Alfred, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team dropped a high-scoring contest to Alfred on Saturday afternoon, falling by a 26–13 final. After a difficult opening stretch, the Wildcats showed resilience with multiple scoring runs, but would not be able to overcome the Saxons. With the loss, the Wildcats end their season with a record of 6-10.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Alfred came out firing in the opening quarter, controlling possession off the faceoff and quickly building momentum. The Saxons rattled off six unanswered goals in the first five minutes, highlighted by multiple assists from Keagan Hoesterey and strong finishing from Brendan Riley and Cole Loewke. SUNY Poly responded midway through the quarter, as Mitchell Taylor got the Wildcats on the board off a feed from Luke Taylor. That sparked a brief run, with Ryan Carroll scoring on an extra-man opportunity and Luke Taylor adding another to cut the deficit to 6–3. Alfred, however, struck in the closing seconds to take a 7–3 lead after one.
In the second quarter, SUNY Poly showed signs of life offensively. Luke Taylor and Carroll each found the back of the net to bring the Wildcats within three at 8–5. Despite the push, Alfred answered emphatically, using a 6–1 run fueled by strong transition play and continued faceoff success to extend the lead. Late goals from Cole Loewke and Sam Herle pushed the Saxons' advantage to 14–6 at halftime.
The third quarter saw Alfred continue to capitalize on possession and turnovers, scoring five straight goals to open the period and stretch the lead even further. SUNY Poly continued to battle, getting goals from Luke Taylor, Mitchell Taylor, and Carroll during the middle portion of the quarter. However, Alfred responded with another late surge, closing the period on a three-goal run to take a commanding 22–9 lead into the fourth.
In the final quarter, SUNY Poly continued to compete and generated several offensive opportunities. Carroll added another goal early, while Luke Taylor and Cooper Fitzgerald each contributed down the stretch. Mitchell Taylor also found the net late, as the Wildcats tallied four goals in the period. Alfred remained in control throughout, however, adding to its total and ultimately securing the 26–13 victory.
