HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 24, 2024) - Sophomore Matthew Pergola scored three goals and had an assist, while senior Keegan Hughes tacked on two goals and two assists, as the No. 18/15 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team defeated Springfield 13-8 in a non-conference contest Saturday afternoon at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.

The Ducks win their first game of the year as they improve to 1-1. Both games played have been at home for the Ducks. The next three games will be at home as well. Stevens is now 14-5 all-time against the Pride, including winning the last seven. Springfield falls to 0-2.

Stevens jumped all over the Pride in the first quarter, opening with a 5-0 lead after one. Senior Jack Savarese scored an unassisted goal just under a minute and a half into the game. The score remained 1-0 for the next six minutes, until graduate student Chris Kirschner scored to double the advantage. Senior Joseph Grippo scored 58 seconds later on an assist from junior Shea Grant. With 4:03 on the clock, sophomore Matthew Pergola made it 4-0 with Kirschner assisting on the play. The fifth goal of the quarter came with just 39 seconds left, as graduate student Keegan Hughes scored his third of the season. After four and a half scoreless to start the second, Grippo made it 6-0 in favor of the Ducks as he tallied his second of the game. The Pride would finally get on the board with just one second remaining on a man-up advantage, as they cut the deficit to five. Stevens restored the six-goal advantage just 51 seconds later from the stick of junior Mikey Whiteside. Pergola assisted on the play. Stevens would lead 7-1 at the half.

Springfield tacked on the first two goals of the second half to trim the deficit to four. Whiteside would tally his second of the game with 11:31 on the clock to put Stevens back up five. Three minutes later, the six-goal lead was restored, as Savarese scored on the man advantage on an assist from Hughes. Stevens would take their largest lead of the game with a goal from Hughes with 3:18 left. The Pride scored with 15 seconds left in the third as both teams scored three in the frame. Savarese tacked on another man-up goal to start the four as the Duck lead grew back to seven. The Pride got back within six with 9:21 on the clock, but Stevens answered a minute later with a goal from Pergola. Kirschner assisted on the play. Springfield would score the next three goals as they got to within four, but Pergola put the finishing touches on the game with 33 seconds left on an assist from Kirschner, as the Ducks secured their first victory of the season.

Top Performers

• Pergola, Hughes, and Kirschner each tallied four points.
• Savarese recorded a hat trick.
• Grippo and Whiteside each scored twice.
• Sophomore Luke Lesizza each caused three turnovers.
• First-year Jackson Penn had a career-high six ground balls. Lesizza also picked up five.
• Graduate student Kevin Holtby made 12 saves on 20 shots faced.

The Opponent

• Kevin Tierney scored one goal and had three assists.
• Jake Degnan scored a hat trick.
• Springfield scored four goals on the man advantage.
• Gavin Carzello picked up nine ground balls.
• Kaden Quirk made 19 saves on 32 shots faced.

Around the MAC Freedom

• Penn 3, Misericordia 14 F/SUN
• Arcadia 6, Franklin & Marshall 11 F/WED
• Lebanon Valley 13, Moravian 6 F/WED
• DeSales 7, Stockton 15 F/WED
• Misericordia 15, Sage 9 F/FRI
• Arcadia vs. Western Connecticut State 12 p.m.
• Lebanon Valley vs. Haverford 1 p.m.
• Rosemont vs. Delaware Valley 1 p.m.
• DeSales vs. RPI 1 p.m.
• Susquehanna vs King's 1 p.m.

Up Next: The Ducks are back on Wednesday as they host Maritime. The game is set for 7 p.m. The Ducks are 8-0 all-time against Maritime, including winning 22-12 last season. Jack Savarese scored five goals and had two assists in that contest. Links for live stats and video are posted to stevensducks.com