CANTON, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's lacrosse team returned to the field for the first time in 378 days, earning a season opening win over the SUNY Canton Kangaroos on Saturday. The Wildcat win was the first for SUNY Poly in their new conference, the North Atlantic Conference. Nine players recorded a point in the game for SUNY Poly. SUNY Poly is now 1-0 this season.

Strong play by the Wildcats in the first quarter set the tone for the game. After an opening goal by Canton's Zach LaFave, SUNY Poly scored five unanswered to take a 5-1 lead. In the second quarter, SUNY Poly traded goals with the Roos to keep a four goal lead heading into the locker room.

In the second half, Canton narrowed their deficit to two goals with a 4-1 run, but three straight Wildcat goals to start the fourth quarter grew Poly's lead to five. That five goal lead would hold for the last 12 minutes of the game, giving the Wildcats their first win of the 2021 season and their first ever win in the NAC. The final score was 15-10.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Edward Rosaschi (Highland Mills, N.Y.) led all players with seven points. He scored four goals and dished out three assists. Rosaschi also snagged five ground balls in the win.
• Brody Guido (North Syracuse, N.Y.) had himself a solid game. His four goals scored matched his career high. He also had an assist in the game to record five points.
• Matthew Johnson (Amsterdam, N.Y.) earned his first win of the season in goal. He made 19 saves for the 'Cats.
• Shane Wyman (East Greenbush, N.Y.) had himself a trio of goals for SUNY Poly. He also had four ground balls in the game.
• Ryan Mead (Churchville, N.Y.) scored a pair of points on one goal and one assist for the Wildcats.
• Bennett Smith (Monroe, N.Y.), Sultan Taj (Elmont, N.Y.), and Andrew Maycock (Utica, N.Y.) each had a goal for the Wildcats.
• Blaine Benner (Colonie, N.Y.) and Michael Kenneally (East Greenbush, N.Y.) each had an assist in the game.
• For SUNY Canton, Noah Robinson had a team high six points on four goals and a pair of assists.
• Hunter Olsen also scored four goals for Canton.
• Justin Laduke was tagged with the loss in goal. He recorded nine saves and allowed 15 goals.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats will return to Wildcat Field for the first time since March of 2020. The Wildcats will host SUNY Delhi in North Atlantic Conference play on Saturday, March 27th. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 PM start. No spectators will be allowed but a live stream and live statistics will be available for the game.   

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.