CASTLETON, VT.—The SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse team (1-2) finally got itself firing on all cylinders to crush Castleton State (1-4) 14-3 for its first win of the season. Junior attackman Ed Doherty (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst) and freshman attackman Dalston Day (Akwesasne, N.Y./Salmon River) each led the Bears with five points on three goals and two assists. Freshman attackman Eric Soderquist (Watertown, N.Y./Watertown) also had a career day with three goals and an assist, while senior captain Jon Woodworth (Great Bend, N.Y./Carthage) chipped in four points (1g, 3a). Junior goalie Pete Gropp (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) was great in goal again with 13 saves for his first collegiate victory.
 
The Spartans struck first as Sam Frackleton put Castleton up 1-0 at 12:22. Soderquist answered with an assist from Day two minutes later to ignite a 9-0 Potsdam run. Doherty gave the Bears the lead for good at 9:26 with a helper from Soderquist. Woodworth found sophomore attackman Berkley Stone (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) at 5:32. Just 1:01 later, Doherty scored the eventual game-winner. Soderquist scored the next two, the first a man-up, on assists from Woodworth and junior captain Pat Bonafede (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) to close out the opening quarter.
 
Potsdam scored the only three goals of the second 15 minutes and Potsdam led 9-1 at the break. Woodworth made it 7-1 at 6:54. Bonafede followed with a man-up goal at 2:09 and Day scored his first of the afternoon with just five seconds on the clock.
 
Castleton's Zach Devoid ended the streak with a goal at 12:10 of the third but the Bears answered with three more. Junior midfielder Brian Martin (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) got Potsdam into double digits with Woodworth's final assist at 10:38. Doherty notched his third five minutes later and Day buried a pass from Doherty to give the Bears a 12-2 lead after 45 minutes.
 
Taylor Swarter gave the Spartans their final tally, before Potsdam closed out the game with two in-a-row. Day completed his hat trick with another pass from Doherty at 5:04. Sophomore attackman Joe Hayes scored his first of the season a man-up 37 seconds later with another feed from Day.
 
Castleton goalie Peter Latulippe made 14 saves. Gropp continued to make a home between the pipes. In his two and a half games this season, the junior is 1-1 with a 5.20 goals-against-average and a .698 save percentage.
 
Junior Brandon Grace (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan) dominated the Spartans in the face-off circle. Grace won 16 of the 21 opportunities he was given. He also had a game-high ground balls.
 
Potsdam outshot Castleton 41-27 and picked up 44 ground balls to the Spartans 35. The Bears also went 3-for-5 in extra-man situations, while holding Castleton scoreless in six attempts.
 
Potsdam is back in action when the Bears face Kean University (4-2) at SUNY Cortland on Saturday at 1 p.m.