The SUNY Oneonta men's lacrosse team earned a hard fought, 5-4, victory today against No. 20 Nazareth College in Bradenton, Fla.  The Red Dragons got an incredible performance from sophomore goalie Ryan Adler (Smithtown/Smithtown West) while making the most of its opportunities to hold back the Flyers.
 
Adler finished the game with 23 saves, as Nazareth (2-3) was relentless on the attack for the entire 60 minutes.  The Flyers outshot Oneonta (3-2), 47-22, and won 12-of-13 face offs in the contest.  The Red Dragons were steady on clears (19-21) and only turned the ball over nine times.
 
"This is a great win for both our team as well as alumni," said Head Coach Dan Mahar after the game.  "Our guys have been through a lot during this early season and they've never made any excuses.  They've stayed committed to the process and showed great effort and teamwork today."
 
Sophomore Robert Neubert (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem East) got things started for Oneonta with an unassisted goal at the 12:12 mark of the opening quarter.  Oneonta was able to convert the only failed clear of the game by Nazareth.
 
Nazareth tied the game when Hunter Burdick scored unassisted with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.  The two teams would head to the second quarter deadlocked.
 
A goal by Luke Wooters less than two minutes in gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead.  Junior Mike Metzger (Colonie/Colonie) would tie the game with a goal at the 5:20 mark off an assist by classmate Connor Coyle (Centerport/Harborfields).
 
Matt O'Neill would convert during a man up for Nazareth with 1:36 to go in the quarter, as the Flyers would take a 3-2 lead into halftime.
 
In the third quarter, junior Josh Heller (Plainview/Plainview JFK) and rookie Alec Solomito (Holtsville/Sachem East) would tally for Oneonta, as they took the lead back, 4-3, heading into the final quarter.
 
In the fourth, the Red Dragons would get an insurance goal by Dan King off an assist from sophomore Austin McAskill (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker).  Oneonta was able to convert on a Nazareth turnover and then execute a good clear to set up the offense.
 
A goal by Nazareth with 1:28 remaining pulled them to within one goal.  The Flyers won the ensuing face off and called a timeout with 36 seconds to go.  After a pair of shots sailed wide, the Flyers turned the ball over and Oneonta controlled the ground ball as time expired.
 
Oneonta will not play again until next Tuesday, Mar. 17 when they travel to No. 12 Ithaca College.
 
ONEONTA SCORING:
Goals: Dan King (1); Josh Heller (Plainview/Plainview JFK) (1); Robert Neubert (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem East) (1); Mike Metzger (Colonie/Colonie) (1); Alec Solomito (Holtsville/Sachem East) (1)
Assists: Austin McAskill (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) (1); Connor Coyle (Centerport/Harborfields) (1); Hunter DeLuca (Medford/Patchogue Medford) (1)
 
NAZARETH SCORING:
Goals: Luke Wooters (2); Matt O'Neill (1); Hunter Burdick (1)
Assists: Troy Haefele (2); Hunter Burdick (1)
 
Shots: Oneonta 22, Nazareth 47
Saves: Ryan Adler (Smithtown/Smithtown West) (O) 23, Michael Cuciti (N) 6
Ground Balls: Oneonta 11, Nazareth 24
Face offs: Oneonta 1-13, Nazareth 12-13
Man up: Oneonta 0-2, Nazareth 1-5