MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (March 20, 2024) - Sophomore Matthew Pergola scored five goals and had one assist while seniors Keegan Hughes and Joseph Grippo each had five points as the No. 15/15 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team defeated No. 14/12 Wesleyan 11-4 in a non-conference contest Wednesday night.

The Ducks win their seventh-straight game as they improve to 7-1. This was the Ducks' first true road game of the year. They are now 3-0 in games played outside of Hoboken. The ranked victory is the first for the Ducks since March 11, 2023, which also came against Wesleyan. Stevens is now 2-1 all-time against Wesleyan, including winning the last two. The Cardinals fall to 5-1.

"Great win today for the Ducks," head coach Gene Peluso said. I'm really proud of the way our offense played tonight. Or three attackers, Matthew Pergola, Joseph Grippo and Jack Savarese, really paced us early on. Keegan Hughes had an excellent first half and was also a major factor. We loved the play that we got out of Luke Cifuentes and Sam DiChristina on the defensive side as well. A big reason we were able to put distance between us and Wesleyan tonight was because Jackson Penn was dominant on faceoffs."

Hughes notched the first goal of the game as the Ducks took the early 1-0 lead. The Ducks would then double their advantage, as Pergola scored with 10:02 remaining on an assist from graduate student Chris Kirschner. Wesleyan would end up scoring the next three goals in a three minute span as the Cardinals held a 3-2 advantage. That wouldn't last long however, as the Ducks came back with three of their own to take a 5-3 lead into the second. Hughes would score his second on an assist from graduate student Dominick Visintin. Pergola would then score his second and third nine seconds apart in the final minute, with first-year Jackson Penn assisting the second. The Ducks then scored just six seconds into the second, as Penn won the faceoff and immediately found Jack Savarese, who scored his first of the game, to put the Ducks up 6-3. Wesleyan would strike next on the man-advantage with 11:43 to go, but Pergola answered exactly a minute later on an assist from Grippo. The Ducks would then go up four as Hughes tallied his hat trick with Pergola this time playing the role of provider. Just 43 seconds later, Visintin got in on the goal scoring, notching his first of the game. Hughes would later add another, this time with Kirschner assisting. With just over two minutes in the half, junior Shea Grant found the back of the net on a pass from sophomore Joe Leone, as the Ducks took an 11-4 lead into the half.

Grippo scored the first two goals of the second half as the Ducks extended their lead. The streak would end at seven-straight points for the Ducks, as Wesleyan tacked on their fifth of the game with 7:11 left. Stevens would counter that right away, as Savarese scored 35 seconds later on an assist from Grippo. Exactly a minute later, the duo struck again to put Stevens up ten. Each team would add one more before the end of the quarter as the Ducks led 16-6 going into the fourth. The fourth quarter belonged to the Cardinals though. Wesleyan grabbed four goals in the frame without conceding once. The deficit would be too much for them to overcome, as the Ducks secured their first ranked win of the season.

"It's always tough to play on the road against a really well coached Wesleyan team," Peluso added. "I'm really proud of how our team battled early and throughout the game."

Top Performers

• Pergola led the Ducks with six points.
• Hughes scored four goals and added an assist.
• Grippo had two goals and three assists.
• Savarese tallied three goals and an assist.
• Kirschner, Visintin, and Penn each recorded two points.
• Graduate student Sam DiChristina caused a team-high three turnovers.
• First-year Jackson Penn picked up a career-high 12 ground balls.
• Graduate student Kevin Holtby (6-1) made six saves.

The Opponent

• Justin Hazard scored three goals.
• Will Miller had one goal and two assists.
• Charlie Hoban caused two turnovers.
• Hazard had three ground balls.
• Sam Jewett (5-1) made 12 saves.

Around the MAC Freedom

• Neumann 6, Misericordia 19 F/TUE
• Immaculata 15, Delaware Valley 8
• DeSales 14, Moravian 9
• Mount Saint Mary 11, FDU-Florham 7
• King's 10, Wilkes 11

Up Next: The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Ducks as they welcome No. 3/3 Tufts to Hoboken on Saturday. The game is set for 1 p.m. The Ducks are 0-11 all-time against the Jumbos. Links for live stats and video are posted to stevensducks.com