HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 5, 2022)  – Seven different players found the back of the net as the Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter en route to defeating Misericordia University 24-10 Thursday in a MAC Freedom semifinal game at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Senior Tyler Ryan paced the offense with two goals and five assists and classmate Brendan Sullivan posted his fifth hat trick of the season to go along with two assists for the Ducks, who won for the fourth straight time in moving to 11-7. 

The Ducks will be playing in the MAC Freedom title game for the second straight season, where they will host second-seeded Arcadia in Saturday's conference championship in search of their second league crown in as many seasons. The Knights rallied past third-seeded DeSales 20-13 on the other side of the bracket. Stevens defeated Arcadia 10-8 on Apr. 27 to clinch the MAC Freedom's regular-season title. Stevens has won all five meetings between the programs. 

Jared Pelliccione scored four times and Robert Wagner had a goal and four assists for the Cougars, who dropped to 12-6 on the year. Misericordia dropped three of its last four to close out the 2022 season. 

Senior Michael Burns had two goals and an assist as 15 different players finished with at least one point. Sophomore Mikey Whiteside finished with three goals and an assist, while graduate student Ryan Caplis posted his sixth hat trick of the season. Junior Jake Wright and first-year Shea Grant each scored twice, while seniors Craig Stockfeder, Evan Eggleston and Jackson Brown, along with graduate student Sean Scadden and first-year Larson Cronk each added one. Junior Trevor Carroll and sophomore Joseph Grippo each dished out an assist to round out the Ducks' offensive contributions. Eggleston's goal with eight seconds on the clock in the opening quarter was his first since the 2019 season.

Sophomore Jake Zeyher made 13 saves, including a spectacular stop on Wagner midway through the first quarter, to earn the victory for the Ducks. First-year Cooper Foote relieved Zeyher in the final quarter and made one save over the final five-and-a-half minutes. Sean Wallace made 12 saves in defeat for Misericordia.

After sophomore Conner Park won the opening faceoff, the Ducks quickly jumped in front, scoring 45 seconds later, when Whiteside made a strong move around a Cougar defender to net his 11th of the season. Stevens would make it two goals on two possessions when following a successful clear, Burns made a nice deke around a defender to score from the left slot to give the Ducks a 2-0 advantage. 

The Ducks maintained possession throughout the opening quarter, scoring eight times on 13 shots on-goal after Park and fellow sophomore Russell Eberding won seven of the nine faceoffs in the period. The Ducks went 6 for 7 on clears and only turned the ball over three times in the opening period in building their eight-goal lead. 

The Cougars finally got on the board early in the second, when Carson Venis scored the first of his three goals. Misericordia outscored the Ducks 5-4 in the second stanza and the teams headed into the intermission with Stevens holding a 12-5 lead.

The Ducks quickly put any Misericordia comeback bid to rest with a pair of goals less than a minute apart at the start of the third quarter. Ryan fed Sullivan for a powerplay goal and then Caplis found the back of the net 47 seconds later. Stevens would outscore the guests 6-2 in the stanza to essentially put the game out of reach.

Venis completed his hat trick to open the fourth quarter, but the Ducks would then net six of the next seven goals to take a 24-9 lead. Misericorida added a goal in the final minute to produce the Ducks' final margin of victory. The 24-goal output marked the sixth time this season the Ducks crossed the 20-goal plateau. 

Stevens forced 13 of the Cougars 22 turnovers. Burns was very disruptive to the Misericordia transition game, causing four turnovers and picking up two ground balls. Junior David Bendis caused two turnovers, while Park, Stockfeder, Eggleston, first-year Bryan Creamer and junior Joe Cawley each had one. 

Park led the Ducks' efforts in the faceoff circle, winning 17 times against 12 losses. Eberding won twice at the 'X,' while first-year Andrew Muller won three times. All totaled, the Ducks finished the game with a 22-15 record. Garrett Heidecker led Misericorida with 11 wins.

The Ducks also held an advantage in ground balls. Park led the way with a career-high 12, while Cawley had five, as 17 different players each picked up one.

Stevens went 19 for 21 on clears, while Misericordia converted 16 of its 19 attempts.

Misericordia finished the game 0 for 3 on extra-man opportunities. 

Up Next: Men's Lacrosse hosts Arcadia at the DeBaun Athletic Complex on May 7. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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