HOBOKEN, N.J. – The top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team scored 17 first half goals in a commanding 23-9 victory over fourth-seeded Misericordia in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom semifinals on Wednesday night from the DeBaun Athletic Complex.
 
Matthew Pergola finished with five goals and nine points for Stevens (14-3), both game-highs. Tommy Robertozzi and Shea Grant both had four-goal games, Joe Leone and Adam DeCristofaro both had two goals, and Hudson Rocheville, Joseph Grippo, Nate Lapat, Bryan Creamer, Jack Tenaglia, and Tyler Holland all had one.
 
Bastian Chorazykiewicz was 11-for-12 from the face-off X and Jackson Penn was 5-for-6, the two combining for nine ground balls. Luke Lesizza and Dominic Piselli caused havoc for the Cougars attack, combining for five caused turnovers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Rocheville opened the scoring with just his second goal of the season 90 seconds in and Grant made it 2-0 less than 40 seconds later, then Robertozzi and Pergola doubled the lead to 4-0 just past the midway point of the period. Leone ignited a wild end to the quarter, scoring the first of six combined goals over the final 4:47, Robertozzi scoring twice more and DeCristofaro adding another, putting the Ducks up 8-2 after the opening 15.
 
After the teams traded the first two goals of the second (Pergola scoring for the Ducks), Hollan, Lapat, and Pergola scored 63 seconds apart and Grant scored just under a minute later, putting the Red and Gray up 10 less than halfway into the quarter. Pergola added two more goals back-to-back, Bryan Creamer added one less than 15 seconds after Pergola's second, and Grant added the 17^th and final goal of the half as the Ducks finished the second quarter with nine goals and 17 shots on goal without committing a single turnover.
 
In a low-scoring third quarter, DeCristofaro scored the only goal of the period for the Ducks less than a minute in, while Misericordia snapped a 15+ minute scoring drought with two in the frame.
 
The fourth quarter began with a flurry as R0bertozzi and Grippo scored for the Ducks during an opening 2:33 that featured five goals total. Following 8+ scoreless minutes for both sides, Leone scored with just over four minutes left and Tenaglia & Grant each scored in the final minute.

Inside the Box Score

• The Ducks committed just 11 turnovers, their second-fewest in a game this season.
• Pergola hit 75 points for the third straight season, finishing the night with 180 goals and 240 points for his career.
• DeCristofaro scored twice, giving him eight goals in his last five games after tallying just four goals in his first 12.

Up Next: The Ducks will host #3 seed DeSales in the MAC Freedom Final on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Stevens won the regular season clash 14-6 on April 16. The teams will also be meeting in the conference title game for a third straight season, Stevens coming out on top 15-7 last year and 26-15 in 2023.
 
#AllRise