The No. 12 Stevenson men’s lacrosse team (13-4 overall, 6-1 MAC Commonwealth) closed out the regular season in commanding fashion, rolling past the Widener Pride (4-13 overall, 3-4 MAC Commonwealth) with a dominant 21-8 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs came out firing, quickly building momentum in the opening quarter. Darrell Curtis struck first, netting back-to-back goals off feeds from Gavin Gossen at the 11:02 and 10:04 marks. Hunter Bryant followed with a goal of his own, giving Stevenson an early 3-0 advantage.
Widener answered with a goal under the eight-minute mark, but Stevenson countered immediately with tallies from Max Racich and Grant Zick. The Pride managed one more late goal with 24 seconds left in the quarter, but the Mustangs maintained a 5-2 lead heading into the second.
Stevenson stayed aggressive in the second quarter, with Gossen extending the lead before Camden Miller added another.
Widener responded with a pair of goals midway through the frame, but Gossen netted his second goal to keep the Mustangs comfortably in front, taking an 8-4 advantage into halftime.
The Mustangs came out of the break on fire, opening the third quarter with quick goals from Racich and Dillon Linhardt.
Although Widener tacked on its fifth goal at 11:19, Stevenson exploded with a four-goal run, fueled by strikes from Andrew Searing, Alexander Wilson, Linhardt, and Gossen. By the end of the third, Stevenson had built a commanding 14-5 lead.
In the final quarter, Stevenson kept the pedal down. Searing, Racich, Bryant, and Brennan McKneely all found the back of the net early in the period.
Widener answered with a goal under eight minutes remaining, but the Mustangs responded once again with another goal from Curtis and back-to-back finishes from Linhardt.
The Pride added two late goals, but the outcome was never in doubt, as Stevenson secured the 21-8 win.
Junior defender Brennan McKneely said the team has continued to roll with the momentum along with how that will help with their match against Eastern tomorrow.
“Coming off of three wins in a row really helps our momentum, staying focused on Eastern first without looking ahead to the championship will help to keep the it as well,” McKneely said “Also having two strong days of practice before the game is crucial for us in order to continue the momentum we currently have.”
Curtis and Gossen led the Mustang offense, each recording six-point games with a hat trick and three assists apiece.
Racich added five points with a hat trick and two assists, while Bryant chipped in three points. Tyler Merchant anchored the defense in goal, finishing with nine saves on the afternoon.
McKneely felt this team is prepared to make a deep playoff run this season. ” I definitely believe we are well equipped to make a deep run in the tournament, simply because of the leadership we have on the team, and being able to keep everyone focused even with school coming to and end during that time”, McKneely said. “Also with our experience, having so many people on the team this year that were a part of the MAC championship and NCAA tournament team last year helps because we know what we must do to accomplish a deep run.”
But first, they take on No. 3 Eastern as the No. 2 seed in the MAC Semifinals. Stevenson ended Eastern’s season last season defeating them in the MAC championship 21-3. They defeated Eastern this season as well beating them 23-8. Grant Zick said the team has to remain dialed in to continue their winning ways.
“Just continuing to watch film and see what areas of our game need improvement will be huge”, Zick said. This is what we have been working towards all year so we just have to execute.
With the regular season behind them, the Mustangs now turn their focus to the MAC Commonwealth Championship Tournament. Stevenson will host the No. 3 seed Eastern in the semifinal round at Mustang Stadium on tomorrow night, with face-off scheduled for 7 p.m.
