HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 7, 2022)  – Sophomore Jack Savarese and senior Michael Burns scored less than a minute apart in the first quarter to propel the Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team to a 12-10 victory over Arcadia University Saturday in the MAC Freedom Championship game at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Sophomore Mikey Whiteside had three goals and an assist and seniors Tyler Ryan and Brendan Sullivan each finished with a goal and three assists for the Ducks, who won their second straight MAC Freedom title to reach the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time. The victory was the fifth straight for the Ducks, who improved to 12-7. Stevens is the first repeat MAC Freedom champion since Eastern won five straight from 2012-16.

Brady Manion had a goal and four assists to lead Arcadia, who dropped to 12-6. The Ducks have won all six meetings between the programs. The Ducks' victory snapped Arcadia's two-game winning streak.

"Really happy for our guys to grit out a hard-fought win against a very good Arcadia team," head coach Gene Peluso said. "I thought our defense did a great job tonight. They really controlled the ground ball battle and, for the most part, held Arcadia's top scorers in check."

"We are very excited to be playing in the NCAA Tournament," Peluso continued. "We are looking forward to the announcement tomorrow night."

Burns finished with two goals and an assist and Savarese totaled three goals and an assist as seven different players found the scoresheet. Junior Joe Cawley and classmate Jake Wright each scored once to round out the offensive contributions. Cawley, who also caused one turnover and picked up five ground balls, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

"We had great balance in our offense tonight," Peluso commented. "Great play tonight from Burns, Savarese and most notably, Mikey Whiteside."

"On the defensive end, I thought Joe Cawley stood out," Peluso continued. "It was also great to see him also score a goal in transition."

Sophomore Jake Zeyher made 13 saves for the second consecutive game to earn his 10th win of the season. It was the second-year netminder's seventh double-digit save effort of the season. Timmy Fyock matched Zeyher with 13 saves in a losing effort for the Knights.

"We were able to get a few shots past their goalie in the second half, which gave us a little bit of breathing room," Peluso shared. "But I thought Arcadia did a great job fighting back down the stretch and we were happy to ultimately come away with the victory."

In less than ideal conditions, the goalkeepers stole the show early in the contest, combining for seven saves, including four from Zeyher, before Savarese finally broke through to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead. Burns followed 59 seconds later to push the Ducks' lead to 2-0 with just under five minutes left in the opening period. After taking their lead, the Ducks would never relinquish it, leading wire-to-wire in securing the victory.

Leading 3-2 in the second, the Ducks scored three times in a little over two minutes to take control of the game. Wright sparked the run with his 15th of the year and the Ducks would again work in their offensive end after winning the ensuing faceoff. Savarese would be the beneficiary of the extended possession, taking a Burns pass and beating Fyock for his 37th of the year. Cawley would close the run 90 seconds later, charging into the offensive zone after a successful clear, and whipping a shot past Fyock for his second goal of the year.

Whiteside would kick off second-half scoring before back-to-back Arcadia goals early in the fourth brought the Knights to within 9-7. However, Ryan and Sullivan answered the Arcadia run with consecutive goals 65 seconds apart to again provide the Ducks with a small cushion. Whiteside completed his third hat trick of the season late in the fourth quarter before consecutive Arcadia goals brought the Knights back to within two with just 84 seconds left in regulation.

Looking to close out their victory, sophomore Conner Park gave the Ducks the ball after the Knights' 10th goal and the Ducks did not allow Arcadia to get a shot off over the final 1:22. Ryan and graduate student Sean Scadden each caused turnovers in the final minute to lead the defensive effort down the stretch,

Stevens forced 11 of the Knights' 15 turnovers. Ryan finished with four caused turnovers to lead the Ducks' efforts, while senior Aidan Hinphy had two. Burns, Cawley, Scadden, and seniors Craig Stockfeder and Tom Conway each had one to round out the Ducks' efforts.

"We also felt that Tom Conway had an excellent game against Arcadia's midfielders," Peluso said. "I also thought we did a good job clearing the ball and also rode well!"

Each team won 13 faceoffs. Park led the Ducks with 12 wins in the 'X,' while sophomore Russell Eberding won once. Brett Sciascia (7) and A.J. Dominguez (6) split Arcadia's 13 faceoff wins. 

The Ducks finished with a slim 35-34 advantage in ground balls. Park and Ryan joined Cawley in pacing the Ducks with five ground balls each, while Burns picked up four. Stockfeder had three as a total of 12 different players picked up one each. Dominguez picked up a game-high six to lead Arcadia. 

Stevens was an efficient 22 for 23 on clears, going a perfect 16 for 16 over the final three quarters. Arcadia finished 18 for 20. 

The Ducks killed off one of the two penalties and did not receive any extra-man opportunities.

Up Next: Men's Lacrosse will learn its NCAA placement Sunday evening at 9 p.m., when the NCAA reveals the entire field. 

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