Morrisville, N.Y - The Suny Poly men's lacrosse team has kept their season alive, ousting the Suny Morrisville Mustangs in the NAC semifinal round by a score of 12-9. Four Wildcats scored multiple goals, including hat trick performances from midfielders Luke Taylor and Payton Thomas. In net, Joseph VanZandt came up big, stopping 17 of the 26 shots he faced. The win sends the Wildcats to Maine, where they will square off with the #1 seeded Maine Maritime Mariners in the championship game. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

SUNY Poly was first on the board, thanks to Payton Thomas scoring less than one minute into the match. The Mustangs would answer minutes later, scoring four straight goals to take a 4-1 lead. After a Wildcat goal from Andrew Maycock, SUNY Poly would enter the second quarter down two goals. 

The Wildcats and the Mustangs would each net two goals in the second quarter. Mustang Dean Mohammed scored both goals for SUNY Morrisville, bringing him to four goals on the day. The same two Wildcats that scored in the first would score in the second, as Payton Thomas would find the back of the net while up a man, and Andrew Maycock would score off of an assist from Lyle Beeman. The Wildcats entered halftime still trailing by two goals. 

A man up goal from Michael Baker would kick off the third quarter. Following that goal, the Wildcats turned up the pressure, scoring three of the next four goals in the period, capped off by defenseman Liam Podszebka's fourth goal of his career. The Wildcats would lead by one at the end of the third quarter. 

Riding all of the momentum from the last quarter, SUNY Poly continued to get shots on net in the fourth. Behind a three goal effort from Luke Taylor, the Wildcats maintained their lead, eventually closing out the game on top by a score of 12-9. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES: 

• Luke Taylor registered five points (3G, 2A) 
• Payton Thomas picked up six points, (3G, 3A)
• Joseph VanZandt made 17 saves on 26 shots. 

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats get on a bus and travel to Maine, where they will face off with the top seeded Mariners in the NAC Championship. That game is scheduled for May 5th at 2:00 P.M.