RED HAWKS BEAT PLATTSBURGH FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT VICTORY, 11-8

Montclair, NJ (3/21/08) – Sophomore midfielder Taylor Bonner (Old Bridge, NJ / Old Bridge) scored three goals and added an assist as Montclair State ran its winning streak to five with an 11-8 victory over Plattsburgh State at Sprague Field on Friday evening.

Senior Bryan Klimchak ( Clark, NJ / Arthur L. Johnson) and junior Tyler Meixner ( Hamburg, NJ / Vernon) each added two goals as the Red Hawks improved to 5-1 on the season.

Seniors Frank Sangiovanni ( Huntington Station, NY / Huntington) and Tom Spencer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) each had two goals for the Cardinals, who dropped their second straight and fell to 4-3 overall.

Bonner put Montclair State on the board 1:10 into the contest as he connected off a pass from John Schiavone ( Montclair, NJ / Montclair), but Sangiovanni countered for Plattsburgh just over three minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. Meixner put the Red Hawks back in front with his first tally and Klimchak gave MSU a two-goal advantage as he intercepted a clearing pass and scored with five seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Klimchak’s second goal of the game, a man-up tally extended the Montclair lead to 4-1, but the Cardinals battled back as Pat Nastro ( Huntington, NY / Huntington) and Bryan Copius ( Seaford, NY / Seaford) scored 42 second apart to trim the lead to a goal. Meixner scored his second with 10:56 left, and after Spencer tallied on a man-up situation for Plattsburgh, Patrick Nann (Livingston, NJ / Livingston) and Bonner each scored, the latter coming with 44 seconds to go before halftime as Montclair led 7-4 at the break.

In the second half, A.J. Bachman ( Montville, NJ / Mountain Lakes) fed Bonner 25 seconds into the period to push the lead to 8-4 and Bachman collected his own score with 6:05 to play as the Red Hawks widened their lead to 9-5 after three quarters. Schiavone’s goal, his third of the season, put MSU up 10-6, but Cerny and Sangiovanni scored for Plattsburgh to bring the Cardinals within 10-8. But Mario Passafiume ( Boonton, NJ / Mountain Lakes) ended any chance of a comeback as he scored with 2:50 to play for the final margin.

Junior goalkeeper Thomas Bowers ( Hamburg, NJ / Pope John XXIII) finished with 15 saves for Montclair State while Plattsburgh netminders Billy Hughes (East Patchogue, NY/ Bellport) and Matt Billia ( Baldwin, NY / Baldwin) made five stops apiece for the Cardinals.

Schiavone won seven face-offs for MSU, which held a 36-29 advantage in shots. Senior Matt Sharp ( Wilmington, DE / Salensiaum) posted five ground balls and four caused turnovers while Anthony Dzienkiewicz ( Jackson, NJ / Jackson Memorial) had three ground balls and three caused turnovers.

The Red Hawks return to action on Wednesday, March 26 as they travel to Madison, NJ to face FDU-Florham in a 7:00 pm matchup. The Cardinals are now off for the next 10 days returning to action on Monday, March 31 at St. Lawrence University at 7:00 pm.