By CASEY RYAN VOCK
BROOKLANDVILLE, Md. — After opening the season with three consecutive wins, the Plattsburgh State men's lacrosse team suffered its first loss Monday afternoon, falling to St. Mary's College 17-4.
The Cardinals found themselves behind 2-0 less than five minutes into the first quarter but reduced the Seahawks' lead just over seven minutes later when senior attackman and captain Luke Weidlein found freshman Tommy Kilderry for Plattsburgh's first goal.
Redshirt Junior Kyle Norchi evened the score at two 3:11 into the second quarter on an unassisted goal, but St. Mary's junior midfielder Chris Morihlatko answered two minutes later with one of his game-leading four goals.
The Seahawks (3-2) scored less than a minute later to extend their lead to two. Norchi fed freshman attackman Joe Kramer to bring the Cardinals within one with 6:22 left in the half, but the score would never be any closer.
St. Mary's controlled the rest of the game, pumping in the next eight goals.
The Seahawks defense kept Plattsburgh off the board until senior midfielder Luke Flegar scored on a pass from sophomore attackman Pete Morgan with 1:46 left in the third quarter.
The Seahawks, who compete in the Capital Athletic Conference, outscored the Cardinals 5-0 in the fourth quarter.
"The difference in the game was that they ran hard and executed, and we didn't," Coach P.J. Kavanagh said after the game. "They made plays, and we didn't. They were very patient on offense, and they were able to capitalize on their opportunities."
Kavanagh said his attack unit saw some of the best defensemen they have seen so far this season and that the Cardinal's entire offense had tough shooting day, putting only 16 of 29 shots on cage.
"We really weren't able to score as much we would have liked because their top two defenders did a great job," he said. "And after (St. Mary's) scored, we had a tough time getting possessions because we didn't win the faceoffs the way we have been so far this season. You combine those things, and it's going to make a big difference."
Despite the lopsided score, Kavanagh still noticed the progress of some of his players.
"We continue to have a couple of freshman develop in Tommy Kilderry, Joey Kramer and (midfielder) Mike Lind," he said. "They are young kids who are talented and tough, and we are lucky to have them. We didn't win, yet those guys continued to improve and show that they have a bright future."
Norchi led the Cardinals with a goal and an assist, while Flegar, Kilderry and Kramer each scored once.
The Cardinals next face Richard Stockton College today in New Jersey.
—
St. Mary's College (Md.) 17
Plattsburgh State 4
Score by quarters:
Plattsburgh (3-1)1 2 4 0 — 4
St. Mary's (3-2) 2 5 5 5 — 17
Scoring
Plattsburgh State: Kyle Norchi (1-1), Luke Flegar (1-0), Tommy Kilderry (1-0), Joe Kramer (1-0), Luke Weidlein (0-1), Pete Morgan (0-1)
St. Mary's:
Chris Morihlatko (4-1), Dennis Rosson (3-1), Ryan Alexander (2-2), Chris Becraft (2-0), Brendan Oster (2-0), Will Dempster (1-0), J.P. Lennon (1-0), Albert Mitchell (1-0), Sean Reitenbach (1-0), Colin Gload (0-1), Ryder Henry (0-1), Pat Mull (0-1)
Saves: Stu Wheeler, SMC, 12. Logan Carpenter, PSU, 7; Danny Caufield, PSU, 4.
Faceoffs: St. Mary's 17, Plattsburgh State 8.
Shots: St. Mary's 41, Plattsburgh State 29
Groundballs: St. Mary's 48, Plattsburgh State 40
Turnovers: St. Mary's 29, Plattsburgh State 28
Penalties: Plattsburgh State 7/5:30, St. Mary's 4/3:00
