ST. MARY’S CITY, Md. – On Wednesday afternoon, the St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s lacrosse team secured a solid victory in the NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament’s first round, defeating Farmingdale State College 16-8.
The Seahawks, now 14-6 for the season, were propelled by Keegan Preis, Declan Horton, and Joshua Martel, who collectively contributed 18 points to the team’s effort. This win marks St. Mary’s College’s third consecutive victory, setting them up for a second-round match against No. 2 ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday in Troy, N.Y.
The game started strongly for St. Mary’s, as they jumped to a 6-0 lead with contributions from five different players in the first quarter alone. Preis was notably dynamic, contributing two goals and three assists early on. Farmingdale State entered the scoreboard in the closing seconds of the first period with an unassisted goal from Thomas Stock.
In the second quarter, Farmingdale State attempted a comeback, narrowing the score to 6-2. However, St. Mary’s responded vigorously, pushing the lead to 10-2 before the half ended with the score at 10-3.
The third quarter saw the Seahawks extend their lead with Horton scoring twice. Heading into the final quarter, St. Mary’s managed to maintain their advantage despite a more balanced scoring effort from both teams, culminating in the 16-8 victory.
St. Mary’s College dominated not just on the scoreboard but also in gameplay statistics. They outshot Farmingdale State 51-27 and collected more ground balls, 40-32. Sophomore Matteo Ciccarello led the ground ball efforts with 13.
The Seahawks’ defense was particularly effective, forcing 15 turnovers from Farmingdale State. Senior defenseman Ethan Little led this effort with three caused turnovers.
Individual performances shone brightly, with Preis matching his season-best eight points. Horton and Martel also made significant contributions, with Horton scoring four goals and Martel adding four scores.
For Farmingdale State, this game marked the end of their season, concluding with a 16-4 record and their first Skyline Conference championship title. Tyler Kollar led the Rams’ offense with three goals.
St. Mary’s looks forward to their next challenge against RPI this Saturday at ECAV Stadium.
