The SUNY Potsdam men’s lacrosse team looks to secure its first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament bid with a win in the State University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament championship game this Saturday, May 7, at third-ranked SUNY Cortland.

On Wednesday at Potsdam, the second-seeded Bears (8-8) earned the right to play for the title with a thrilling 18-17 victory over Geneseo, the No. 3 seed. The win was the program’s first in the SUNYAC Tournament since joining the league in 2002.

In a contest that featured eight ties and five lead changes, the Bears took the lead for good on a goal by senior Kevin Green (Penfield, N.Y.) with 2:39 left. Sophomore Robbie Ashlaw (North Syracuse, N.Y.) tallied an insurance score just over a minute later, rendering the Blue Knights’ last-second goal meaningless.

“I was expecting a close, well-played defensive game and it just ended up being an offensive game,” Potsdam coach Rick Berkman said. “Both teams played really well on offense, and they've got a lot of good players. We were just able to hang in there."

A perennial national power, Cortland has reached the Final Four in each of the past five years, winning two NCAA championships over that span. The Red Dragons (14-2) are second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing a meager 4.53 goals per game.

In a meeting between the two teams, the Red Dragons scored three goals in the final four minutes of the first half as the Bears struggled offensively, falling 14-2 on April 23 at Cortland. Potsdam scored two goals in a one-minute span late in the third quarter, but struggled overall against Cortland’s airtight defense.

On Wednesday, however, Potsdam broke through offensively against Geneseo with eight more goals than its season average and eight fourth-quarter goals, including three by Green.

"We're just doing a little bit more from the wings and trying to open up the inside a little bit,” Berkman said. “We've got some finishers on the inside who are good shooters. Our first midfield line is playing really well. They're moving the ball well and dodging well, which is creating a lot of things on the inside for Kevin Green and (sophomore) Pete Pike."

Defensively, the Bears hope to contain a strong Cortland attack, which features five players with 35 points or more for the season.

The winner of Saturday’s match-up will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Potsdam is a heavy underdog, but the team’s players and coaches know nothing is settled until the teams take the field.

"Cortland is a perennial power,” Berkman said. “They're No. 3 in the nation and they beat us by 12 goals a couple weeks ago. The way I look at it now is that we're 60 minutes away from the NCAA Tournament and anything can happen."