KEUKA PARK, N.Y. – The Morrisville State men's lacrosse team fell behind 4-0 after the opening quarter, but turned on the jets between the second and third to collect a 13-11 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) victory over host Keuka College Saturday afternoon to claim the regular season title for a fifth straight season.
THE BASICS:
- Final Score: Morrisville 13, Keuka 11
- Location: Jephson CAC, Keuka Park, N.Y.
- Records: Morrisville State 8-6, 7-0 NEAC; Keuka 9-4, 6-1 NEAC
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Morrisville State fell behind early to the host Keuka College Wolves, but turned up the heat on the chilly Saturday afternoon battle of the undefeated in the second and third quarters, as they held on for a 13-11 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) win.
- The Mustangs, with the win, finish the season with an undefeated 7-0 NEAC record, claiming the program's fifth straight regular season title, and fourth overall for the senior class.
- Junior Peter Pina (Culver City, Calif.) and senior Nick Geswaldo (Lafayette, N.Y.) each notched three goals and an assist for the Mustangs to lead the visitors in scoring, as fellow teammates Chris Dovi (Cortland, N.Y.) and Zach Palin (Lafayette, N.Y.) added two apiece.
- Niko Cejic (Johnson City, N.Y.) recorded the win in net, making 10 stops, five in the final quarter of action.
- In a deep rooted rivalry between the two programs, Keuka jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the opening quarter, and added two more in the first half of the second for the 6-0 advantage before the Mustangs were able to get past the Wolves defensive unit for their first tally of the day.
- Palin broke the scoring silence for the Mustangs at the 7:21 mark off the feed from Dovi, before Joseph Rosaschi (Syracuse, N.Y.) added another a minute later to kick off a five goal Mustang frenzy.
- Chad Warren (Lafayette, N.Y.) brought the Mustangs within three at 5:08 before Dovi posted back-to-back scores to cut the deficit to one at the half.
- Keuka went up 7-5 at the start of the third, but the Mustangs, much like the second quarter, went on a scoring blitz as they posted five straight.
- Pina collected two to tie the game for the Mustangs at seven, before Chad Temple (Minoa, N.Y.) gave the visitors their first lead of the contest at the 7:01 mark.
- Palin posted a man-up tally before Geswaldo extended the lead to three with his unassisted score at 3:20.
- Keuka's Brandon Clark notched his second of the quarter to send the game into the final frame with a 10-8 Mustang lead, and made it a one goal game early in the fourth with his third tally of the half.
- After a Keuka score to even the contest at 10 at the 10:30 mark, Geswaldo posted his second on the extra man opportunity off the feed from Pina to regain the lead for the visitors, and added another minutes later for the two goal advantage.
- The Wolves again brought the game to within one with 2:03 to go, but a Pina tally with just under a minute remaining sealed the win for the Mustangs, as they recorded the undefeated season and collected the regular season crown.
WHAT'S NEXT:
- Morrisville State learn their opponent for the NEAC tournament with details being announced by the conference office this weekend.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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