HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 16, 2019)  – Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Gene Peluso, No. 14/No. 13 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse is set to open the 133rd year in program history later today in Baltimore against Colorado College. The game will be the first of two neutral-site games played in the state of Maryland. Stevens will take on nationally-ranked Roanoke College in Sparks Glencoe on March 6.

All totaled Stevens will face a challenging 17-game schedule, with seven taking place in the friendly confines of the DeBaun Athletic Complex, where the Ducks are 69-16 under Peluso, including an 11-1 mark in 2018. The team will match up with three nationally-ranked teams and five teams that participated in last season's national championship tournament. Stevens will play eight games in the Empire 8 Conference regular season.

The Ducks return 29 letterwinners from a team that 18-3, won its second Empire 8 Conference title, and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, including 12 players that started at least one game, including senior attackman Max Bailey, who has led the team in points in two straight seasons, the reigning E8 Rookie of the Year, Ryan Gebhardt. and reigning conference Goalie of the Year Carson White. Additionally, Coach Peluso and staff welcome 18 newcomers to the program. The program also welcomes back senior midfielder Dean Peluso, who sat out the 2018 campaign, but totaled 33 points with 25 ground balls in 2017.

Stevens begins its 12th, and final, season of play in the Empire 8, opening league action in Hoboken against Utica College on March 23. Since joining the E8 for the 2008 season (the department began play in the league in the Fall of 2017), the program is 67-18 in the league's regular season and returns four First Team All-Conference selections in Bailey, Gebhardt, White and senior Daniel Crotty. Second Team honorees Brendan Monteleone, Eric Radbourne and Bubba Brennan are also among the key returners, as is senior face-off specialist Nicholas Carnovale, who received an honorable mention as a junior. Bailey, Brennan, Carnovale and Crotty will join senior Drew Cottrell in serving as team captains.  

Bailey is among the top offensive threats in the country, totaling 227 career points, which ranks second all-time in program history. As a junior, the Millersville, Maryland native totaled 26 goals and 71 assists en route to earning Third Team All-America honors from the USILA. Bailey also earned East Region Offensive Player of the Year accolades from the IMLCA and was named the Empire 8's Player of the Year following the completion of his third season on Castle Point after setting the program record for career assists.

Gebhardt totaled 55 goals in his freshman campaign and pairs with Bailey to form an impressive 1-2 scoring punch on the attack. The Baldwinsville, New York resident's 55 goals tied for the second-most in single season in program history and led the conference by a wide margin. All totaled, the Ducks will return three of their top-five goals scorers from one season ago, with senior Eric Radbourne (36) and Monteleone (37) joining Gebhardt on the offensive side of the field. Sophomores Ryan Caplis (12) and Nico Ipeker (15) are also returning double-digit goal scorers.

On the defensive side, Crotty and Brennan lead of group of nine returning rearguards for Coach Peluso and staff. As a defensive unit, Stevens allowed 7.62 goals per game, which ranked 30th in the country. The Ducks also ranked 37th out of 238 teams in caused turnovers per game and were among the nation's leaders in winning percentage. The Ducks finished second in the conference in goals against average and caused the second-most turnovers per game. The Ducks were also the only team in the conference to post a shutout. 

In the net, White earned his second E8 postseason honor after collecting 16 wins, while making 181 saves. The Downingtown, Pennsylvania native won two Goalie of the Week accolades and totaled double-digit saves in 12 games. White should achieve his 500th save in the season opener, which would move him into seventh place all-time. The senior netminder should make a push for the program's all-time career saves record. 

Joining White as a returning goalie is junior Jack Braswell, who made 10 appearances as a sophomore. 

In the 'X", Carnovale leads a trio of returners as Stevens returns its top three players, in terms of faceoff winning percentage from one season ago. Carnovale finished second on the team with 103 wins, leading to a .609 winning percentage, while now-sophomore Trevor Kiessling led the team with .756 winning percentage. Junior Connor Murphy was sandwiched between the two with a .631 winning percentage. 

The Ducks have claimed the conference's regular-season title in each of the last two seasons and have reached the playoffs in 10 of the program's 11 prior seasons in the conference. The conference's postseason is set for May 1 and May 4, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Stevens returned to the national championship tournament one season ago, ending a four-year drought.

The final milestone within reach this season is the coaching milestone. To date, Coach Peluso has amassed a 118-46 record and needs 13 victories to match John Sim's 131 wins, set between 1927-50.

Live streaming and live stats of all regular-season home games will take place on StevensDucks.com.

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