The men's lacrosse team split its past two contests, defeating the Potsdam Bears on Saturday but faltering against powerhouse Cortland in Wednesday's match.
The Knights' 12-7 win over the Bears was their sixth consecutive victory, putting them at 10-1 and No. 11 in the national rankings. They went into Wednesday's contest with high hopes, but had them dashed as they fell to the SUNYAC leaders 18-7.
The Knights overcame a slow first-quarter start against Potsdam on Saturday when junior and leading scorer Tom Costanza brought the game to a 2-2 tie early in the second. Geneseo then took control, as senior attacker Mike Pizzuto led the team with three goals and four assists, while fellow senior Steve Hutton added three goals of his own.
Geneseo's offense worked fluently, as they scored more goals in each consecutive quarter, finishing with eight goals in the fourth. Junior Eddie Watts provided a solid performance in goal, saving 11 shots while allowing seven goals. The victory was vital against a Potsdam team who had held third place in the SUNYAC and gave the Knights momentum going into their showdown with Cortland.
On Wednesday, Geneseo met the 11-1 Red Dragons, the SUNYAC leaders who were yet to lose a game in-conference. The same held true against Geneseo, as Cortland won easily, 18-7. The Red Raiders were coming off of a strong victory last Saturday, routing Morrisville by a score of 28-1. Geneseo knew they would face a prolific scoring offense, and hoped to use a strong defensive unit to hold them in check.
On the offensive side, Costanza added another two goals for the Knights, but the Red Dragon offense proved too much. Facing the conference's strongest team, Geneseo struggled in their transitions, both offensively and defensively, in trying to deal with Cortland's speed.
Junior defenseman Steve DuFlo lamented the Knight's problems, saying, "Only about half of their goals came in the set offense; we struggled with our transition and had trouble clearing."
The Knights fell to 10-2, but still hold on to second place in the SUNYAC. The team has just one regular season contest remaining, a home game against Plattsburgh on Saturday. The Knights have loftier goals in mind, however, as they prepare themselves for the coming SUNYAC tournament in which they may very well face Cortland again.
The SUNYAC semifinals take place April 30 , while the finals are held May 3.