Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team dropped a hard-fought contest to Hartwick on Wednesday afternoon, falling by a 16–10 final score. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 5-8 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Hartwick came out aggressive in the opening quarter, but it was SUNY Poly that struck first as Luke Taylor finished off a feed from Casey Ryan to give the Wildcats a 1–0 lead. The advantage was short-lived, however, as Hartwick responded with three straight goals, including two from Colin August, to take a 3–1 lead after one. Despite strong defensive efforts and saves from Mac Fitzgerald, the Wildcats found themselves chasing early.

In the second quarter, SUNY Poly showed resilience and kept the game within reach. Ryan Carroll opened the scoring in the frame to cut the deficit to one, and Taylor added another goal midway through the quarter. After Hartwick extended its lead with a scoring run, Carroll struck again off an assist from Casey Ryan, and Taylor converted on an extra-man opportunity to bring the Wildcats within two. However, a late Hartwick goal pushed the score to 8–5 heading into halftime.

The third quarter saw Hartwick begin to create separation. The Hawks scored early in the period and added another midway through to stretch the lead to 10–5. SUNY Poly generated several quality chances, with shots from Carroll, Mitchell Taylor, and Cooper Fitzgerald, but Hartwick goalkeeper Kaiden Johnson came up with key saves to limit the Wildcats' momentum. Kai Hew eventually broke through late in the quarter off an assist from Cooper Fitzgerald, making it 10–6 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth, Hartwick continued to capitalize on possession and faceoff success, scoring three of the first four goals of the quarter to extend its lead. SUNY Poly responded with a strong push midway through the period, highlighted by goals from Cooper Fitzgerald, Mac Fitzgerald, and Mitchell Taylor to cut the deficit to 13–9. The Wildcats showed fight down the stretch, but Hartwick answered with a decisive late run, scoring three goals in the final minutes to put the game out of reach.

Kai Hew added one more goal in the closing seconds off an assist from Mac Fitzgerald, but it was not enough as Hartwick secured the 16–10 victory.