SELINSGROVE, PA (April 29, 2023) – The Susquehanna men's lacrosse team wrapped up their regular season schedule and celebrated Senior Day at home on Saturday afternoon, facing a tough test from the visiting Royals of the University of Scranton. In a game between two playoff teams, the matchup lived up to the billing. A back-and-forth affair, the game ultimately went the way of the visitors 12-9, locking them in as the two seed while SU slots into fourth place.

The game opened fast and free flowing, with these two potent offenses trading blows as the scoring opened for SU less than two minutes in on a Kieran Thomas goal. Scranton responded in kind, and each team would score three more times before the end of the quarter, SU being the team to take the lead each time after the score would tie up.

In stark contrast to the start, it took nine minutes of game time for either team to score in the second period, before Aidan Kennedy broke up the field from the defensive end and buried a brilliant coast-to-coast goal to give SU the 5-4 lead. That did not last long though, as Scranton scored the next three goals to claim their first lead of the contest. Looking at going into halftime down two, Chris Ciccarello produced a brilliant individual goal with just four seconds on the clock, bringing the River Hawks back within one.

The second half opened with an SU goal and another tied score, with Nick Remund burying a rocket to make the score 7-7. Scranton did not allow the game to be tied for long however, scoring two goals in the next two minutes to restore their advantage. Momentum swung back toward SU as the quarter wore on, with a Senior Day goal for Rob Swenson followed by Brennan Lorence's second tally of the day, tying the game at 9 apiece.

Scranton took back the lead with 2:44 remaining in the third, and that ultimately proved to be the last time the lead would change hands. The Royals buckled down in the fourth, defending well as SU saw turnovers hamper a number of their potential opportunities to get back into the game. Scranton netted twice in the fourth to take their largest lead of the day and put the score at 12-9 where it finished.

The River Hawks still have several positives to take from the loss, still having a place in the playoffs to look forward to. They continue their streak of Landmark postseason appearances; with the last season they did not make the playoffs being 2017. Brennan Lorence also made history this season, finishing the season with 61 goals, setting a new program and Landmark Conference record for goals in a season. The sophomore's tally currently ranks ninth in all of Division III, while his 71 total points ranks fourth in the Landmark.

SU will face number one seed Elizabethtown in the Landmark Conference semifinals, that game set to take place on Wednesday, May 3. SU fell 19-8 on the road at E-Town during the regular season.

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--RIVER HAWKS--