It was a thrilling night for Stevenson as both the Stevenson men’s and women’s lacrosse teams secured their spots in the MAC Commonwealth Championship games with commanding semifinal victories on Wednesday.
Women’s Lacrosse: No. 3 Stevenson Upsets No. 2 Messiah, 10-8
The No. 3 seeded Stevenson women’s lacrosse team battled to a thrilling 10-8 upset over second-seeded Messiah on the road to earn a spot in the conference title match.
Graduate student Sophia Murray said the team is ready for the MAC Championship rematch with York College (Pa.).
“We’re going to show up with the same all, shutdown mentality”, Murray said. “We know we’re capable of solid defense and this game just proved it, so we’re aiming to step it up even more.”
After Messiah opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, Stevenson responded with four unanswered goals—including three from Kara Yarusso and one from Olivia Galati—to close the first quarter with a 4-1 advantage.
The Falcons surged back in the second quarter, netting five goals while holding the Mustangs to a single score from Sophia Murray.
Messiah entered halftime with a narrow 6-5 lead.
Stevenson regrouped in the third quarter as Kellyann Coccia tied the game at 6-6, followed by a go-ahead free-position goal from Alice Petersen.
After Messiah answered to even the contest again, Murray and Galati tallied back-to-back goals to give Stevenson a 9-7 edge entering the final quarter.
Messiah trimmed the deficit early in the fourth, but Isabelle VanEmburgh found the net off a pass from Erin Steinberg with 6:41 remaining to seal the win for the Mustangs.
Yarusso led the offense with a four-point night (3 goals, 1 assist), while Galati and Murray each netted two goals. Petersen, Coccia, and VanEmburgh added one goal apiece.
Steinberg dished out two assists, and Murray led the team with five ground balls. In goal, Anna Johnston and Regan Torbert combined for 13 saves.
Murray said the team will be in an “All In” style mentality for Saturday’s rematch with York. “We’re going to give it all we have, and we cannot wait to show up at York because they don’t know what’s coming for them.”
Murray also said the team feels different this season than last season.
“It does feel different but it also doesn’t at the same time. I have the same confidence in this team that we’re capable of winning against York. However, I think everyone remembering last year, it’s an even stronger feeling of needing and wanting that win since we got so close before.”
The Mustangs will face top-seeded York (Pa.) in the MAC Commonwealth Championship on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Men’s Lacrosse: No. 2 Stevenson Dominates No. 3 Eastern, 18-7
The No. 2 seeded Stevenson men’s lacrosse team put on an offensive showcase in front of the home crowd, defeating No. 3 seed Eastern 18-7 in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals.
Grant Zick said the team will use this game and keep the momentum rolling into Saturday. “We’re gonna used that, hopefully keep it going against York. We just have to keep moving the ball well on offense, and being strong on defense.”
The Mustangs came out firing, scoring four straight to open the game with goals from Grant Zick, Andrew Searing, and Gavin Gossen.
Eastern got on the board late in the first, but Stevenson carried a 4-1 lead into the second quarter.
The Mustangs exploded for seven goals in the second quarter, with Gossen and Max Racich each scoring twice.
Zick, Searing, and Jack Scaliti added one goal each to give Stevenson a commanding 11-4 halftime lead.
Stevenson continued its dominance after the break with another four-goal run—this time courtesy of Racich, Gossen, Alexander Wilson, and Dillon Linhardt.
Eastern answered with two goals, but Darrell Curtis and Graeme McCrory helped Stevenson finish the third quarter strong with a 17-6 lead.
Wilson added one final goal in the fourth to seal the 18-7 victory.
Gossen led the way with a seven-point performance (4 goals, 3 assists), while Racich and Searing each recorded hat tricks.
Zick and Wilson tallied two goals and two assists each, with Scaliti and McCrory also adding to the scoreboard.
Connor Dunay dominated the ground ball game with 11 pickups, and Tyler Merchant anchored the defense with 13 saves in goal.
Grant Zick said the team will be ready to rematch with York (Pa.). “We’re gonna bring the energy, we’re gonna give it our all out there, so we’re excited.”
The Mustangs now look ahead to a championship showdown with No. 1 seed York (Pa.) on Saturday at 3 p.m.
