WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (April 22, 2023) – For the second straight game, junior Joseph Grippo of No. 17 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse netted a season high in goals to lead the Ducks to a 19-3 victory over Lycoming College Saturday in a MAC Freedom tilt at UPMC Field.

Grippo scored five times for his second straight hat trick, and was one of three players to finish with five points on the day. First-year Matthew Pergola scored four times with an assist and junior Jack Savarese added three goals and two assists for the Ducks, who won their sixth straight to improve to 13-2 on the year and to 6-0 in conference play. With the victory, not only did the Ducks extend their regular season conference winning streak to 37, but they also cemented a berth in the MAC Freedom playoffs for the third straight year. Stevens improved to 5-0 all-time against Lycoming. 

Sean Farrell scored twice to lead Lycoming, who fell to 6-9 on the year and to 3-3 in the MAC Freedom. The Warriors have alternated wins and losses over their last four games. The contest was called with 2:23 remaining in the third quarter due to lightning and severe weather.

"We preach to our group about playing for 60 minutes before every game, but today we didn't have that opportunity," head coach Gene Peluso said. "But for the 42 minutes we played, I was very pleased with the pace of our play and the execution of our offense. We would've loved to give all our players an opportunity to play today, but the weather did not cooperate and unfortunately the game was called late in the third quarter."

The contest marked the Ducks' second trip to Williamsport under Peluso, who began both the men's and women's programs at Lycoming. Peluso won 41 games with the men's team and 18 with the women.

"I thought the production that we got out of Matt Pergola early and then Joe Grippo later in the game was excellent," Peluso said. "I believe the win secured a spot for us in the conference playoffs, but we will still be dialed into the last two games of the regular season."

Graduate student Kevin Crowley finished with two goals and an assist and classmate Carter Haskel dished out a pair of assists as 13 different players found the scoresheet. Sophomore Nicolas Accardo and classmate Blake Creamer joined juniors Keegan Hughes and Conner Park and first-year Miles du Bois in finding the back of the net. Senior Trevor Carroll, sophomore Thomas Sabatino and first-year Luke Lesizza each dished out an assist to round out the Ducks' offensive contributions. Lesizza's third-quarter helper on du Bois' goal was the Fairfield, Connecticut's first collegiate point.

Graduate student Ryan Leahy made three saves in 28 minutes to earn the victory between the pipes. Junior Jake Zeyher made two saves and sophomore Justin Gold had one in relief of Leahy. Sean Sonnie made 13 first-half saves in a losing effort for Lycoming. Ben Franco relieved Sonnie at the start of the third quarter and stopped four shots prior to the weather interruption.

The Ducks jumped on the board shortly after the opening faceoff. Sophomore Bryan Creamer won the possession for Stevens. Crowley fired off the first shot and after retaining the ball, Pergola found the back of the net for the 47th time, giving the Ducks a lead just 40 seconds in the contest. The Nutley, New Jersey native has scored at least one goal in every game this season and Saturday's four-goal effort was Pergola's 10th hat trick of the season.

Stevens would go on to score the first seven goals of the contest, including Savarese's power-play marker late in the opening period, to take a 7-0 lead before Farrell broke through for the first time midway through the second quarter. However, the Ducks quickly regained a seven-goal advantage because Park took the ensuing faceoff all the way into a quality scoring area and beat Sonnie for his second career goal, much to the delight of the Stevens sidelines. The tally sparked a stretch that saw Stevens eight times in eight minutes to build a 15-1 lead at halftime. 

Hughes had the first goal of what ultimately proved to be the final period, scoring 18 seconds in second-half play. The teams alternated the next three goals before du Bois and Accardo scored 19 seconds part that led into the stoppage.

Stevens had a healthy advantage in the faceoff circle. The Ducks claimed 18 of the game's 23 faceoffs, winning at least four in the three quarters. Park went a tidy 7 for 9 at the 'X' while first-year Will Giarrusso and sophomore Andrew Muller combined to go 9 for 12. Bryan Creamer went a perfect 2 for 2 on the day to round out the Ducks' efforts. Colin Manajil won three times in the circle to pace Lycoming. The Ducks also gained a similar edge in ground balls, with Accardo scooping up seven to pace Stevens.

The Ducks caused 12 of Lycoming's 25 turnovers. Lesizza had three to lead Stevens. Lesizza also helped key a defensive group that held Lycoming's leading scorer, Owen Zimmerman, who game into the game averaging more than four points per game, to just four shots on-goal. Zimmerman was held off the scoresheet for the first time this season. 

"We were thrilled with the play of Luke Lesizza on defense," Peluso commented. "Not only did he shut down Lycoming's leading scorer, but he also helped us in the clearing game, the riding game, and in our transition offense."

One of the top clearing units in the country, the Ducks were a perfect 14 for 14 on the day, while holding Lycoming to just 13 of 21.

The Ducks converted one of their two extra-man opportunities, while killing off both of their penalties. 

Up Next: No. 17 Men's Lacrosse resumes MAC Freedom play on Wednesday, April 26 as the Ducks head to Doylestown, Pennsylvania for a road contest with Delaware Valley. Stevens has won both all-time meetings between the programs. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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