The Geneseo men’s lacrosse team extended its winning streak to three games, defeating SUNY Potsdam 11-2 on Saturday April 21.
In the 2011 season, Potsdam defeated Geneseo twice by one goal, including in the SUNYAC semifinals.
“There’s no question we had that in the back of our minds,” head coach Jim Lyons said. “We wanted to turn around and step up and take control of the situation and I was happy with how we played.”
Geneseo took an early 3-0 lead, as sophomores John Wettack and Greg Harris along with freshman Steve Aziz each scored in the first quarter. The Knights took control in the second quarter, scoring four goals and taking a 7-0 lead into halftime.
Senior Brendan Kurpis scored his 13th goal of the year before sophomore James Purpura scored three times in the final minutes of the first half; one of the goals was while Geneseo was a man-down. Potsdam was 0-8 on the day and Geneseo has held opponents to 11-52 on the season.
“We were prepared. We knew exactly what they were doing,” Lyons said. “Guys did their role...They didn’t try to do too much. I was really proud of that group overall.”
Potsdam scored the first goal of the second half, but Purpura responded with two more goals, each on assists from freshman Steve Cregan. Purpura had five goals for the game and Cregan had four assists.
“A lot of [Purpura’s] work was off the ball against the zone, and Cregan found the little gaps,” Lyons said. “We are getting more confident in finishing, Purpura especially.”
Sophomore Yanni Dischley rounded out the Knights’ offense with a goal, while junior Frank DiSanti won 13 of 17 face-offs. Junior Michael Greubel made six saves and allowed just two goals in net to earn the win.
“I thought it was a team effort overall,” Lyons added. “Defense was great because we had the ball a lot. Our offense was smart and [DiSanti] did a great job facing off. When you give up two goals to a team in college lacrosse you have to be really pleased with it.”
Geneseo is now 3-7 on the season and 3-1 in SUNYAC play, and rounds out the regular season at home against SUNY Plattsburgh on April 28.
Editor’s Note:
Geneseo extended its winning streak to four against Brockport, 15-6, on Wednesday April 25.