Madison, N.J. – The No. 11 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team upended FDU-Florham 24-2 in Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom action on Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
The first quarter began with Stevens (9-3, 3-0 MAC Freedom) immediately taking control. After an early turnover by FDU-Florham's Justin Perillo, the Ducks capitalized as Joseph Grippo scored just 54 seconds into the game, assisted by Tommy Robertozzi. Joe Leone followed with a man-down goal at 12:06 to double the lead. At 9:37, Matthew Pergola found the net off a feed from Bryan Creamer, making it 3-0. Stevens continued to pour it on, with Grippo scoring again at 8:42, followed by goals from Leone (5:33), Pergola (3:54), and Grippo again (2:18). By the end of the quarter, Stevens held a commanding 12-0 lead.
 
The offensive onslaught continued in the second quarter. Shea Grant opened the period with a goal at 14:18, and less than a minute later, Grippo netted another to make it 14-0. Pergola added his third of the game at 9:28, assisted by Leone. FDU-Florham broke through at 2:50 with an unassisted goal by Brenden Fabin, their only score of the half. Stevens responded with two more goals—one from Miles Du Bois at 11:22 (assisted by Jackson Penn) and another from Pergola at 5:27—bringing the halftime score to 17-1. Stevens outshot FDU 31-14 in the first half and went a perfect 3-for-3 on clearing attempts.
 
The third quarter saw more of the same from Stevens. Grant opened the half with a goal just 18 seconds in. Blake Creamer added one at 12:25, and Leone completed his hat trick at 9:28, stretching the lead to 20-1. The Ducks added another before the end of the quarter and held a 21-1 lead going into the final frame. Despite a few attempts by FDU-Florham—including a shot from Fabin that hit the post—the Ducks' defense, anchored by goalie Cooper Foote, kept them off the board.
 
In the final quarter, Stevens tacked on three more goals. Creamer scored his second of the game at 12:25, assisted by Connor Sanford. At 6:00, Matthew Leone scored with a feed from Griffin Zimmerli to make it 23-1. FDU-Florham added one last goal at 2:00 when Jarrett Dugenio scored, assisted by Fabin. Stevens responded with the final goal of the game at 3:22, as Matthew Kirschner scored off a pass from James Amorosi, sealing the 24-2 victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Grippo netted a season-high six goals and has recorded multiple points in all but one game this season.
• Joe Leone tallied a season-best four points, including his first hat trick of the year.
• Grant and Pergola also recorded hat tricks, with Pergola adding two assists.
• The Ducks dominated at the faceoff "X," winning 24 of 27, led by Will Giarrusso's 14-for-16 performance and Bastian Chorazykiewicz's perfect 6-for-6 showing.
• Giarrusso led the team with five ground balls, while Bryan Creamer added four.
• Foote made five saves in the win, and Gavin Zeldin added two more stops in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT
The Ducks return home to host DeSales University on Wednesday. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.