Hoboken, N.J. – Senior Matthew Pergola reached a major milestone Saturday afternoon, becoming just the third player in program history to score 200 career goals as the No. 12 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team cruised past Eastern University 22-4 in non-conference action.

Pergola joins Ryan Gebhardt (209) and Jack Savarese (211) in the 200-goal club, finishing the day with a dominant eight-point performance.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Eastern struck first just 1:55 into the contest, but Stevens quickly responded with two goals in a 16-second span. Pergola tied the game off a feed from Will Labartino before Jackson Penn won the ensuing faceoff, scooped up the ground ball, and buried a low shot to give the Ducks the lead.

After killing off a two-man disadvantage, Stevens capitalized on a man-up opportunity late in the first. Jack Tenaglia found Pergola for his 199th career goal, and long-pole John Flynn capped the quarter with a goal to give Stevens a 4-1 edge.

The Ducks dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 8-0. Ryan Jack opened the run, while Tenaglia continued to orchestrate the offense with multiple assists. Pergola reached the 200-goal milestone with 9:11 remaining in the half, finishing a play started by Hudson Rocheville.

Stevens closed the half with three goals in under two minutes, as Tenaglia, Labartino, and Chris Ciccarello all found the back of the net to send the Ducks into the break with a commanding 12-1 lead.

The momentum carried into the third, where Stevens scored four times in the first 3:15. Labartino completed his hat trick, Pergola added two more goals, and Connor Moore extended the advantage. The Ducks continued to pour it on with additional goals from Lucas Long, Labartino (man-up), and Ciccarello. Mason Kelly, Jackson Zarinko, and Kevin Duffy added fourth-quarter tallies to cap the 22-4 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Pergola recorded a season-high eight points (4G, 4A), his highest output since a nine-point performance against Misericordia last season.
• Labartino netted five goals, his third game this season with at least three scores.
• 17 different Ducks registered a point, with Flynn, Duffy, Kelly, and Zarinko each scoring their first goals of the season.
• Evan McHugh made his collegiate debut, stopping three shots in the final 9:57.
• Michael Jannotte earned the win with seven saves, while Gavin Zeldin added nine stops in relief.
• Flynn and Tynan Murray led the defensive effort with three caused turnovers apiece, with Murray also collecting five ground balls.

UP NEXT
Stevens opens Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom play on Wednesday with a road matchup against King's College. Faceoff is set for 7:00 p.m. in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.