POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Marist men's lacrosse team earned its second NCAA Tournament victory in program history on Wednesday evening, defeating Stony Brook, 10-6, in the opening round at Tenney Stadium. The win marked the Red Foxes' first NCAA Tournament triumph since 2015 and punched their ticket to the NCAA First Round.
With the victory, Marist improved to 12-4 overall and advanced to face top-seeded Princeton Tigers on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in Princeton, New Jersey. The game will air nationally on ESPNU.
Marist controlled the game from the opening faceoff, jumping out to a 2-0 first-quarter lead behind goals from Sean Mullan and Peter Murray. Mullan opened the scoring with a man-up tally at the 10:14 mark off an assist from Collin Patrick before Murray added another with 6:21 remaining in the period.
After Stony Brook cut the deficit to one early in the second quarter, the Red Foxes responded with back-to-back goals from Murray, including a man-up score assisted by Mullan, to take a 4-1 lead. The Seawolves scored late in the half, but Marist carried a 4-2 advantage into the break.
Stony Brook rallied in the third quarter and trimmed the lead to 6-5 following three goals from Collin Williamson, but Marist answered every push. Steven Cain scored midway through the third off a feed from Drew Anderson before Patrick struck just six seconds later to restore a three-goal cushion.
The Red Foxes took control for good in the fourth quarter. Patrick scored on an extra-man opportunity less than two minutes into the period, and Murray followed with his fourth goal of the afternoon to make it 8-5. Patrick later added two insurance goals in the final three minutes to complete his four-goal performance and seal the NCAA Tournament victory.
Patrick and Murray each finished with four goals and one assist, combining for eight of Marist's 10 goals. Mullan added a goal and an assist, while Anderson dished out two assists. Richie Metzger made nine saves in goal for the Red Foxes.
Marist outshot Stony Brook 45-37 and converted three of its seven extra-man opportunities. The Red Foxes also committed just 10 turnovers and successfully cleared 23 of 24 attempts.
The Red Foxes will be back in action on Sunday, May 10, when Marist takes on No. 1 Princeton on the road in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Opening faceoff is set for 2:30 PM on ESPNU.