HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 10, 2022) – Sophomore Jake Zeyher had a game-high 14 saves in net and three different players each scored two goals, but No. 20 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse dropped a tight 14-11 contest to No. 1 Rochester Institute of Technology Thursday at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. The contest was originally scheduled for March 9, but was moved back a day to inclement weather.

Seniors Michael Burns and Brendan Sullivan, along with graduate student Ryan Caplis, each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who dropped to 2-4.

Luke Pilcher had three goals and three assist to lead RIT. Quinn Commandant, Marley Angus, and Ryan Rosenblum each had three points each for the Tigers who remained perfect at 4-0. RIT has won the last six meetings between the teams.

"I thought we did some very positive things out there," head coach Gene Peluso said. "We don't believe in 'moral victories,' but we tell athletes that there were great things that took place, which we can build on."

The contest marked the Ducks' second contest against a top-two opponent, with another three contests with nationally-ranked opponents left on the schedule, including the teams' next contest Sunday at No. 14 Wesleyan.

"Our schedule to this point has certainly been challenging," Peluso reflected. "It's as challenging as we have ever face, but we love how we are competing. We now have to prepare for a very strong Wesleyan team."
 
Senior Tyler Ryan had a goal and an assist as 10 different players had at least one point. Sophomore Jack Savarese, graduate student Owen Stempkovski and juniors Jake Wright and Trevor Carroll each found the back of the net. Sophomore Mikey Whiteside and junior Joe Cawley each dished out an assist to round out the Ducks' offensive contributions. 
 
Zeyher was active in the cage throughout the contest. The second-year netminder posted in third double-digit saves effort of the season. Drew Hutchinson picked up the win in goal for the Tigers going the complete game to go along with eight saves.
 
Stevens came out storming in this one as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Caplis and Burns. After RIT cut the lead to 2-1, the Ducks extended their advantage three with Carroll and Burns notching goals in the final three minutes of the contest. The Ducks' lead at the end of the opening 15 minutes marked the defending national champions' first deficit since May 23, 2021 in the national semifinal.

"I liked the way we started out in the first quarter in building our lead," Peluso said. "I also like how we started out the second half as we took a 6-5 lead."

"I believe our guys learned some valuable lessons today," Peluso continued. "I believe they can use this type of game as something to build on."
 
The second quarter belonged to RIT as they ran off four unanswered goals to jump out 5-4 heading into halftime. But the Ducks responded right out of the locker room with two consecutive tallies from Ryan and Sullivan to reclaim a 6-5 lead against the top-ranked team in the country. The back-and-forth contest continued as the Tigers scored three unanswered goals to take an 8-6 lead. 
 
Stevens drew back to within one on an unassisted goal from Wright. And after a goal from RIT, Savarese made it a one-goal game, once again, at 9-8. This is when the Tigers pulled away for good thanks to three straight tallies extending the lead to 12-8. The Ducks continued to chip away at the lead with goals from Stempkovski and Caplis. Sullivan closed out the game's scoring with an unassisted goal with just over a minute left to account for the 14-11 final.
 
RIT finished with a 54-40 edge in shots. Of the Ducks' 40, 19 were on goal, while the Tigers registered 30. Burns led Stevens with 11 shots, of which five were on goal. Savarese had 10 with three on-target. Rosenblum had a game-high 14 shots with five on-goal. Ryan Barnable took eight and Pilcher seven.
 
Stevens and RIT each forced 20 turnovers. The Ducks' Cawley caused a game-high four. Junior David Bendis and first-year Bryan Creamer each caused one. For the Tigers Taylor Jensen led the way with three and Barnable caused two.
 
The Tigers had a 20-9 edge in faceoffs. Sophomore Russell Eberding accounted for all nine wins in the 'X' for the Ducks. Jimmy Spillane went 20 for 29 for the RIT.
 
RIT controlled ground balls, 45-31. Eberding scooped up five and Savarese four for the Ducks. Senior Craig Stockfeder and Zeyher had three each. Spillane was active defensively for the Tigers with a game high 12. Commandant was next highest with five for the visitors.

The Ducks were 22 for 27 on its clearing attempts, while the Tigers finished 17 of 18.

"We didn't execute our clear game well enough today," Peluso said. "When you do that against RIT, they make teams pay."

Stevens did not have any power play opportunities in this contest, while RIT went 0-2.
 
Up Next: No. 20 Men's Lacrosse travels to No. 13 Wesleyan University on Sunday Mar. 13 for a contest to be played at the Cardinals' Citrin Field. This will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
 
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise