Patchogue, NY: The SUNY Cobleskill men's lacrosse team went toe-to-toe with St. Joseph's University (Long Island) on Wednesday afternoon, but the Fighting Tigers came up short in a 14-10 non-conference battle.

Senior Albert Sippio (Syracuse, NY/ITC) led the charge with a hat trick, finishing with six points while scooping up nine ground balls and going 10-for-18 in faceoffs. Second-year Rob Staubitz (East Rockaway, NY) made his presence felt with two goals, one assist, and a team-high 11 ground balls while causing three turnovers. Jordan Barrett (Schuylerville, NY) delivered his best collegiate performance yet, netting two goals and an assist, while Alex Baker (Guilford, VT/Brattleboro Union) and Noah Palange (Pompton Lakes, NJ/Pompton) each chipped in a goal and an assist. Palange also picked up seven ground balls in the effort.

Between the pipes, James Meier (Guilderland, NY) was a force, turning aside 16 shots while posting a .533 save percentage. Cobleskill battled hard in the faceoff circle, with Sippio leading the way at 10-for-18, while Tony Diaz (Bronx, NY/Mt. Saint Michael Academy) went 2-for-7 and Chris Sgueglia (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) finished 1-for-3.

The Fighting Tigers fired off 35 shots with 21 on target, while the Golden Eagles held a slight edge with 41 shots, 30 on goal. Ground balls were nearly even, with Cobleskill scooping up 49 to St. Joseph's 51. The faceoff battle was back and forth, with Cobleskill securing 13 of 28 draws. Turnovers proved costly, as the Tigers committed 26 to the Golden Eagles' 21, but Cobleskill's defense stayed aggressive, forcing 12 turnovers on the day.

St. Joseph's opened the scoring at the 7:23 mark of the first quarter, but Sippio quickly answered, turning on the jets and slotting one into the bottom corner to even things up at 1-1. Less than a minute later, Palange put Cobleskill ahead 2-1, but a late Golden Eagles goal sent the teams into the second quarter tied at 2-2.

Sippio wasted no time putting the Tigers back in front, scoring a solo effort just 40 seconds into the second quarter. Staubitz and Baker followed up with quick-strike goals, giving Cobleskill a commanding 5-2 lead. However, St. Joseph's responded with two goals in under a minute to cut the lead to 5-4. In a game of runs, the Tigers countered with two goals—one from Barrett off a feed from Palange, and another from Owen Martin assisted by Staubitz—to push the lead to 7-4. The Golden Eagles refused to back down, answering with three straight goals, including a buzzer-beater with three seconds left, to tie things up at 7-7 heading into halftime.

Barrett put the Tigers back in front early in the third, but St. Joseph's took control from there, outscoring Cobleskill 4-1 over the next eight minutes to take an 11-9 lead. Sippio completed his hat trick in the closing moments of the quarter, but the Tigers still trailed 12-10 entering the final frame.

Meier came up with several key saves to start the fourth, keeping Cobleskill within striking distance, but St. Joseph's broke through with a goal at the 10-minute mark to extend the lead to 13-10. The Tigers had their chances down the stretch but couldn't capitalize, and a late Golden Eagles goal sealed the 14-10 final.
 
Up Next:
The Tigers return to action this Saturday, March 29, as they host Thomas College in their home opener at 12:00 p.m. at the Lacrosse Complex.