Utica, NY – Austin Mesler recorded game-highs of eight points and five assists to go with three goals but a late goal with 22 seconds remaining lifted host SUNY Poly to a 13-12 win against the SUNY Canton men's lacrosse team on Wednesday.
 
THE BASICS

• Result: SUNY Poly 13, SUNY Canton 12    
• Location: Wildcat Field – Utica, NY
• Records: SUNY Poly (1-0) | SUNY Canton (1-2)

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Canton got on the board first 2:35 into the contest on a Jonney Mclear goal. After the hosts knotted things at one apiece Rory McCabe fed Alex Jacobs for his first goal of the season.
• Ryan Carroll tied the game once again for the Wildcats before Mesler fed Michael Newcomb for a man-up score as Canton led 3-2 after the opening quarter.
• Charles Grandaw extended the Roos lead to 4-2 early in the second stanza off a feed from Mesler.
• Carroll and Luke Taylor scored back-to-back goals to tie things up at 4-4 before Mesler fed Grandaw for his second goal of the game to make it 5-4. The Wildcats scored again with less than five minutes to play as the teams went to intermission tied at five.
• SUNY Poly took its first lead of the game with back-to-back goals to start the third quarter before Mesler assisted Devin Guerriero's first goal of the year.
• After another Wildcat goal Eli Bullock caged his first career goal off a pass from Caeden Goodnough. Cooper Fitzgerald scored in the final 90 seconds to give the Wildcats a 9-7 lead heading to the fourth.
• The Wildcats scored two of the first three goals of the fourth quarter to open the largest lead for either team in the game at 11-8.
• The Ros responded with three straight goals off the stick of Mesler to tie things up with 6:14 remaining.
• Poly regained the lead with 4:33 remaining on a goal by Luke Taylor but Hayden Todd made a save and the Roos quickly cleared the ball as Grandaw found Jacobs for a bounce shot goal to tie things up at 12 with 2:32 remaining.
• The Wildcats were able to bleed the clock and Kai Hew found Taylor for the game-winner with 22 seconds remaining.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Mesler led all players with eight points and five assists to go with three goals, four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Jacobs and Grandaw finished with two goals and an assist each, while Mclear scored twice. Liam Waite went 17-for-26 on faceoffs and picked up a game-high eight ground balls, while McCabe added five ground balls and two caused turnovers.
• Taylor paced Poly with four goals and one assist, Hew scored twice and assisted two more and Carroll recorded three goals and an assist.
• Joseph VanZandt made 11 saves in the win for the Wildcats, while Todd turned aside 17 shots in defeat.
• Poly held the edge in shots (47-36) and shots on goal (30-23), while Canton had the advantage in faceoffs (18-9) and ground balls (37-30). The Roos turned the ball over 21 times compared to 14 for the Wildcats. Canton was 17-for-19 on clears while Poly was 19-for-28.  

MESLER ECLIPSES 200 CAREER POINT MILESTONE

• With his eight point effort Mesler eclipsed the 200 career point milestone and now has 207 career points. He became just the second player in program history in the D-III era to accomplish the feat and is now just 10 points away from breaking Hunter Olsen '22's program points record of 216. Mesler also has 111 career goals and is just eight away from setting a new program record for career goals breaking the mark of  118 set by Josh Yelvington '19 in three seasons (2017-19). 

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Roos are back in action on Sunday when they host Regis College at 12 p.m.    
   

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.