PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo junior attackman Joshua Merkel scored two goals, but it was host Plattsburgh out-scoring the Knights 7-2 in the second half en route to a 13-6 victory in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's lacrosse action, Saturday. 

Geneseo (8-4, 2-2 SUNYAC) opened a 2-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Merkel dodged a defender and scored on a short bounce at 12:06 before sophomore attackman Kyle Wanamaker grabbed a loose ball off a tipped pass on the Cardinal crease and scored from close range at 11:23. 

Plattsburgh (9-4, 4-0 SUNYAC) responded with back-to-back goals to knot the game, 2-2, at 5:51 but the Knights notched two goals in a 37-second span to build a 4-2 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Senior midfielder Michael Engstrom beat a defender for a short left-handed finish at 4:49 before Merkel dodged a Cardinal defender and scored on a five-yard bouncer at 4:12. 

However, Plattsburgh took control with four-unanswered goals in the second quarter to build a 6-4 halftime advantage. Geneseo sophomore attackman Zachary DeBottis opened the second half with a tally at 13:19 of the third quarter, but the Cardinals used a decisive 7-0 spurt into the fourth to take a 13-5 lead that proved to be the difference. 

Geneseo finishes the regular season next week with a pair of crucial SUNYAC games, hosting Brockport on Wednesday (Apr. 26) at 7:00 p.m. and Oneonta (Apr. 29) at 12:00 p.m.