Hoboken, N.J. – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's lacrosse team is set for the national stage, traveling to Maine for the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship, which begins this weekend.
The Ducks (17-2) will square off with Amherst College at 3:00 pm on Saturday at Whittier Field on the campus of Bowdoin College. Stevens secured its NCAA berth by capturing its sixth consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom title, rolling to a 20-10 victory over Arcadia University in Saturday's championship game. The host Polar Bears will get the winner First Round of Scranton and SUNY-Maritime in the other Second Round matchup, with the two winners squaring off Sunday at 3:00 pm.
"Amherst is a well-coached team, very athletic and presents us with a challenging Second Round game," expressed Head Coach Gene Peluso. "Everybody this time of year is great and Amherst is certainly one of those teams. They have a stingy defense, and they certainly can score with the best of them."
Stevens features one of the most potent offenses in the nation, led by
Matthew Pergola. The senior etched his name in program history this season as the all-time leader in both career goals and points, pacing the Ducks with 58 goals and 101 points.
Jack Tenaglia has been the primary distributor, leading the team with 55 assists.
Defensively, Stevens is anchored by
Luke Lesizza, the program's all-time leader in caused turnovers. He has forced 57 turnovers this season, highlighted by a dominant performance in the MAC Freedom Championship where he caused a career-high nine turnovers and added six ground balls. In goal, first-year
Michael Jannotte has started all 19 contests, recording 173 saves. He earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors after an 18-save performance in his collegiate debut against Dickinson College on February 14.
Amherst enters the tournament at 8-7 after earning an at-large bid following a loss to Bates College in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. Bob Gross leads the Mammoths offensively with 36 points on 26 goals, while Brendan Reilly has totaled 16 assists. Defensively, Thompson Lau (23 caused turnovers) and Luciano Chadha (21) pace the unit. In goal, Brooks Catlin has made 116 saves across 10 starts, with Spencer Will adding 56 stops.
