final period ahead 8–5.
Canton mounted a push in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in the opening minutes to cut the deficit to 8–7 and tighten the contest. The Wildcats responded with a key goal from Tanner Defren, who finished a transition opportunity off a pass from Ian Short to restore a two-goal cushion. Shortly after, SUNY Poly capitalized on a man-up opportunity when Casey Ryan converted a feed from Taylor to extend the lead to 10–7. Canton refused to go away, answering with a quick goal from Bullock to keep the game within reach. Taylor then delivered an important insurance tally with just under six minutes remaining, giving the Wildcats an 11–8 advantage. The Roos managed one final goal in the closing minutes, but Baisley and the SUNY Poly defense held firm down the stretch to secure the 11–9 victory.
