MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State College men's lacrosse team used a 14 goal second half to hand visiting Cazenovia College their first North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) loss Wednesday night, dominating the Route 20 Rivalry with a 22-9 rout of the Wildcats on Drake Field in Morrisville, while remaining undefeated themselves with a 6-0 conference record.
The game served as a benefit for The Gary Sinise Foundation, honoring members from Ladder 59 and Engine 43 of the Bronx, who were in attendance.
The win lifts the Mustangs to 7-4 on the season, and place them at the top of the conference standings as the lone undefeated team remaining.
Thirteen different Morrisville State players contributed goals in the win, including Nick Geswaldo (Lafayette, N.Y.) who posted three, while assisting two others. Bryan Cline (Cicero, N.Y.) also posted a hat trick with his three tallies, while teammate Kyle Shannon (Stanhope, N.J.) added two, assisting another.
Logan Peters (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) had a four point outing for the hosts, assisting a team best three, while also recording a goal.
Tyler Catalfano (Rochester, N.Y.) recorded the win in net for the Mustangs, saving a game total five in 55 minutes of action before junior Dan Sherlock (Tully, N.Y.) played out the final five.
After an opening quarter saw both teams score three apiece, Cazenovia took the lead just over a minute into the second, but that was short lived as Cline tied the contest for a fourth time with his unassisted tally 30 seconds later.
Cline's score sparked a 5-0 run by the Mustangs, as they headed into the half with the 8-4 advantage.
Cazenovia opened the third with three straight goals, including two on extra man opportunities to cut the lead to one, 8-7, with 6:56 remaining.
That's as close as they would get as Morrisville State opened the flood gates with 11 straight over the next 15 minutes to take the commanding 19-7 lead midway through the fourth, and closed out the final quarter with three additional tallies for the 22-9 victory.
Shawn Walberger (Fulton, N.Y.) was a problem for the visiting Wildcats at the center X, as he dominated the face-off winning a total 27 of 35 on the night, picking up a single game record 24 ground balls.
Morrisville State out gained the visitors 44-18 in ground balls, 57-18 in shots, forced 19 Wildcat turnovers, and were near perfect in clears, 16-of-17.
Joe Timm led Cazenovia's efforts with three scores while teammate Brandon Maxon had two, also collecting an assist.
Goalkeeper Alex Delevan registered 13 stops in the loss, 10 in the first half of play.
Prior to tonight's contest, the Mustangs celebrated its senior class, acknowledging Catalfano, Gavin MacLachlan (South Onondaga, N.Y.), Richard Yelk (Reading, Pa.), Corey Grace (Penn Yan, N.Y.), Shannon and Zach MacNeil (Canandaigua, N.Y.) for their dedication and service to the men's program.
The Mustangs return to the field Saturday, traveling to Keuka College for a 3 p.m. NEAC match up.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2016 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2016 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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