Schenectady, N.Y. – The No. 7 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team pulled off an improbable comeback over the final 17 minutes of their non-conference affair with Union on Saturday, rallying from five goals down for a dramatic 11-10 overtime win, moving to 5-0 on the season.
Matthew Pergola and
Adam DeCristofaro each had hat tricks,
Chris Ciccarello had two goals,
Jack Tenaglia had a goal and two assists, and
Michael Jannotte made 16 saves in goal for the Ducks.
How It Happened
Union scored the first two goals of the game and held a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, with Pergola scoring for Stevens. DeCristofaro, Tenaglia, and
Ryan Jack scored for the Ducks in the second quarter, pulling to within a goal at 5-4, but the Garnet Chargers scored the final two of the first half and first two of the second half, opening a 9-4 lead midway through, with the score holding there more than four minutes.
With just under three minutes left in the third, Ciccarello broke the long scoring drought for both teams, then DeCristofaro made it 9-6 less than a minute later, with Union holding a three-goal cushion heading to the fourth.
An early Pergola goal in the fourth was answered less than three minutes later by Union, with the Ducks' deficit still three, 10-7, with 10:27 left in regulation. DeCristofaro made it 10-8 less than a minute later, Ciccarello made it a one-goal game with 7:55 left on the clock, then as the clock approached 3:30, Pergola knotted things at 10.
Jannotte and Union goalie Nick Lynch each added a late save, sending things to overtime. Union nearly put away the winner barely 15 seconds into the extra session, but Jannotte made a great sliding save to keep the game going. After the Ducks clear and called timeout,
Jackson Penn took a pass from Pergola, crossed far side to near side, and fired the winner past Lynch, sending the Ducks' sideline sprawling onto the field.
Inside The Box Score
- The Ducks have now started back-to-back seasons 5-0 for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 seasons
- Pergola & DeCristofaro each had multiple points for the fifth straight game while Tenaglia's three-point afternoon gave him 16 in his last four appearances
- Defensively, Tynan Murray and Lucas Long each had two caused turnovers
- Jannotte recorded at least 11 saves AND a save percentage over 57 percent for the fifth straight game.
Up Next
The Ducks will play a pair of Top-15 teams in the next eight days, starting Wednesday at No. 12 Wesleyan before a 12 PM home tilt next Sunday with two-time reigning National Champion and near-unanimous No. 1 Tufts.
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