Box Score OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- 17th-ranked Stevenson men's lacrosse increased its winning streak to five games with an impressive 21-11 victory against Stevens on Friday night in nonconference action at Mustang Stadium.
Stevenson (9-4) roared back after surrendering the opening goal of the night, racking up the next seven markers for an overwhelming lead. Shane Ford notched up a game-high eight points with six goals and two assists as Stevenson used crisp ball movement to secure its third game with 20 or more goals this season.
Ryan Coleman notched six points with four goals and two assists, while Josh Brannan posted six points of his own behind three goals and three assists. Lucas Ingley finished with four points as Stevenson recorded 36 points as a team, which included 15 assists on 21 goals.
After Stevens (7-7) opened the scoring, the Mustangs responded with the next six goals in the first quarter. Michael Burns posted five points to pace the Ducks, which entered the game with five consecutive victories. The Mustangs received 15 face-off wins from Nolan Enneguess with Daniel Fisher adding nine as the hosts had another dominant night at the dot.
Marc Poust nabbed 10 saves for the Mustangs, making some timely stops as the Ducks looked to chip away in the opening half.
Stevenson assisted on five of its initial six goals as Ford evened the score up at one at the 10:28 mark.
From there, the Mustangs used a balanced approach to round out the frame with momentum. Griffin Gast, Ford, Ryan Coleman and Grant Zick all found the back of the net for the Mustangs.
Zick cashed in with a chance from the middle, burying a feed from Ford with just 13 seconds left in the stanza for the 6-1 advantage. The Mustangs picked up where they left off in the second quarter as Ford registered his third goal and fourth point of the night at 14:11, pushing the lead to 7-1.
The Ducks had a quick counter in the second, scoring just 16 seconds later and working their deficit to 7-2. Stevens converted on an extra-man opportunity, whittling the Stevenson lead to 7-3 in the second quarter.
Stevenson seized back control with a five-goal flurry that included some unselfish offense, stretching the lead to 12-3. Again, Brannan and Ford guided the Mustang offense to expand the lead. Nicholas Mulvey picked off a long clearing pass and raced down before dumping off a transition feed to Brannan on the left wing at 9:30.
The Mustangs continued to take their level of play up a notch, adding markers at 6:41, 6:02 and 4:59. The Ducks halted the Stevenson run with the opening goal of the second half at 13:44 of the third. As the pace slowed from a frenetic first half, the Mustangs ballooned their lead to double figures with goals from Coleman at 9:42 and 8:34.
The Ducks rattled off consecutive goals near the end of the third with Stevenson still ahead comfortably. Enneguess won the opening faceoff of the fourth quarter, scoring on a low shot off a fake from the left side.
The Enneguess goal kickstarted another scoring surge for the Mustangs in the fourth, with Coleman and Brannan adding goals for a 19-6 margin. Stevens had one final push around the midway point of the fourth quarter, firing in a late flurry of three consecutive goals, trailing 19-9.
The teams combined for three more goals over the final five minutes as the Mustangs secured the 21-11 triumph.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Stevenson handed out 10 assists on its 12 goals in the opening half.
- The Mustangs push their lead to 6-2 in the all-time series. It marked the third consecutive win in the all-time series for Stevenson.
- Brannan netted his 40th goal of the season in the second quarter as part of a five-goal Stevenson scoring outburst.
- With 20 goals, Stevenson set a new scoring high in the series with the Ducks. The Mustangs previously registered 16 goals in a win back in 2010.
- Both sides went 21 of 22 on clearing attempts.
- Enneguess won a season-high 15 or more faceoffs for just the second time this season, matching his 15 wins in the opener against Ursinus.
- Brannan sits at 90 career points following two strong efforts offensively this week.
- While Stevenson had another banner night on the offensive end, the experienced Mustang defense clamped down on the Ducks after allowing the opening goal. Stevenson held the Ducks scoreless for the final 13:28 of the opening quarter, allowing just three goals in the first half.
- Poust increases his career save total to 433, now just five away from matching Trey Shackleford for third most in program history.
- Paul Cantabene moved to 151-72 all-time against teams that are .500 or better during his Stevenson tenure.
- Cantabene is now 98-21 during the month of April during his 18-year coaching tenure at Stevenson.
UP NEXT
- Stevenson: The Mustangs resume conference play on Wednesday, April 20 hosting Lebanon Valley at 7:00 p.m.
- Stevens: The Ducks welcome Wilkes on Saturday, April 23.
