HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 17, 2024) - Seniors Keegan Hughes and Jack Savarese each totaled a pair of goals and and assist, but it wasn't enough as the No. 18/17 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team fell to No. 5/5 Dickinson 10-9 in a non-conference contest Saturday afternoon at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

The Ducks fall to 0-1, and have now lost their season opener for the first time since 2022, which also came against Dickinson. Stevens is now 0-6 all-time against the Red Devils, with three of those losses coming in the last two seasons. It is also the third straight loss to a ranked opponent for Stevens. Dickinson opens the season 1-0.

In what was a cold day following a snow storm in the morning, the Red Devils warmed things up as they led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Ducks had two shots on target and one hit the post, but they couldn't get on the scoresheet early on. The Red Devils scored 17 seconds into the second off the faceoff to extend their lead to four. From there, the Ducks kicked things into gear, as graduate student Sam DiChristina scored at the 12:56 mark on an assist from junior Tommy Robertozzi for the Ducks' first goal of the season. At 11:16, Stevens made it two as graduate student Dominick Visintin found the back of the net. Dickinson answered 32 seconds later, but Stevens responded to that goal with their own after 27 seconds to get back within two. Pergola tallied his first of the year after leading the team in scoring last season. Savarese recorded his first of the day on the man advantage with less than five minutes to go in the half. Graduate student Chris Kirschner assisted. Stevens and Dickinson would be tied at five at the half as Kirschner scored on an assist from senior Keegan Hughes with 1:45 left.

The two teams started the second half scoreless for the six minutes until Dickinson found the back of the net for three-straight to go up 8-5. Senior Joseph Grippo seized back some momentum for Stevens as he scored with one second left into the third. Savarese assisted on the play. The Ducks quickly tied things up in the fourth as Hughes and Savarese each scored within the first two minutes to make the score 8-8. Dickinson would jump back in front though, as they scored at the 10:05 mark to go up one. It would be tight from there, as neither team would find the back of the net for the next nine minutes. Dickinson was 13 seconds away from victory when Hughes scored an unassisted goal that tied up the game at nine and would force overtime. In the extra frame, the Red Devils came away victorious, as they held the Ducks without a shot. They tallied the sudden death winner with 1:26 left in the first OT.

DiChristina, Visintin, graduate student Kevin Holtby and Kirschner all made their Stevens debuts. First-years Aidan Long and Luke Cifuentes each made their collegiate debuts, with CIfuentes drawing the starting nod on the back line.

Top Performers

• Savarese, Hughes, and Kirschner each came away with three points.
• Grippo tallied a goal and an assist.
• Eight Ducks recorded a point in the contest.
• DiChristina and sophomore Luke Lesizza each caused three turnovers.
• Holtby had a team-high six ground balls, while Lesizza grabbed five.
• Holtby made 17 saves on 27 shots faced.

The Opponent

• Owen Porter and Sascha Gannon each had two goals and two assists.
• Skyler Schluter had a goal and an assist.
• John McKee tallied 10 ground balls.
• James Issacson caused three turnovers.
• Patrick Scarborough made 12 saves on 21 shots faced.

Around the MAC Freedom

• FDU-Florham 10, Albright 15 F-2/10
• Immaculata 6, Arcadia 13 F/FRI
• Lebanon Valley 10, Franklin & Marshall 20

Up Next: The Ducks are back in action next Saturday as they host Springfield. The game is set for 12 p.m. The Ducks are 13-5 all-time against Springfield, including winning the last six contests. Links for live stats and video are posted to stevensducks.com