SELINSGROVE, PA (March 16, 2022) -- The Susquehanna University men's lacrosse team outscored visiting Lebanon Valley College 6-1 in the fourth quarter, using that run to pull away for a 17-10 non-conference victory over the Dutchmen in action on a beautiful evening at Sassafras Field.
The victory snapped a three-game skid for the River Hawks (3-4), as SU played just their second home contest of the season and the first since the 2022 season opener back on February 19. Susquehanna used that energy of being back at home for the first time in nearly a month with a quick 4-1 run over the first nine minutes of the game with the first two goals coming from first-year
Brennan Lorence.
Trey Ralston netted a goal for the Dutchmen (3-3) to pull the visitors back to within two, but SU continued to hold the momentum as
Kobi Buffa scored before two more from Lorence to make it 7-2. LVC came right down and scored 12 seconds later to make it 7-3, grabbing the game's momentum to rattle off five straight before the halftime to make it 7-7 at the intermission.
After the break, the River Hawks regained the upper hand as
Steven Musser scored a pair of man-up goals followed by another unassisted goal to pul SU up 10-7 by himself. Musser came into the game with three goals on the season, but matched that total in a span of 2:00 on the game clock.
Ralston stopped the run once again for Lebanon Valley, but
Kieran Thomas would give SU its three-goal lead back on an unassisted score to make it 11-8 with 7:01 remaining in the third quarter. The Dutchmen didn't go away though, as Ralston and Jake Bollinger found the back of the net to trim SU's lead to one at 11-10 with 13:12 left.
First-year
Matthew Faggioli came right back just 41 seconds later to score his first of the game and sixth of the season unassisted, followed by two straight from
Charles Braught IV to make it 14-10. Musser tallied another man-up goal, before goals from
Rob Swenson and
Victor Simone put the game on ice for Susquehanna.
The River Hawks got strong pay at the face-off dot on Wednesday, as
Ryan Prum set a new season-high in face-off wins with 16 going 16-of-22 on the night. Draw partner
Jared Tavernite also posted five wins in his eight attempts, as SU went 21-of-31 for the night. The man-up unit was solid as well, going 3-of-4 including tallying on all three chances in the second half.
SU had 13 players tally at least one point in the win, with 10 River Hawk players finding the back of the net. Lorence and Musser each finished with career-highs of four goals, as Lorence also picked up five ground balls, while Braught added two goals, an assist and six ground ball pick-ups.
First-year
Jack Gaillard had a goal, an assist and five ground balls, and Prum finished with a team-high eight ground balls. The defense buckled down in the second half, as
Aidan Kennedy finished with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Goalkeeper
Jozef Korpics was active with four ground balls in addition to his 10 stops between the pipes.
SU outshot the Dutchmen 49-33 on the night, picking up a massive 54-29 edge in ground balls in the victory.
Ralston finished with five points on four goals and an assist, and Carson Frey dished out three assists in the loss. Nick Serrano made 16 stops as well for the Dutchmen, and Ben Weathersby posted eight ground balls defensively.
Up Next
- The River Hawks will go right back on the road for Spring Break, heading south to take on Hood College Saturday March 19 at noon in Frederick, MD before taking on Virginia Wesleyan University March 22 in Virginia Beach, VA at 5 p.m.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
