POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam men's soccer team (4-2-3, 0-1-2 SUNYAC) struck first, but Plattsburgh State (5-2-2, 1-1-2) rallied for a 1-1 tie. Junior forward Anderson Velasquez (Bronx, N.Y./Marble Hill) scored for the Bears and junior goalie Lucas Schiel (Bremen, Germany/Colegio Humboldt) made seven saves.
 
Potsdam outshot the Cardinals 9-6 in the first half and got its best chances in the first six minutes. Nearly five minutes into the game Velasquez fought off a defender and ripped a low shot toward the left corner of the net. Only a diving stop from Plattsburgh junior goalie Marcial Vasquez (Mount Kisco, N.Y./Fox Lane) kept the game even. Just over a minute later, Vasquez stopped another blast from Bears junior midfielder Sebastian Sosa (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd). Schiel also made two saves in the half and there was no score at the half.
 
Plattsburgh evened the play in the second half, but it was the Bears who scored first. At 53:55, the Cardinals fouled the Bears just outside the box. Velasquez made them pay with a rocket into the right corner of the net. Plattsburgh was far from done. At 77:02, sophomore midfielder Brian Coughlan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River ) slipped the ball ahead to senior midfielder Juan Velez (Cuenca, Ecuador/Peekskill) who was all alone on the left side and he evened the score. With five minutes to go Schiel robbed junior midfielder Dylan Shalvey (Cavan Island, N.Y./Tappan Zee) with a diving stop to his left to keep the contest even. It was the last strong chance of the game as the contest ended in a draw.
 
Vasquez finished with three saves for Plattsburgh. The Cardinals outshot the Bears 19-16 and had an 8-5 edge in corners.
 
Potsdam is back in action on Saturday afternoon when the Bears host Oswego State at 1 p.m.