On February 16, the men’s lacrosse team traveled to Pennsylvania to open up the lacrosse season against Dickinson. Stevens–no. 13 in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association–opened the season by taking down Dickinson–no. 10 in the USILA–with a final score of 11-6. There were notable plays from senior Tommy Robertozzi and junior Matthew Pagola who both marked a hat trick, and graduate student Joseph Grippo who passed 100 career goals with two goals in this game.
The game started up quick, with senior Tommy Robertozzi starting the scoring barely two minutes in, soon followed by a goal by graduate student Finlay MacKnight, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead early in the first quarter. Despite the Ducks’ shots on goal, the Red Devils landed two goals in the final 20 seconds, ending the quarter with a 2-2 tie. The Ducks did not let the tie last long, with two shots being put in on their first four shot attempts by junior Matthew Pergola and senior Shea Grant. Pergola knocked in his second one for the quarter off an assist from first-year Adam DeCristofaro, with senior Connor Gabilanes giving the Ducks another goal fed by graduate student Joseph Grippo. Ending the second quarter, Grippo landed two goals and Pergola made one more goal in the final 90 seconds, giving him his 26th hat trick as a Duck. The Ducks kept the Red Devils goalless in the second quarter, ending the first half with a score of 9-2.
Stevens was not able to put up any goals in the third quarter, with Dickinson getting three, working the score to 9-5. Majority of the fourth quarter went by without any goals from either side of the field, but it came to a close with Robertozzi sinking a shot off of Grippo, and one more goal from Robertozzi with two minutes left, notching his first hat trick as a Duck.
On the game, head coach Gene Peluso had said, “Great win today against a great and well coach Dickinson squad. I loved how we came out in the first half with fight and poise. […] I thought our attackmen played with poise and helped us settle in in the first half. Joe Grippo showed why he’s a captain and a leader today not only with his play, but with his leadership. Robertozzi with three goals and an assist really did a nice job today, and Pergola with three goals really showcased our ability to finish; a great team win by our student-athletes and we’re excited and focused on the next one.” Along with the two hat tricks noted from this game, senior goalkeeper Cooper Foote made 16 saves and sophomore Jackson Penn had an 84.2% faceoff win rate which were both career highs.
Coming up next for the Ducks is a trip to MA where they will go up against Springfield College on February 22.
