On April 8th, the Cortland Mens Lacrosse team improved to 7-4 overall this season after an impressive win against SUNY New Paltz. The team now improves to 2-1 in the conference after bumping the Hawks down to a 5-5 overall record and a 1-2 conference record.
Cortland Senior Jason Chiodo led the attack with a game-leading 5 goals in the 18 to 10 victory after a near-season low of only scoring 1 against Nazareth College last Tuesday.
Sophomore Caden Yancy displayed his talents in a 3-goal, 2-assist performance that gave head coach Steve Beville and the rest of the team faith in the future of the program. The future looks bright for the Red Dragons as sophomores Klay Stuver, Zach Perlett, Ryan Smith and Sam Rothman combined for 4 goals and 2 assists.
Travis Wagner played a majority of the game as goalie and blocked 16 shots in just over 52 minutes before giving the rest of the game time to senior Matt Stento who was able to block 6 shots on goal. Wagner allowed 9 goals in 52:16 while Stento allowed 1 goal in 7:44.
One of the crucial reasons for the Cortland Red Dragon’s victory was Sophomore Rich Finn’s impressive faceoff performance, where he was able to win 16 of the 25 he was a part of. Finn also played an impressive midfield game where he was able to scoop 8 ground balls.
This was only part of the offensive and defensive onslaught the team was able to conduct while they dominated with 56 shots taken against New Paltz’s 49 shots. The Red Dragons also outmaneuvered the Hawks on the ground with 42 ground balls against New Paltz’s 32.
Cortland’s next matchup will be against SUNY Brockport on Saturday, April 15th at 12:30. This game will be at home for Cortland, where they boast a 3-1 record when playing on their home turf. The Cortland Mens Lacrosse team will then continue to play Ithaca College, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Oswego, and SUNY Plattsburgh in that order before the start of the SUNYAC playoffs, where the Red Dragons look to put their premier talents on display and bring home a 5th national championship.
We hope to see the men follow through with their amazing season and carry on with their continual victories to the national championship. To continue to see the Cortland Mens Lacrosse success, you can follow them on their Instagram to see their upcoming games in the following weeks. To follow their journey search @cortlandmlax on instagram.