HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 27, 2024) – Senior Jack Savarese crossed the 200-career goal mark as 10 different players found the back of the net for No. 14 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse in a 23-5 victory over Lebanon Valley Saturday afternoon in a MAC Freedom contest at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. 

Senior Joseph Grippo had six goals and an assist, sophomore Matthew Pergola finished with four goals and three assists and senior Keegan Hughes added a pair of goals and three assists for the Ducks, who won their eighth straight to improve to 15-2 on the year and to 7-0 in the MAC Freedom. Saturday's victory extended the Ducks' streak of consecutive regular season league wins to 46 and marked the first-ever contest between the sides.

Alex Kiviniemi had three goals for Lebanon Valley, who fell to 7-10 on the year and to 3-4 in the Dutchmen's first season in the MAC Freedom. Lebanon Valley closed its season by dropping three of its final four games. By virtue of Saturday's result and Misericordia's victory over FDU-Florham, the Dutchmen were eliminated from postseason contention.

Senior Jake Zeyher drew his first start of the season and made six saves to earn his first victory since 2022. Kellen Markley drew the start and made six saves in a losing effort. William Ward relieved Markley in the third quarter and made seven saves over the final quarter and a half.

Prior to the contest, Stevens men's lacrosse honored 16 players – graduate students and fifth-years David Bendis, Sam DiChristina, Kevin Holtby, Chris Kirschner, Brendan Laundry, Gavin Maute, Patrick Peluso and Dominick Visintin and seniors Frankie DeRosa, Conner Park, Paddy Phelps, Jesse Tareco, Hughes, Grippo, Savarese and Zeyher – in a 15-minute pregame ceremony for their contributions to the program and the campus community.

Entering the day with 198 career goals, Savarese wasted little time reaching the milestone number, scoring a pair of unassisted goals in the opening period. Already in rarefied air as a member of Stevens' 200-point club, Savarese beat Markley with 67 seconds left in the opening period to reach 200 goals. Following the milestone marker, Savarese was met in the offensive zone by everyone on the field and the ball was immediately turned over to the Ducks' sidelines.

Stevens built an early lead in the first quarter on a smothering offensive attack and pressure on Lebanon Valley in the midfield that led to transition opportunities. The Ducks scored their 10 first-quarter goals on 13 shots on goal. They also turned Lebanon Valley over eight times across the first 15 minutes, including six times on the clear. 

The Ducks also excelled in the faceoff circle, winning 22 of the game's 32 faceoffs. Sophomore Will Giarrusso led the efforts, winning 11 of 13 faceoffs, while Park went 7-3. The decisive edge in the circle also helped Stevens gain a 56-24 edge in ground balls, with Giarrusso picking up a game-high five.

The Rundown

• Stevens built a commanding 10-0 lead through the first quarter with four different players finding the back of the net. 
• Jake Bollinger broke through for Lebanon Valley to put the Dutchmen on the board, but Pergola quickly squashed any thought of a comeback with back-to-back goals seven seconds apart. 
• Kiviniemi netted his first two goals of the game to cut into Stevens' lead, but the Ducks went on a 6-0 run that bridged halftime to open a 15-3 lead. Giarrusso netted his second of the year to open the sequence, while Grippo scored twice in less than 75 seconds.
• Visintin had the first goal of the second half before Savarese scored consecutive goals to complete his four-goal afternoon. 
• Junior Connor Gabilanes and first-year Matthew Kirschner each scored in the final minute of the third quarter, while junior Jack Ramos, sophomore Miles du Bois and junior Jake Connelly had goals in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin of victory. Ramos' goal was his first of the year.

Top Performers

• Kirschner's goal was scored on the man-advantage, the first of his career. The Ducks converted their only extra-man opportunity of the day, while killing off all three of their penalties.
• Sophomore Danny Winkler dished out his first career assist on Connelly's fourth-quarter tally.
• Eleven different players caused a turnover.

For the Opponents

• Mitchell Gearhart and Christian Valanzola each had five wins in the faceoff circle.
• Sheadan Makosy led the Dutchmen with four ground balls.
• Each of Lebanon Valley's five goals were unassisted.

Around the MAC Freedom 

• Misericordia 19, FDU-Florham 4
• King's 12, Delaware Valley 7
• DeSales 8, Arcadia 7

Coach's Comments

• "I am proud of the way our guys played today!"
• "We gave a game ball to Will Giarrusso for his dominate FO performance and his goal. We also recognized Matthew Pergola, Keegan Hughes and Jack Savarese for their offensive performance; Jack scoring that milestone goal was special!"
• "Jake Zeyher also received a game ball for his play in goal. Jake has been a strong performer for us throughout his career."
• "Joseph Grippo also received the game's highest recognition. His leadership execution on offense in the first half was impressive."
• "I'm happy that we were able to send the seniors off with a big win in their last regular season home game. Now we move on to the postseason. We are preparing for a very well coached and talented Misericordia team!"

Up Next

• No. 14 Stevens begins play in the MAC Freedom semifinals Wednesday afternoon against fourth-seeded Misericordia at the DeBaun Athletic Complex. It will be the fourth straight season that the teams will meet in the postseason tournament and the third straight season with a semifinal matchup. Links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.

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