HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 5, 2021)  – First-year Jack Savarese and senior Ryan Gebhardt each netted five goals as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team moved one step closer to the NCAA Tournament with a 21-8 victory over DeSales University Wednesday in a MAC Freedom semifinal matchup at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. 

Junior Michael Burns had a goal and a career-high four assists and senior Shawn Coulter had two goals and an assist for the Ducks, who won their eighth straight game to improve to 12-2. With the win, Stevens advanced to Saturday's conference championship, where they will be in search of the program's first MAC Freedom title. 

Tom Connors had two goals and three assists for DeSales, who dropped to 6-5. Stevens has won each of the last four meetings between the programs and now lead the all-time series 5-3. The Ducks will take on Misericordia University in Saturday's conference championship, after the third-seeded Cougars defeated Arcadia in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

"It's great to get a win and advance to the MAC Freedom Championship," said head coach Gene Peluso. "I thought we did a great job right off the bat, controlling tempo and possession tonight and building an early lead. Credit goes to DeSales as they fought hard all game. We certainly had to earn it tonight and I'm proud that our guys did just that. Our focus now is Misericordia. They had a great win against Arcadia tonight and they are a tough, well coached team."

Coulter gave the Ducks an early lead, getting a transition goal that was created by graduate student Bubba Brennan's second caused turnover of the game. Brennan stripped Matt Motto and Coulter pounced on the loose ball and carried it into the attacking third and beat Quentin Lyons for his 14th goal of the season. 

Junior Larry Park would win the ensuing faceoff, giving the Ducks a chance to build upon their lead. First-year Mikey Whiteside whizzed a shot past Lyons from well beyond the circle to provide the Ducks with a two-goal advantage less than four minutes into the contest. Whiteside finished with two goals on the evening, marking his second career multi-goal outing.

The Ducks would score eight times in the opening period to build a six-goal advantage en route to their ninth double-digit victory of the season. Gebhardt and Savarese combined for three of the eight markers in the quarter.

"Gebhardt and Savarese did what they normally do for us and provided our offense with goals," Peluso said. "We love the game received from Michael Burns. He made big-time plays in all areas of play: riding, clearing, and feeding."

Gebhardt, who also had a pair of assists, moved to within two points of matching Hall of Famer Joe DiPompeo atop the single-season goal-scoring list. DiPompeo netted 61 goals over 10 games in the 1997 season to establish the program's single-season mark. Gebhardt's 59 goals matches his single-season career high and is tied for the second-most in any given year in program history. With 84 points to date, Gebhardt is within striking distance of the program's single-season mark of 100 and has now moved into second place on the program's all-time career points list. 

Senior Ryan Caplis had a goal and three assists and junior Brendan Sullivan had two goals and an assist as 11 different student-athletes found the scoresheet. First-year Nolan Quade, junior Tyler Ryan and sophomore Jake Wright each had a goal and an assist, with Park dishing out one assist to round out the Ducks' offensive production.

"Ryan Caplis had a nice night for us and played fast all game; he was really able to get us going," Peluso said. "Brendan Sullivan also did a great job tonight, making the most of his opportunities."

First-year Jake Zeyher drew the start and made 13 saves to earn his eighth victory of the season. Several of Zeyher's stops were from point-blank range, and the Wilton, Connecticut native played the entire game for the second time this season. Quinten Lyons made 14 saves in defeat for DeSales. 

"The ultimate game recognition went to Jake Zeyher, our first-year goalie," Peluso commented. "He made multiple doorstep saves throughout the game and he also made some great saves early on in the game as well. We thought that Jake played with a lot of poise and really helped us secure the win."

After taking control of the game in the opening quarter, the Ducks continued to build on their advantage in the second period, outscoring the Bulldogs 4-1, to take a commanding 12-3 lead at the intermission. 

DeSales scored the first two goals coming out of halftime to trim the Ducks' lead to eight, only for Quade to find the back of the net to put a halt to a Bulldog comeback bid. 

The Ducks would bridge the third and fourth quarters with a six-goal run, with consecutive Gebhardt tallies sparking the surge and Savarese closing it at the start of the fourth. Ryan's 11th goal of the year narrowly beat the third-quarter buzzer, getting past the DeSales netminder with just over two seconds left in the stanza.

Whiteside and Savarese also scored in the fourth quarter, with a Kai Taylor powerplay goal providing the game's final margin. 

Stevens finished the night with a 54-36 advantage in shots, including a decisive 23-5 margin in the opening quarter. Gebhardt led the barrage with 12 attempts, while Savarese fired off 11. Motto and Zach Bowen each took eight shots to lead DeSales, who outshot the Ducks 22-17 in the second half. 

Brennan was a key component in the Ducks' defensive efforts, causing three turnovers as the Ducks forced 27 DeSales miscues on the evening. Graduate student Daniel Crotty, along with Zeyher, forced two each, as the Ducks totaled 14 caused turnovers on the evening. 

Stevens won 17 of the game's 31 faceoffs. Larry Park went 12-11 in the circle, while first-year Conner Park had five. Colin Corrado had nine wins to lead DeSales.

The Ducks held a slim 54-52 in ground balls, with 20 different Ducks picking up at least one. Zeyher, Park and Coulter each picked up seven to lead the efforts, with Burns picking up five. Corrado scooped up eight to lead the Bulldogs.

"On defense, we were impressed with the game we received from both Shawn Coulter and Daniel Crotty," Peluso offered. "They were able to get stops for us, pick up ground balls, and really set the tone for our defense throughout the night. We also recognized Owen Stempkovski for the job he did coming in and playing some big minutes for us - he played great defense and was also able to do a good job in the clear."

Stevens was successful on 26 of its 31 clearing attempts, while DeSales was 18 for 24. The Ducks were also successful on one of its three extra-man opportunities, with Caplis netting the team's lone powerplay goal of the evening. 

Up Next: Men's Lacrosse will host Misericordia University on Saturday, May 8 in the MAC Freedom Championship. The Ducks topped the Cougars 18-10 on Mar. 20 in the first-ever meeting between the program. Saturday's game time, along with links for live stats and video, will be published to StevensDucks.com when available.

Please note that all event times, dates and opponents are subject to change.

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