CORTLAND, N.Y. – The third-ranked Ithaca College men's lacrosse team suffered its first set-back of the 2017 season on Wednesday evening, falling to ninth-ranked SUNY Cortland in a 12-11 overtime thriller. The loss drops Ithaca to 8-1 on the season.
 
The Bombers were paced offensively by senior attacker John Januszkiewicz and junior attacker Jake Cotton who both finished with four points. Januszkiewicz led IC with three goals, while he also added an assist. Cotton posted two goals and two helpers.
 
Also scoring for Ithaca was sophomore Will Witter, who posted a pair of goals. Senior attacker Jack Shumway and sophomore Connor Crosson finished with a goal and assist apiece. Junior Kaelan Fitzpatrick and sophomore Josh Della Puca also added goals in the contest.
 
Senior goalie Jack Deragon picked up his first loss of the season in the IC cage, falling to 7-1 on the year. He equaled a season high with 13 saves.
 
Ithaca blitzed the Red Dragons with a scintillating start to the contest. After both sides came up empty on their first couple offensive possessions, Januszkiewicz got IC on the board with 7:27 left in the opening quarter. Picking up possession at the top of the attacking zone, the senior made a hard run down the left flank, before firing a low shot just inside the far post to make the score 1-0.
 
The goal was the first of a six-goal run for the Bombers over the next 3:57 of game action. Fitzpatrick doubled the lead for Ithaca with 6:13 left in the quarter, launching a howitzer into the top corner of the net from center-point 15-yards out from goal.
 
Four scoring strikes in quick succession capped the six-goal run for IC. The Bombers shell-shocked the Red Dragons four times in the span of 1:05 to take firm control of the contest at 6-0.
 
Shumway made the score 3-0 with 4:35 left in the period. Working from the 'X' behind the Cortland net, he faked left and made a quick run right, gaining a sliver of space on his marker, before depositing a wrap-around shot into the twine. Cotton scored his first of two goals in the opening half just 23-seconds later, finishing off a quick transition pass from Januszkiewicz at the left post. The duo synced up again 20-seconds later with Cotton returning the favor and Januskiewicz depositing his second goal of the quarter. Della Puca finished off the scoring barrage, converting on a feed from Owen Smith with 3:30 left in the quarter.
 
Although the Red Dragons would finally break-through for their first goal with 43-seconds remaining in the opening quarter, the Bombers maintained the six-goal advantage into the second quarter. Witter picked up IC's seventh goal of the frame, receiving a feed from Cotton at the left post and rifling a pop-shot behind Cortland goalie Joe Scalise.
 
The scoring continued to come fast and furious during the second quarter. Cotton widened the IC advantage to seven goals when he netted his second of the half with 10:07 to go. However, Joey Panariello netted two goals for the Red Dragons to cut the deficit to 8-3 with 6:47 left in the half.
 
Despite the two quick Panariello tallies, the Bombers took the momentum to the half with two final scores to close out the opening 30 minutes. Again the goals came in quick succession, as Crosson and Januszkiewicz potted scores 18-seconds apart with under two minutes to go. The Bombers took a 10-3 lead to halftime.
 
Unfortunately, the lead would not be enough for IC. Cortland stormed back during the second half, outscoring the Bombers 8-1 in the final 30 minutes to force overtime.
 
The third quarter was closely fought between the two sides with just four total goals scored in the period. The two sides traded goals during the early portions of the period with Witter netting a man-up goal for the Bombers from five-yards out. The Red Dragons closed out the third with two goals, but IC still took a comfortable 11-6 lead to the final 15 minutes.
 
Cortland continued the momentum during the early portions of the fourth, as Thomas McNaney cut the deficit to four goals with tally with 12:39 to go. However, IC appeared to stem the tide with just under nine minutes left with Shumway firing home an apparent goal after getting behind the defense at the left post. However, the goal was waved off, as it was deemed that the IC senior stepped in the crease. The Red Dragons pounced on the missed opportunity flying down the field and scoring to turn an apparent 12-7 game into an 11-8 score with plenty of time remaining.
 
The Red Dragons leveled the score with 3:17 left, as Panariello struck again for the home side. Both sides had attacking zone opportunities in the waning moments with perhaps the best look coming from Januszkiewicz with five seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the shot drifted just high of the crossbar, sending the game to overtime.
 
Nate Beresovoy ended the game with 1:07 to go in the first overtime period, beating Deragon on a bounce shot just inside the right post.
 
Ithaca returns to action this weekend when it travels to Hoboken, N.J., for a tilt against Stevens Institute of Technology. Start time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.