OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The No. 2 Stevenson men's lacrosse team (8-9 overall, 7-1 MAC Commonwealth) defeated No. 3 Messiah, 14-8, on Wednesday night in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals.
Brennan McKneely opened the scoring just 10 seconds into the contest, capitalizing on a faceoff ground ball to give Stevenson an early 1-0 lead. After a brief defensive battle, the Falcons evened the score at the 3:31 mark.
Gavin Gossen responded late in the quarter to put the Mustangs back on top, 2-1, heading into the second.
Hunter Bryant found the back of the net just 31 seconds into the second quarter to extend the lead. Messiah answered with two goals to tie the game at 3-3, but Gossen and
Darrell Curtis responded to give Stevenson a 5-3 advantage at halftime.
Bryant opened the third quarter with another early tally before Messiah netted its fourth goal of the game. The Mustangs then took control, scoring six unanswered goals—sparked by
Camden Miller, Curtis, and McKneely—stretching into the fourth quarter to build a commanding lead.
The remainder of the game featured back-and-forth scoring, with Messiah adding four goals and Gossen and McKneely each recording another tally. Stevenson secured the 14-8 victory to advance to the MAC Commonwealth Championship.
Curtis led the Mustangs with a six-point night, as Gossen tallied four. McKneely netted a hattrick, as
Hunter Bryant put away two goals.
Connor Dunay led the Mustangs on the faceoff, winning 16 of 23, and picking up five ground balls.
The Mustangs will now prepare to travel to No. 1 York (Pa.) on Saturday for the MAC Commonwealth Championship. First faceoff is slated for 1 p.m.
