CARLISLE, Pa. (February 18, 2023) – First-year Matthew Pergola netted his second hat trick in as many games, but the Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team fell at No. 9 Dickinson College 13-6 Saturday in a non-conference matchup at Biddle Field.

Junior Jack Savarese and senior Shaun Spiegel each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who dropped to 1-1. The contest marked a rematch of last season's NCAA second-round contest.

Owen Porter had four goals and James Isaacson finished with three goals and an assist to lead Dickinson, who outscored Stevens 6-0 in the third quarter, to open the season 1-0. The Red Devils have won all four meetings in the all-time series. 

"We needed to finish the job today after playing a strong first half," head coach Gene Peluso said. "I felt like we had a tough second half and especially didn't love the way we came out after halftime."

"Credit to a strong Dickinson team, but the difference in the two halves was really us creating self-inflicted errors," Peluso continued. "There are certainly positives and we will build on those, but we also have to take away the teachable moments from the second half. Now we prepare for a Haverford team who is well coached and who we lost to last year, in what they say was a 'signature win' for them, so we will need to be prepared for them."

Graduate student Kevin Crowley had a goal and sophomore Tommy Robertozzi dished out two assists as six different players finished with at least one point. Senior Jake Wright handed out an assist to round out the Ducks' offensive contributions. 
 
Graduate student Ryan Leahy drew the start in goal and made 16 saves in the cage. Chris Brandau made six saves for Dickinson to earn the victory. 

Porter scored the first goal of the game, but the Ducks reeled off three straight markers to take a 3-1 lead. Crowley began the stretch with his fifth of the season, with goals from Savarese and Pergola completing the sequence. However, Dickinson answered with a pair of goals 90 seconds apart to knot the score at three heading into the second quarter. 

Pergola completed his second career hat trick in the second quarter. with a pair of goals three minutes apart to reclaim a two-goal advantage for the Ducks. Porter netted his second of the game just 14 second after Pergola's hat trick goal to send the teams into the intermission with Stevens holding a 5-4 lead. For comparison's sake, Dickinson's four-goal total in the first half matched matched the Red Devils' lowest first-half total in 2022.

The third quarter ultimately proved to be the difference in the game, with Dickinson scoring six goals in the frame to turn the Ducks' one-goal lead into a five-goal deficit. Griffin Moore scored the first goal of the final quarter to extend the Red Devils' scoring streak to eight, before Spiegel found the back of the net to end the run. Dickinson scored the final two goals of the game late in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of victory. 

Dickinson finished with a 46-36 edge in shots, with the margin being 28-13 across the second and third quarters. Interestingly, the Ducks scored on two of their four shots in the second period, with all four shots registering on goal.

The Ducks finished 23 of 26 on clears and were perfect in the first, third and fourth quarters. Dickinson went 24 for 27 and the Red Devils were perfect in the second and third quarters.

Dickson had a strong day in the faceoff circle, winning 19 of the game's 22 faceoffs. John McKee had 18 wins in the 'X' to lead Dickinson, while junior Conner Park had three to lead Stevens. The edge in faceoff wins also helped Dickinson gain a 48-32 edge in ground balls. Sophomore Nicolas Accardo picked up six to pace Stevens for the second straight game, while Leahy and graduate student Carter Haskel each had five. McKee picked up a game-high 16 to lead Dickinson.

Stevens caused 11 of Dickinson's 18 turnovers. First-year Luke Lesizza had three caused turnovers to lead the Ducks, while Haskel and senior Joseph Cawley each had two. 

Each team finished 0 for 3 on the man-advantage. Interestingly, each team committed one penalty in each of the final three quarters.

Up Next: Men's Lacrosse hosts Haverford on Feb. 22 in the 2023 home opener. The Ducks have won five of the last six meetings between the teams, with the Fords winning 11-9 last season in Pennsylvania. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
#AllRise