SCRANTON, PA.—The SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse team (0-1) trailed 10-3 early in the third quarter and battled back before falling 13-12 against Albright College (2-1). Senior captain
Jon Woodworth (Great Bend, N.Y./Carthage) and junior attackman
Ed Doherty (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst) each recorded a goal and an assist for the Bears. Junior midfielder
Matt Kennedy (Clay, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) and freshman attackman
Eric Soderquist (Watertown, N.Y./Watertown) each scored twice for Potsdam. Philip Potter scored four goals and assisted on two others to lead the Lions with six points.
Ryan Turner scored twice in the opening 1:16 to give Albright a 2-0 lead. Woodworth got the Bears back within one two minutes later. After two more Lions goals, Soderquist struck for his first collegiate marker at 3:38 and the Bears trailed 4-2 after the first quarter.
Woodworth netted his second 45 seconds into the second quarter to get Potsdam within one. However, the Lions responded with a 6-0 run, including three goals from Potter, close out the first half and start the third quarter. The Bears trailed by seven early in the third.
Potsdam freshman midfielder
Nick Orsini (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) started the rally with his first career goal at 8:02. Derek Stump countered 47 seconds later and the Lions led 11-4. At 5:47, Kennedy scored to start a 5-0 Potsdam run. Woodworth set up freshman attackman
Dalston Day's (Akwesasne, N.Y./Salmon River) first college goal at 2:49. With 38 seconds left in the third quarter, junior captain
Pat Bonafede (Churchville, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) scored a man-up goal.
Doherty set up Soderquist on the man advantage to open the fourth quarter and then scored his own man-up tally to get the Bears within 11-9 with 12:16 to play. Andrew Potter made the most of an Albright man-up situation at 9:13 to regain the three-goal lead. Kennedy made it 12-10 two minutes later, but Philip Potter connected with Andrew Potter for the eventual game-winner at 5:49. Junior
Brandon Grace (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan) won the ensuing faceoff and junior midfielder
Brian Martin (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) scored his first goal as a Bear to make it 13-11. Grace won the next faceoff as well and the Lions were called for a penalty. Bonafede hit the post with a shot at 4:04, but 10 seconds later Doherty found the back of the net to make it 13-12. Albright won the final faceoff, but immediately turned the ball over. Soderquist nearly tied the score with 32 seconds remaining, but the ball rang the post and the Lions escaped with the one-goal victory.
In goal, Bears junior
Jackson Corcoran (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) made his first collegiate start and was tagged with the loss, allowing nine goals and stopping four shots in the first half. Junior
Pete Gropp (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) allowed four goals and made three saves in the final 30 minutes. Nicholas Pisko went the distance for Albright, finishing with eight saves to earn the win.
The Bears outshot the Lions 32-31, but Albright edged Potsdam in ground balls (25-22) and faceoffs (15-13). Potsdam was 3-for-6 on extra-man opportunities and the Lions finished 4-of-7.
The Bears are now off until next Saturday, March 14, when they travel to Utica College for a 4 p.m. showdown with the Pioneers.