ONEONTA, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse team (5-6) improved to 2-0 in the SUNYAC with a hard fought 14-13 road victory at Oneonta (1-8, 0-2 SUNYAC) on Saturday. Senior Sean McAuliffe (Watertown, N.Y./Watertown) led the Bears' attack with three goals and an assist and junior Ryan Paparella (Whitesboro, N.Y./Whitesboro) also scored three goals. Senior goalie Pat Corbine (Canton, N.Y./Hugh C. Williams) stopped 14 shots for the win.

The Red Dragons got out of the gate quickly, scoring the first four goals of the contest in the first 10 minutes. Potsdam answered with a 5-0 run and took a 5-4 lead on an unassisted goal from Junior Zeppy O'Geen (Massena, N.Y./Massena, N.Y.) at the 13:31 mark of the second quarter.

“You have to credit Oneonta, they came out ready to play,” said Potsdam Head Coach Rick Berkman. “But our guys showed great resolve in battling back. Zeppy O'Geen won some big faceoffs, shifting the momentum, and we were able to score some goals.”

The Red Dragons regained the lead with the last two goals of the half and led 6-5 at halftime.

“Despite being down one we were happy with the chances we were getting,” Berkman said. “During the break we talked about the taking better shots and finishing our chances.”

The Bears were listening and opened a high-scoring third quarter with four straight goals for a 9-6 lead. Oneonta wasn't fazed and reclaimed the lead at the 3:53 mark after a 4-0 run of its own. The 10-9 advantage was short lived as Potsdam sophomore Pat Mahar (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baker) evened the score 29 seconds later. The Bears scored two of the quarter's last three goals and led 12-11 after 45 minutes.

In the fourth quarter the teams traded the last four goals of the contest, with McAuliffe claiming the first marker at 11:53. After the Red Dragons again closed to within one with 6:13 remaining, junior Peter Pike (Watertown, N.Y./General Brown) scored the eventual game-winner at the 5:46 mark. Oneonta added a final goal with 27 seconds to play, but Potsdam held on for the 14-13 win.

Corbine, the reigning SUNYAC Goalie of the Week, was particularly sharp in the second half with eight of his 14 saves.

“We got another solid day out of our goalie,” added Berkman. “He's been making the saves he needs to make and the team has been rallying around him.

Pike, O'Geen, and sophomore Derek Frost (Buffalo, N.Y./Williamsville East) each notched two tallies and an assist for Potsdam.

Berkman was pleased with the balanced offense, especially Paparella's performance.

“Ryan Paparella did a great job today,” Berkman said. “He's been struggling a bit despite his hard work, so it was nice to see him breakout for three goals.

Chris Miles stopped nine shots in goal for Oneonta and Mike Salerno and John DeOrdio paced the Red Dragon offense with five and three goals, respectively.

The Bears head to Plattsburgh on Wednesday, April 13, to face the Cardinals at 4 p.m.