Center Valley, Pa. – The No. 11 Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team used a dominant second half to pull away from DeSales University, outscoring the Bulldogs 12-3 after the break en route to a 20-7 victory Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Ducks (15-2, 7-0 MAC Freedom) clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Tournament. DeSales (8-9, 5-1 MAC Freedom) secured the No. 2 seed.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens struck quickly, capitalizing on a man-up opportunity just 1:59 into the contest. Following a DeSales penalty, Will Labartino converted an assist from Adam DeCristofaro to open the scoring. Just over three minutes later, Tyler Holland doubled the lead off a feed from Matthew Pergola.
The teams traded goals over the remainder of the first quarter, with DeCristofaro and Ryan Jack finding the back of the net before Labartino added his second of the frame with 3:00 remaining to give Stevens a 5-3 edge.

DeSales cut the deficit to two with 1:06 left in the opening quarter, but Stevens responded early in the second. DeCristofaro notched a man-up goal 42 seconds into the period, and Jackson Penn added an unassisted tally with 10:25 remaining to extend the lead. Labartino capped the first-half scoring with another man-up goal, sending the Ducks into halftime with an 8-4 advantage.

Stevens controlled possession throughout the opening half, outshooting DeSales 39-10, while goalkeeper Michael Jannotte made three saves to limit opportunities.

The Ducks opened the second half with authority, as Chris Ciccarello scored just 55 seconds into the third quarter off an assist from Will Giarrusso. After a brief response from DeSales, Ciccarello struck again to maintain momentum.

Stevens broke the game open late in the third, scoring three times in the final 4:56. Blake Creamer, Joe Leone, and Jack Tenaglia each found the back of the net, pushing the lead to 13-6 heading into the fourth.

Tenaglia took over in the final period, scoring three straight goals to open the quarter and extend the lead to double digits. Creamer added his second of the day off a Pergola assist, while Pergola later scored a man-down goal. Consecutive tallies from Labartino pushed the Ducks to 20 goals before DeSales added a late score to account for the 20-7 final.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Tenaglia recorded six points, surpassing the 100-point mark for his career.
• Pergola totaled seven points on one goal and six assists, increasing his career assist total to 98.
• John Flynn led the defense with four caused turnovers, while Tynan Murray collected six ground balls.
• Bastian Chorazykiewicz dominated at the faceoff X, going 21-for-24 with a career-high 10 ground balls.

UP NEXT
Stevens will host Lebanon Valley College in the MAC Freedom Semifinals on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the DeBaun Athletic Complex.