Cortland Men’s lacrosse took down the #11 team in the nation St. Lawrence on Wednesday. Led by a Junior attackman from East Setauket Nick Stoecker with 3 goals and 2 assists. And Senior goaltender from Penfield Travis Wagner with 17 saves in goal.
The Red Dragons initiated the scoring with back-to-back goals from Stoecker and Rothman, establishing a 2-0 lead. The Saints responded with a trio of goals within a 1:12 span, concluding the first quarter ahead 3-2. In the second quarter, St. Lawrence extended their lead to 4-2. However, Cortland answered with goals from Rothman and Stoecker, leveling the score at 4-4 by halftime. At halftime, the Dragons could feel the confidence in each other. They knew being tied at halftime with the #11 team in the country that they could take them down.
In the third quarter, the Saints reclaimed a quick one-goal advantage, but the Red Dragons kept their heads up and surged with three goals, One from Kole Stuver unassisted (1g, 1a), one from Sean Kavanagh assisted by Nick Stoecker (2g), and one from Sam Rothman assisted from Sean Kavanugh(3g) which made Cortland take a 7-5 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Just six seconds into the final quarter, with a faceoff win from Nicky Miltenberger (1a) he found a wide-open Stoecker for Cortlands eighth goal of the game which extended Cortland’s lead to 8-5. Despite the Saints’ efforts to close the gap, including goals from Bobby Wells and Daniel Mahoney, the Red Dragons maintained their composure and kept believing. Wagner’s exceptional goalkeeping in the closing minutes ensured Cortland’s 10-8 victory. “We have a great group of guys in this locker room who trust in each other’s abilities, we trust our coaching to get us prepared for these types of games,” said Junior Nick Stoecker. Klay Stuver also added, “Big-time players show up in big-time games.”
After the game in the locker room head coach Lelan Rogers did player awards. Coach hands out two awards. One is the Dragon Award which is the MVP of the game. The other is the Nails Award which is an award for showing GRIT, toughness, and positivity throughout the game. The Dragon Award was handed out to Nick Stoecker for having 3 goals and 2 assists naming him MVP of the game. The Nails award was handed out to Nicky Miltenberger a faceoff specialist who worked hard all game and had a momentum swing play by having an assist which was the play of the game to Nick Stoecker. Coach Rogers was very pleased with the team’s effort and stated, “That was a full team win, everyone did their jobs whether it was the players on the field or the players on the sideline, I am very proud of this group”
The Red Dragons look to carry their momentum this Saturday into Skidmore College at 1 pm. Skidmore is a solid team who is 2-1 on the year. The Dragons are looking to improve to 3-1 on the year with a win on Saturday.
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Nick Stoecker 3-2, Sean Kavanagh 2-2, Sam Rothman 3-0, Kole Stuver 1-1, Klay Stuver 1-0, Ryan Scanlon 0-1, Nathan Nagengast 0-1, Nicky Miltenberger 0-1.
St. Lawrence: Jamie Rosenzweig 2-2, Bobby Wells 2-1, Zach Corsi, 1-1, Sean Wiseman 1-0, Daniel Mahoney 1-0, Asa Beach 1-0, Sam Wadw 0-1
Goalkeepers:
Cortland: Travis Wagner 17 saves (8 GA in 60:00). St. Lawrence: Michael Mariniello 11 saves (10 GA in 60:00)