HOBOKEN, N.J. (May 3, 2023) – Junior Jack Savarese crossed the 200-career point milestone with four goals and two assists as No. 20 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse defeated Misericordia University 27-7 Wednesday in a MAC Freedom semifinal matchup at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. 

Savarese began his six-point evening by assisting on graduate student Kevin Crowley's hat trick goal early in the second quarter. The Wilton, Connecticut native then found the back of the net himself two-and-a-half minutes later to reach the career milestone. Savarese would complete his fourth straight hat trick in the third quarter before adding another goal and an assist for his 10th game with five or more points this season. To date, Savarese has 145 career goals (with 58 assists) and is on pace to threaten the program's all-time mark of 209 goals. It is believed that Savarese is the seventh player in program history to reach 200 career points.

Junior Keegan Hughes matched Savarese with four goals and two assists and Crowley and sophomore Shea Grant each had three goals and an assist for the Ducks, who won their ninth straight to improve to 16-2. The Ducks advanced to the MAC Freedom title game for the third straight year, where they will face second-seeded DeSales, who topped Arcadia in the other semifinal matchup.

Robert Wagner had four assists and Michael Kilgallon III and Kyle Vandenberg each scored twice for Misericordia, who dropped its second straight to fall to 10-9. The Ducks have won all six meetings in the all-time series, including both meetings this season, which came over a five-day span. The teams have met in each of the last three postseasons.

"Great win and great start to the game tonight," head coach Gene Peluso said. "I loved that we played fast and aggressive on both ends of the field."

First-year Matthew Pergola and senior Jake Wright also had hat tricks for the Ducks, who had 14 different players record at least one point. Sophomore Nicolas Accardo scored twice, while fellow sophomores Bryan Creamer and Tommy Robertozzi joined seniors Joseph DeGuida and Trevor Carroll in scoring once. Junior Joseph Grippo finished with a goal and an assist, while seniors Joseph Cawley and Shaun Spiegel each dished one assist to round out the Ducks' offensive contributions.

Graduate student Ryan Leahy made 15 saves to earn the victory, while also recording his 10th double-digit save performance this season. The Fort Lauderdale. Florida native is 33 saves shy of 400 for his career. Junior Jake Zeyher relieved Leahy and stopped a pair of shots in just under eight minutes of action. Sean Wallace made seven first-half saves in a losing effort for Misericordia. Matt Coates took over for Wallace at the start of the third quarter and made eight saves.

"I thought the play we got from our defense, and from our goalie, was outstanding," Peluso said. "This group of players have been hard working and supportive of each other and a great group to coach. So happy to have practice tomorrow and prepare for a very well coached and talented DSsales team."

After scoring just two goals in the opening quarter of the regular season finale, the Ducks wasted little time getting on track Wednesday. The Ducks fired off four shots on their first possession, keeping the ball in the offensive zone for nearly two minutes before Misericordia had its first crack on offense.

Hughes stripped Trey Stasse in the midfield, leading to a transition opportunity for the Ducks. Savarese rang a shot off the post. Crowley pounced on the loose ball and beat Wallace for his first of the evening. Junior Conner Park won the ensuing faceoff and Crowley beat Wallace again a minute later to double the Ducks' advantage. 

Although the Ducks built a 4-1 advantage after the opening period, they broke the game open in the second, scoring nine times on 18 shots (12 on goal) to take a commanding 13-3 edge at halftime. Grippo began the game-changing sequence in the latter stages of the first quarter, finding the back of the net with just nine seconds left on the clock. The momentum from the late goal carried over into the second period, sparking a run of eight straight goals for the home team. Crowley and Pergola continued the run in the second quarter, scoring back-to-back goals 17 seconds apart. Hughes scored 26 seconds later before Pergola scored on the power play as the Ducks took advantage of a 6-on-3 opportunity after a trio of Misericordia penalties.

"I loved that our offense was moving fast and we settled in with our shooting in the second quarter and beyond," Peluso shared.

The Ducks' offense continued to click in the second half. Accardo netted his sixth of the year on a transition play to open third-quarter scoring. Park won the ensuing faceoff and once the Ducks worked the ball into the attacking third, Wright found the back of the net for the 18th time to push the lead to 12.

Stevens outscored Misericordia 6-1 in the third period, before scoring eight more times in the final period to produce the final margin of victory. Among the Ducks' eight goals in the final period was a short-handed marker from DeGuida, scoring for the second time in two games for the first two goals of his collegiate career – one of two special teams goals for the Ducks.

The Ducks crossed the 20-goal plateau for the 10th time and their 27 goals marked the third-most by the team this season. The 27-goal output matched the total scored by the Ducks on April 27. 2005, which was the program record for goals in a single game entering the 2023 – a mark that has been eclipsed twice this season.

Each team won 19 faceoffs. Park finished with nine wins to lead the Ducks, while sophomore Andrew Muller had six. Nick Mehnert had 18 to lead Misericordia. Along with his efforts in the circle, Mehnert picked up a game-high 12 ground balls, although Stevens finished with a 50-38 advantage for the game. Park and Cawley each picked up six to pace Stevens.

Stevens caused 11 of Misericordia's 25 turnovers. Senior David Bendis helped key the Ducks' defensive efforts, registering three caused turnovers, while Cawley and DeGuida each had two. Ciaran Keenan finished with four caused turnovers to lead the Cougars.

Stevens went 26 of 29 on clears, while Misericordia was successful on 13 of its 19 clearing attempts.

The Ducks were a perfect 1 for 1 on extra-man opportunities, while holding Misericordia to just 2 of 6. 

Up Next: No. 20 Men's Lacrosse hosts second-seeded DeSales on Saturday, May 6 in the MAC Freedom Championship. The Ducks are 8-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, including a 20-10 victory on Apr. 2. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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