The men's lacrosse team continued its season over the weekend, defeating No. 3 SUNY Oneonta 14-9 on Saturday to improve its overall record to 9-2.
The Knights got off to a fast start, racking up a 4-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. During that short stretch, junior Craig Lange and sophomore Brendan Kurpis were each able to score two goals.
Geneseo continued its lead into halftime, scoring two more goals and then doubling its score to 12 as it pulled away in the third quarter. Geneseo went 2-3 on man-ups in the third quarter and 4-6 on the game.
"Four out of six is going to give them some confidence," said Jim Lyons, head coach. "I think we were able to do a couple different things that added to that success."
"We get a good amount of chances each game," Lange added. "We've been able to convert these last few games."
Lange finished the game with two goals and two assists, while Kurpis finished with four goals and an assist. The Knights also received contributions on offense from freshman Tim Hayden and juniors Evan Bryant and Scott Cost. Each of the three added two goals and one assist.
"We had a number of people score goals and we added depth to the goal scoring," Lyons said. "Overall, offensively we think we are in a pretty strong spot."
In a surprise offensive contribution, senior goalie Dennis Costanza both scored and assisted a goal on top of his 13 saves. "It's pretty incredible for any goalie to do that," Lange said.
"[Oneonta runs] a 10-man ride style of play, which brings their goalie out away from the goal," Lyons added. "[Costanza's goal] was partly related to him making an intelligent play based on what was being done against us. He played really well and he earned the goal that he got."
Senior Erik Baranowski won 16 of 23 the game's face-offs, another factor that gave the Knights scoring opportunities. On the season, Baranowski has won over 60 percent of face-offs.
"You can look at anybody's roster and pick out one or two people that are probably key personnel for those teams," Lyons said. "Erik is one of those guys for us."
The Knights have clinched the No. 2 seed in the SUNYAC tournament and will host a home playoff game Wednesday, May 5. Because there is presently a four-way tie for fourth place in the SUNYAC standings, the Knights do not yet know who they will to face. Despite the strength of the team's opponents, Lyons said he would like to see 1,000 students there to cheer on the team.