Hoboken, N.J. – The top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team won its sixth consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Championship with a 20-10 triumph over third-seeded Arcadia University on Saturday afternoon.
Will Giarrusso was named the MAC Freedom Tournament Most Valuable Player after picking up 12 ground balls over two tournament games for Stevens (17-2).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Scoreless through the first seven and a half minutes, Stevens broke through with an
Adam DeCristofaro unassisted marker. Getting one past Arcadia goalkeeper Nathaniel Hudgins proved crucial, as the Ducks used the DeCristofaro tally to score three times in a 70-second span.
Chris Ciccarello made it 2-0 before
Matthew Pergola connected off a pass from DeCristofaro to extend the lead to three. Stevens rode the momentum and scored three more times before the quarter ended, with
Will Labartino,
Jack Tenaglia, and
Ryan Jack registering goals.
The Knights dug into the lead in the second quarter, scoring three of the first four goals to get within three at 7-4. Stevens received goals from Pergola and Labartino to grab an 8-4 edge entering halftime, and the Ducks held a commanding 34-12 edge in shots. Hudgins kept the Knights in the game, turning away 15 first-half shots.
Arcadia opened the third quarter with a tally before
Jackson Penn netted back-to-back goals over a 43-second span to stretch the lead back to five at 10-5. The Penn tallies helped Stevens gain momentum, as the Ducks held the Knights scoreless for the remainder of the frame while pushing the gap to double figures at 16-5.
Joe Leone got on the board as Tenaglia, DeCristofaro, Labartino, and Pergola all registered markers, with Tenaglia scoring twice during the run.
The Knights got on the board first in the fourth quarter before the Ducks turned defense into offense, with Giarrusso forcing a turnover, scooping the ground ball, and finding long-pole
Lucas Long for a goal. Pergola and Labartino added goals to make it 19-7 before Tenaglia added the final Stevens goal of the day with 3:41 left. The Knights scored twice late, but Stevens came away with the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Pergola (four goals and two assists) and DeCristofaro (two goals and four assists) combined for 12 points, with Pergola crossing the 100-point plateau for the season.
- Tenaglia and Labartino each added four goals.
- Luke Lesizza set a career-high with nine caused turnovers while adding six ground balls and an assist.
- Bastian Chorazykiewicz went 15-for-24 in the "X" with nine ground balls.
- Michael Jannotte made 13 saves while Spencer Lee made his season debut and made three saves.
UP NEXT
The Ducks will learn their opponent during tomorrow night's NCAA Selection Show, which can be found on ncaa.com at 9:00 p.m.
