KINGS POINT, N.Y. – The Maritime Men's Lacrosse team competed in their final non-conference contest of the 2016 season and fell to the Merchant Marine Mariners by the score of 18-12 on Wednesday evening at Brooks Stadium.
 
Maritime was led by sophomore Julius Diaz (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport), who recorded a career-best four goals on the contest. Sophomores Ian Danahy (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) and Nick Pellegrino (Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) both picked up a pair of goals each, while the team also got goals from juniors Joe Fusco (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay-East Fishkill), Chris Haun (Necsonset, N.Y./Sachem North) and Jack Johnson (Annandale, Va./Annandale) as well as freshman Ian Ziemski (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright).
 
Fusco as well as junior Kevin Izzo (Cutchogue, N.Y./Mattituck) and sophomore T.J. Ragusa (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) added assists on the game for the Privateers in the effort.
 
Defensively, senior Jonathan Strezenec (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun) led Maritime with three caused turnovers, while sophomore Joseph Hussey (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's) caused a pair of giveaways by the Mariners. Fusco, seniors Matt Hayes (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin), Jordan Rose (Levittown, N.Y./Holy Trinity), junior Kieran Kindle (League City, Texas/Clear Falls), sophomore John Piscitello Jr. (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) all forced one turnover on the game as well.
 
Hayes took 32-of-33 draws for Maritime and won 15 of those attempts, while Johnson was 1-for-1 in his attempt. Hayes also led the team with seven ground balls, with Hussey scooping up five of his own. Rose and Johnson both recorded four ground balls, while Piscitello Jr. added three. Pellegrino, Ragusa, and sophomore Paul Lafrancesca (Nesconset, N.Y./Sachem North) all recorded a pair of ground balls on the game.
 
In goal, sophomore Brendan McNally (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) recorded 13 saves, as he played the entirety of the game in goal for the Privateers. McNally also tallied three ground balls.
 
Merchant Marine jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead but the Privateers answered back as Diaz got his first of the evening followed by a goal from Danahy to tie the game. The Mariners regained a one-goal advantage, but Pellegrino scored with 65 seconds left in the opening period to even the game at three.
 
As the game progressed to the second quarter, the Mariners scored the opening three goals of the stanza to open up its largest lead of the game, to that point, at three. Diaz and Danahy tallied unassisted markers to pull Maritime within one at 6-5. Merchant Marine scored three more times to open a 9-5 margin.
 
With 27 seconds left in the opening half, Johnson scored his second goal of the season to pull the Privateers back within three heading into the halftime break.
 
After the intermission, Merchant Marine converted the first two goals of the half to open up a 11-6 lead. Diaz collected his third goal of the game; the first time in his career he had more that two markers in a game, to pull Maritime back within four.
 
Ziemski got on the board with his third of the season in a man-up chance off a pass from Izzo to make it a three-goal game. Merchant Marine scored next, followed by a goal out of the stick of Pellegrino, off a pass from Fusco. The Mariners scored once more in the third to take a 14-10 lead into the final quarter.
 
In the fourth, Haun netted his first goal of the season as Maritime continued to stay close. However, it was not enough as the Mariners scored four of the game's final five goals, with Diaz scoring the lone Privateer tally.
 
Maritime (5-4, 0-1 Skyline) will return to Skyline Conference play and look to end their four-game roadtrip on a high note as the Privateers look to make it two-straight wins over Stockton in Galloway, N.J. on April 16 at 1 p.m.
 
Merchant Marine (8-2, 1-1 Landmark) will return to league play on Saturday, when the Mariners play host to the Drew Rangers for a 1 p.m. start at Brooks Stadium.