Box Score OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The 16th-ranked Stevenson men's lacrosse team was able to fend off a late push from No. 17 Denison as the Mustangs battled for a 10-9 win on Sunday night.
Stevenson (3-1) was able to bounce back from last weekend and make just enough plays down the stretch to survive a charging Denison (3-1) side over the final 15 minutes. Mitchell Lachman and Jack Scaliti paced the Mustang attack with three goals each, while Marc Poust made 13 saves as part of his steady presence in goal.
Shane Ford registered a goal and three assists in a strong evening for Stevenson as Grant Zick added two assists. Nolan Enneguess went 9-for-15 at the faceoff dot with six ground balls, while Ryan Quinn added five ground balls and three caused turnovers.
The Mustangs led 9-6 through three quarters before Scaliti registered an all-important goal to move ahead at 10-6. From there, Denison scored the last three goals of the game over the final 8:40, but was unable to net the equalizer.
Ethan Tyack notched four points on three goals and one assist for the Big Red, while Luke Fisher was active with two goals and two assists. TJ Spahn posted 12 saves in net for Denison, which had posted three consecutive wins to begin the season prior to Sunday.
Griffin Gast opened the scoring for the Mustangs at 9:49 in the first before the Big Red responded just 49 seconds later. The Mustangs closed the opening quarter with three unanswered goals, with two from Lockman and another from Zick, for a 4-1 advantage. Scaliti ripped home an unassisted tally at 12:58 in the second quarter for a 5-2 Stevenson edge before Denison countered with three unanswered of its own for a 5-5 tie.
Ford sent the Mustangs into the intermission with a 6-5 edge with his goal at 1:14 of the second, part of a 4-0 stretch that spanned all but about one minute of the third quarter. Lachman, Cam Leydig and Scaliti posted markers for Stevenson, which led 9-5. Denison began clawing back with a goal from Jack Chace with 13 seconds left in the third.
Scaliti opened the fourth with his aforementioned marker as Sevenson fended off the Big Red in the final stanza. With just under 1:30 remaining, a crease violation wiped away a would-be goal for the Big Red.
News and Notes
- Denison held a 37-35 edge in shots, ripping 14 in the fourth quarter.
- Stevenson sputtered through much of the fourth quarter and found itself man-down on three occasions over the final 15 minutes.
- Scaliti posted his first collegiate hat trick on Sunday.
- Stevenson was playing its third nationally-ranked opponent in four games to begin the 2022 season. Denison saw its first ranked foe of 2022 in the form of Stevenson on Sunday.
- Stevenson increases its advantage in the all-time series with Denison to 7-2.
- The Mustang defensive duo of Quinn and Nicholas Mulvey combined for nine ground balls and five caused turnovers.
- Lachman now leads the team with nine goals to his credit this season, after posting his second contest with three tallies or more.
Up Next
- Stevenson and Denison will remain at Mustang Stadium for the much-anticipated Mustang Classic, taking place March 18-19.
- The Mustangs face No. 11 Dickinson in the final game of the opening day of action at the Mustang Classic, coming Friday, March 18 at 8:20 p.m.
- Denison looks to regroup against No. 7 Lynchburg in the opening contest of the Mustang Classic, taking place Friday, March 18 at 11:00 a.m.
