SELINSGROVE, PA (May 2, 2023) – After an incredible campaign that saw the Susquehanna men's lacrosse team earn the second seed in the Landmark and a first-round tournament bye, they clashed with third-seeded Scranton in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon, the Royals being the only Landmark squad to have beaten SU in the regular season. A spirited playoff bout, the win ultimately went to the Royals once more, largely thanks to a dominant performance in the first half.
Scranton would immediately demonstrate a clear advantage in the shot-making department, outshooting SU 11-4 in the first quarter enroute to a 50-27 difference on the game. Despite that, thanks to solid defense and some excellent saves from senior SU goalie Jozef Korpics, Scranton led only 2-0 after one quarter. But it would be the second quarter that proved to decide the fate of the day, as Scranton turned up the pressure with a relentless performance, forcing five turnovers, collecting 17 ground balls, and firing 23 shots. Korpics continued to fight, saving seven shots in the quarter to contribute to his total of 13 in the game, but Scranton ran their lead up to ten goals going into halftime, never seeming to waver in their intensity. Kyle Holmes proved to be the lifeblood of Scranton's offense as he scored a remarkable five goals in just the first half, finishing the day with seven total and accounting for half of the Royals' tallies.
Hampered by penalties and turnovers in the first half in particular, the River Hawks did not lie down, proving to have some fight left as they broke up the shutout less than five minutes into the third quarter after going down 11-0 to start the half. Nick Remund would score the first of his two goals on the day, netting another on a Pat McDermott assist as time wound down in the third period. That would make the score 12-2 going into the fourth and begin a stretch of three-straight goals for SU. Brennan Lorence would up his Landmark-leading goals tally with a pair to start the fourth quarter, one coming on a Kieran Thomas assist in a man-up situation, the only one the River Hawks got on the day. While it was a valiant effort for SU, it proved too little, too late as they couldn't galvanize a longer scoring run and saw Scranton net twice more late to seal the 14-4 result and earn a berth to the Landmark Championship, giving the Royals a chance to defend their crown as the reigning Landmark champions.
The River Hawks will still hold their heads high after an incredible 2024 campaign which saw them not lose at home until this final game, setting a new record for wins in a season with 14, and make a second-straight appearance in the Landmark semifinals. A young squad that continues to build crucial game and playoff experience while putting up some remarkable numbers and shattering records on the way, much of this team will return next season with a chance to make another playoff run and potentially reach the Landmark title game for the first time since 2019. Five of the River Hawks' six All-Landmark selections from this year will be slated to return to the team in 2025, alongside numerous other key starters for SU. They should also get back attacker Chris Ciccarello, who missed the entire 2024 season after an incredible year in 2023 that saw him nearly break the SU season points record as only a sophomore. The future looks bright for the River Hawks.
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--RIVER HAWKS--
