Joe Van Sickle registered three goals as Stevens rolled past Centenary, 24-4. |
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (April 19, 2006) – Despite a sluggish first quarter, Stevens Institute of Technology was able to cap off another perfect season in Knickerbocker Lacrosse Conference play with an offensive outburst over the final three periods as the 13th-ranked Ducks rolled to a 24-4 victory over Centenary College on Wednesday in Hackettstown, N.J. With the win, Stevens captured its seventh victory in a row and improved to 10-2 (8-0 Knickerbocker) on the year.
Leading 4-3 after the opening stanza, the Ducks rattled off 16 unanswered goals in the span of 28:12 to blow the game wide open. Sophomore attack J.R. Oreskovich (La Costa, Calif.) tallied three second-quarter goals to help the cause. Junior midfielders Mark Bielicky (Bridgewater, N.J.) and Joe Van Sickle (Amherst, N.H.) as well as sophomore attack R.J. Ancona (West Islip, N.Y.) scored in the second period as the Ducks grabbed a 10-3 lead at intermission.
Freshman midfielder Matt Keating (Chatham, N.J.) added to the lead with an unassisted goal just 54 seconds into the third quarter. Van Sickle tallied a man-up goal off an assist from junior midfielder Matt Althauser (Bellevue, Wash.) to push the margin to 12-3 with just under 12 minutes to play in the period. Stevens continued to pull away as Ancona sandwiched a pair of goals around a score from sophomore attack/midfielder Frank Sorrentino (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.). Senior midfielder Rob Leming (Princeton Junction, N.J.), sophomore attack John Dolny (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) and Bielicky each scored in the final minute of the quarter as the Ducks pushed their lead to 18-3 after three periods.
Eight players scored two or more goals for Stevens. Ancona finished with three goals to go along with seven ground balls. He also won 12 of 15 faceoff opportunities. Oreskovich had three goals and three assists. Van Sickle chipped in with three goals as well. Dolny and Sorrentino posted two goals and two assists apiece. Bielicky registered two goals and four assists in the game. Freshman attack Brian Reckdenwald (Whitney Point, N.Y.) had two goals and an assist while Keating connected on a pair of goals.
Meanwhile, senior midfielder Evan Swiker (Philadelphia, Pa.) grabbed a team-high eight ground balls. Swiker was also 10-for-11 in faceoffs. Junior goalkeeper Jack Dunderdale (Ridgefield, Conn.) allowed three goals and only had to make six saves in 35 minutes of action as he improved to 9-2 on the year.
Centenary (5-7, 1-6 Knickerbocker) was led by junior attack Matt Rogers (Leonardtown, Md.), who scored a pair of goals for the Cyclones. Senior goalkeeper Ryan Seickel (Bound Brook, N.J.) allowed 18 goals and made 12 saves in 45 minutes of action.
After being out-shot 11-9 in the first quarter, Stevens posted a 51-9 advantage in shots over the final three periods. The Ducks grabbed 59 ground balls to just 19 by Centenary. In the second half alone, Stevens owned a 34-4 differential in ground balls. The Ducks won 26 of 30 faceoffs in the game and were successful on 16 of 17 clear attempts. The Cyclones were 0-for-9 in extra-man opportunities.
Stevens will be in action on Saturday when it hosts fifth-ranked SUNY Cortland in a pivotal game that could have a lasting impact on the national stage with both teams vying for berths to the NCAA tournament. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at DeBaun Field in Hoboken, N.J. Fans may access a live video feed of the game by logging on to www.stevensducks.com and clicking on the D3Cast logo on the right sidebar.
