The men's lacrosse team split its last two SUNYAC games, defeating SUNY Plattsburgh 10-9 and losing to SUNY Cortland 15-3.
Senior Ray Ryan scored the Knights' winning goal at Plattsburgh with just six seconds left in the game after Plattsburgh tied it at nine with 33 seconds to go.
"It was one of those whoever had the ball last was going to win in that situation and we were lucky enough to have it last," said head coach Jim Lyons.
Senior Scott Cost scored the opening goal of the game, but Plattsburgh responded with six goals and held a 6-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Senior Evan Bryant and junior Brendan Kurpis each scored goals in the first quarter. Bryant and sophomore Tim Burgess totaled three goals apiece on the game.
"Burgess has been playing solid lacrosse all year long and has been waiting for a breakout day," Lyons said.
"This was a good day for [Bryant]," he added. "We feel like we are deep and we have a lot of weapons."
Geneseo took control of the second quarter, scoring three goals to take a 7-6 lead going into halftime. Burgess and Bryant scored one and two goals on the quarter, respectively. Senior Craig Lange assisted on each of Bryant's goals and notched four helpers on the match.
Plattsburgh tied the game at seven with the only goal of the third quarter. Kurpis and Burgess scored around a goal by the Cardinals in the fourth to give Geneseo a 9-8 lead in the fourth. Plattsburgh was then able to get the ball back with 60 seconds on the clock.
"They called a set piece for a kid who I think is an All-American … [senior] Kyle Norchi," Lyons said. Norchi scored his third goal of the game to create a tie with 33 seconds left.
"We won the next faceoff and got the ball back," Lyons said. "With ten seconds to go [Ryan] just had to attack the cage and he was able to get underneath some people and scored."
Freshman Ryan Zaremba made 16 saves in goal and was named the SUNYAC men's lacrosse goalie of the week.
"The score sheet doesn't show how tight some of those were," Lyons said. "[Ryan] came up big when he needed to."
On Wednesday, Geneseo fell to No. 5-ranked Cortland 15-3. Ryan scored the first goal of the game before Cortland scored eight straight goals to take control of the match. Cortland dominated possession in the second quarter, a situation Lyons said Geneseo would have to limit to win the game. Cortland won five of six faceoffs and outshot the Knights 17-3 in the frame.
Kurpis scored in the third and Lange scored in the fourth, but Cortland proved too tough an opponent for the Knights, winning in almost every statistical category.
Geneseo falls to 6-6 on the season and to 3-2 in SUNYAC play. The final regular season game for the Knights is at home Saturday against SUNY Oneonta.