A tight game into the fourth quarter got away from the Panthers men's lacrosse team on Friday as Hudson Valley Community College pulled away to hand the Panthers a 14-6 defeat. Tompkins Cortland is now 2-4 overall and 2-2 in Region 3. Hudson Valley improves to 6-3 overall and 2-3 in region.

Logan Swartz (Cortland/Homer H.S.) got the game off to a good start for the home tea, scoring the first goal midway through the first quarter. Hudson Valley responded with four straight to take a 4-1 lead into the first break. Swartz was back at it with goal in the first minute of the second quarter, and when Dillon Farrell (Endicott/Union-Endicott H.S.) found the net a few minutes later, the Panthers were within one goal at 4-3. The score held into the halftime, and when Odanell Gonzalez (Queens/Jamaica H.S.) scored in the second minute of the third quarter, the game was knotted at 4-4. The teams traded goals, with Louie Profetta (Ontario/Wayne H.S.) scoring with 4:31 left in the third to tie the score for the third time. The Vikings scored the final two goals of the quarter to hold onto a 7-5 advantage heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth, Profetta started the scoring, making the score 7-6. Unfortunately for the home team, the rest of the quarter belonged to Hudson Valley as the Vikings ran off seven straight to turn a tight game into a comfortable win the visitors.

Swartz finished with two goals and an assist to lead the Panthers in scoring. Matt Nichols (Waverly/Waverly H.S.) had 13 saves in goal.

Looking ahead

The Panthers play Tuesday at Onondaga Community College.