ALFRED, N.Y. (April 6, 2019)  – Highlighted by sophomore Ryan Gebhardt's 100th career goal, No. 11/No. 11 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse won its eighth straight game with a 20-5 victory over Alfred University in an Empire 8 Conference matchup at Yunevich Stadium.

Senior Max Bailey had two goals and seven assists to finish with a season-high nine points and classmate Eric Radbourne finished with four goals for the Ducks, who improved to 11-2 on the year and a perfect 4-0 in league play. Stevens has won each of the last four meetings between the teams.

"We did a really nice job on both ends today," said head coach Gene Peluso. "Alfred is a good team and they are always tough at home. I was impressed with how we travelled and impressed with our early offensive production."

Joe Fornataro had a pair of goals for Alfred, who fell to 6-3 on the year and 2-1 in the Empire 8. The victory snapped Alfred's three-game winning streak and extended Stevens' regular-season conference winning streak to 12.

"We are excited to get another conference win, but we now focus on preparing for our next game," Peluso shared.

Senior netminder Carson White made seven saves to earn his 11th victory of the year. Junior Jack Braswell and sophomore Danny Tierney relieved and played the final 10:09. Scott Kimiecik made eight saves, but took the loss for the Saxons. Brandon Smith played the final 15 minutes and stopped six shots.

Senior Eric Radbourne scored four times and junior Brendan Monteleone added three goals and an assist. Sophomore Nico Ipeker continues to provide offense off the bench, adding two goals and an assist to his season total. Senior Dean Peluso had a goal and an assist and freshmen Tyler Ryan and Brendan Sullivan also found the back of the net as eight different players had at least one goal. Sophomore Ryan Caplis handed out an assist, as did freshmen Hunter Brogan and Michael Burns, to round out Stevens' scoring.

"Max, Ryan and Brendan did a great job at attack, scoring goals and riding hard," Peluso reflected. "They continue to be a great unit and play hard for us."

"I really loved the game we received from Radbourne," Peluso continued. "He had a few goals in the first half and was a big part of our quick start."

Senior Nicholas Carnovale won the opening faceoff and Gebhardt netted his first of the day just 44 seconds into the contest. Radbourne scored consecutive markers before Gebhardt added his second of the day to push the lead to four less than nine minutes into the contest. The Ducks are outscoring opponents 70-25 in the first quarter and 139-43 over the first half. 

Anthony Ricottilli put Alfred on the board, but a combined three goals from Bailey and Monteleone handed the Ducks a 7-1 lead. Jeremiah Kinner beat the first-quarter buzzer to trim the margin to five entering the second stanza. Fornataro scored on the man-advantage to draw Alfred within four, however, Stevens scored the next 10 goals to put the game out of reach. Peluso opened the stretch two minutes in the second period and Ipeker scored twice in a 1:16 stretch in the third quarter to give Stevens a 17-3 advantage. Fornataro found the back of the net in the final 10 seconds of the third to stop the Ducks' run.

Gebhardt netter back-to-back goals to open the final period before Ryan beat Smith to push Stevens across the 20-goal mark for the third straight game. The Ducks have scored at least 10 goals in every game this season. Peyton VanBibber beat Tierney in the final minute to provide the game's final margin. 

Stevens fired a season-high 68 shots on the day, including 34 on-goal for the second straight game. The Ducks' 68 shots are the most by the team since the team fired 77 against Elmira on April 22, 2015. Gebhardt and Radbourne each took 13 attempts to lead all players, while Fornataro paced Alfred with seven.

Defensively, Stevens forced 20 Alfred turnovers, with junior Bubba Brennan leading the defensive effort with three caused turnovers. Kinner matched Brennan with three caused turnovers as the Ducks committed 12 miscues on the day.

"Defensively, Hinphy, Logan and Coyle played well and won their matchups," Peluso commented. "They picked up some great ground balls and caused a good amount of turnovers."

Alfred won 14 of the 27 faceoffs. Carnovale led Stevens' efforts in the 'X' with 13 victories against 10 losses. Garrette Briggs had 11 wins in the 'X' to lead Alfred, while Ian Chedzoy had three. Despite one less faceoff victory, Stevens had a decisive 38-29 margin in ground balls, with Carnovale and White picking up six each. Kinner matched Carnovale and White with six ground balls to pace the Saxons.

The Ducks were successful on 19 of their 22 clear attempts, while Alfred converted nine of their 12 attempts.

Each team was successful on two of their six extra-man opportunities, with Radbourne and Bailey scored on the power play, while Fornataro had both of Alfred's man-up goals.

Up Next: No. 11/No. 11 Men's Lacrosse returns to upstate New York for the third straight weekend for a conference matchup with Nazareth. The Golden Flyers lead the all-time series 8-7, although Stevens snagged a 20-8 victory in Hoboken last season. Live stats and video links available on Stevens Ducks.com.

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