HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 15, 2023) – Junior Joseph Grippo had a season-high eight points as No. 20 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse defeated King's College 25-4 Saturday in a MAC Freedom matchup at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

Graduate student Kevin Crowley posted his ninth hat trick of the season and dished out an assist and junior Jack Savarese and sophomore Blake Creamer each added three points for the Ducks, who won their fifth straight in improving to 12-2 on the year and to 5-0 in the MAC Freedom. The victory was the Ducks' 36th straight in regular season conference contests.

Ryan Barnes scored twice for King's, who fell to 0-11 on the year and to 0-4 in conference play. The Ducks have won all three meetings with the Monarchs, scoring exactly 25 goals in each contest.

Prior to the game, the men's lacrosse program held a special pregame moment of silence for alumnus Brett Incollingo, who passed away last October. Head Coach Gene Peluso and Incollingo's family stood in Brett's familiar faceoff circle for a moment of silent tribute and for the national anthem. Brett won a program-record 584 times in the 'X' and holds four of the top-15 single-season performances in the faceoff circle. 

"It was heartwarming to have the Incollingo family and many of Brett's teammates back for today's game," Peluso said. "Brett was an excellent student-athlete and teammate and was a record-breaking lacrosse player here from 2013-16. The type of teammate he was evident today by the turnout of so many alumni."

"Today was a special day as we recognized our alumni and had a strong turnout," Peluso continued. "In addition to what was done on the field, we also had a tribute for Brett at the tailgate. I think we learned a lot from today. 'Teammates are forever,' and we also are reminded that 'tomorrow is not a guarantee and today is a gift'."

First-year Matthew Pergola scored twice as 19 different players found the back of the net. Senior Jack Phelan had a goal and an assist, while graduate student Carter Haskel, sophomore Jack Ramos, sophomore Jake Connelly, sophomore Thomas Sabatino, sophomore Shea Grant, first-year Zach Ravenelle, sophomore Danny D'Angelo, first-year Mac Waynick, junior Keegan Hughes, first-year Joe Leone, senior Shaun Spiegel, junior Francesco DeRosa and first-year Miles du Bois each scored once to round out the goal-scorers. Sophomore Nicolas Accardo, senior Trevor Carroll, junior Alex Marsh, senior Henry Johnson and junior Conner Park each dished out an assist to cap the Ducks' offensive contributions. The goals by D'Angelo, DeRosa and Ravenelle were the first collegiate marker for each respective student-athlete. 

"It was great to get all healthy players a good amount of playing time today," Peluso said. "I appreciated our team's approach, as we methodically played the game and made sure to secure the win and support each other. I was also happy that three players were able to score their first career goals."

All five goalies saw between the pipes for the Ducks. Graduate student Ryan Leahy drew the start and made a pair of saves in earning the victory. Sophomore Cooper Foote and junior Jake Zeyher combined for three saves as did the sophomore tandem of Justin Gold and Quinton Smith. Matt Wall made 14 first-half saves in a losing effort for King's, while Joe Plachcinski and Ryan Rickards made four, while splitting time over the final two quarters. 

Stevens wasted little time getting on the board with Savarese striking first less than 90 seconds into the contest. Crowley found the back of the net a little more than a minute later to double the Ducks' lead. Waynick and Hughes scored less than a minute apart before Pergola netted his 45th to provide the Ducks with a 6-0 lead. Jake Cierech put King's on the board with his fifth of the year before Stevens closed out the opening quarter with three straight goals, including Pergola's second of the day with 63 seconds left in the frame. Pergola leads the team in scoring and the Nutley, New Jersey native's efforts have helped the Ducks to third in the country in scoring offense.

The Ducks' offensive efforts continued into the second as Grippo scored consecutive goals as seven different players scored in the period as the Ducks built a 17-2 lead at halftime. 

Stevens scored all six goals in the third quarter and each side netted a pair of goals in the fourth to produce the final outcome.

Stevens controlled the faceoff circle, winning 25 times in the 'X' against only eight for King's. The Ducks had at least seven faceoff wins in each of the first three quarters and won all seven in the third. Park went 10-2 to lead the Ducks' efforts, while sophomore Andrew Muller won eight times, while first-year Will Giarrusso had six. Sophomore Bryan Creamer went 1 for 1 to round out the Ducks' victories in the circle. Geno Casciello and Redmond Cahill each won four times to lead King's.

The edge in the circle also helped the Ducks gain a 58-24 edge in ground balls, matching a season high. Park scooped up 10 ground balls to pace the Ducks, while Giarrusso and Blake Creamer each had four. Wall picked up five to lead King's. 

Stevens forced King's into 26 turnovers. Twelve different players each caused a turnover for the Ducks and the defensive efforts led to 14 uncaused miscues by the Monarchs.

Stevens was a perfect 22 for 22 on clears, while the Ducks held King's to success on just 12 of the Monarchs' 26 attempts. The Ducks remain among the nation's leaders in clearing percentage. 

The Ducks didn't allow King's to convert any of the Monarchs' six extra-man opportunities.

Up Next: No. 20 Men's Lacrosse continues MAC Freedom play on Saturday, April 22 as the Ducks head to Williamsport, Pennsylvania for a contest with Lycoming College. Stevens has won all four meetings between the programs. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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