The Stevenson University men’s lacrosse team (11-4 overall, 4-1 MAC Commonwealth) delivered a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Messiah (5-10, 2-3 MAC Commonwealth) with a commanding 25-7 victory.
Max Racich shared what team learned from their recent loss to York and what the team did to bounce back. “The York loss was definitely a tough game to swallow. Coach stressed how important it was to respond coming off the loss. We did a great job putting it in the past and playing to our capabilities with a great mindset. Big part of the win was the preparation done by the scout team who works their tails off to make us one of the best teams in the country and they did a great job getting our offense and defense ready for Messiah.”
Max Racich led the offensive onslaught with a career-high 11-point outing, while Grant Zick reached a major career milestone with his 100th career assist.
Zick shared what it meant to him to hit the milestone. “All the guys I play with offensively have all helped me get to that number. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with some incredibly skilled guys who make my life easy by being great shooters.”
Racich had a career day with 11 points in the game, he shared what helped him to have that kind of day. “A big part is the surrounding cast of players. It wasn’t just me that played well it was a byproduct of all the other guys that put in the work and played their butts off against Messiah and I’m very pleased with the outcome.”
The Mustangs came out firing, posting an eight-goal run in the opening quarter while completely shutting out the Falcons.
Racich opened the scoring just under a minute in, and goals quickly followed from Gavin Gossen, Darrell Curtis, Hunter Bryant, and Zick to establish early control.
Messiah broke through with their first goal early in the second quarter, but Andrew Searing quickly responded for Stevenson.
The Falcons briefly gained momentum with a three-goal burst, trimming the deficit, but the Mustangs roared back with four unanswered tallies from Curtis, Gossen, and Racich.
Gossen and Zick each added another before the half, giving Stevenson a 15-5 lead at the break.
Zick wasted no time in the third quarter, notching his second goal before Sam Edwards extended the margin to 17-5.
Messiah managed two more goals, but the Mustangs shut them down the rest of the way. Alexander Wilson, Bryant, and Gossen capped the third with a trio of goals to make it 20-7 heading into the final frame.
Stevenson closed strong with five different Mustangs—John Martin Vince, Dillin Linhardt, Dominic Eckles, Matt Byron, and Racich—each scoring in the fourth quarter to seal the 25-7 win.
Racich finished with five goals and six assists to headline the offense, while Gossen tallied nine points on five goals and four assists.
Zick recorded a hat trick and four assists, including his 100th career assist. Curtis added two goals and two assists, and Bryant chipped in two goals and one assist. Goalie Tyler Merchant stood tall in net, making 11 saves.
Racich and Zick shared what the team will need to do to keep the momentum rolling. Racich shared “we have to keep being efficient on offense like we have all year, keep instilling confidence into our young defense, and continue to improve each and everyday.”
Zick shared, “it comes down to continuing to work everyday towards being the best team possible. We will continue to pushing each other in practice and getting better at the areas that need improvement.”
The Mustangs return home on tomorrow night to host MAC opponent Albright for Senior Night. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start, with a fireworks display following the final whistle.
