Scranton, Pa. — Marywood University men's lacrosse broke out of a defensive battle to secure a 9-4 victory over SUNY New Paltz on Saturday. The Pacers extended their winning streak to four games — their longest since the 2022 season.
The Pacers (4-1) dominated the second half, outscoring the Hawks 7-2.
John Scibello led the Pacers with three goals and two assists for five points. Scibello also collected four ground balls.
Ben Peters notched the second hat trick of his career. Dillon Kane contributed two goals and an assist. Ben Meighan also finished with three points on a goal and two assists.
Defensively, Thomas Carroll anchored the Pacers with five ground balls, while Dalton Gerver added four. Luke Ament went 10-for-17 at the faceoff-x and secured four ground balls.
Both goalkeepers put on a clinic for the 150 fans in attendance on Parade Day. The Pacers' Colin Trainor had 14 saves while allowing just four goals. The Hawks' Zach Novak stopped 15 shots.
New Paltz held Marywood scoreless for the first 26 minutes, with the Pacers hitting the post four times before finally breaking through. Scibello put Marywood on the board in the final four minutes of the first half, rifling a shot inside the near post off a Sean Bonhag assist. Peters gave the Pacers a halftime lead, redirecting a Kane pass into the net.
The Hawks opened the second half with an early goal, as Colin Cleary struck unassisted just 28 seconds into the third quarter.
Marywood responded with four unanswered goals. Peters started the run at the 10:58 mark of the third, finishing a feed from Meighan. Meighan later capped the scoring with a goal off a Scibello assist, extending the Pacers' lead to 6-2 with 9:09 left in the game.
New Paltz fought back with two quick goals to trim the deficit to two. Killiam Yombor capitalized on a man-up opportunity with an assist from Finn Smith, followed by Blake Lyons converting an Anthony Senecal feed with 5:50 remaining.
Marywood sealed the victory with three unanswered goals in the final 4:10. After New Paltz won a faceoff, Dominic Cottone forced a turnover and scooped up the ground ball, leading to a successful clear and a Kane goal off a Scibello assist.
Cottone's caused turnover proved pivotal. New Paltz did not regain possession for the remainder of the game, and Marywood controlled the final 5:08 of regulation to secure the win.
The Pacers outshot the Hawks 40-32 and held a slight 37-35 edge in ground balls.
This matchup marked the first meeting between the two programs.
For New Paltz, Quinn Tucker recorded four ground balls.
Marywood will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Montclair State.
