THROGGS NECK, NY -  The Maritime College men's lacrosse team rolled to a 20-8 win over Drew University on Wednesday night and set a record on the way. Junior attacker Matt DeMeo (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) broke set the program record for career goals by scoring seven goals for the second consecutive game. His career total is now at 131 goals, six more than the previous record of 125 by Nick Pellegrino (Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East). 

DeMeo entered the second game of the year needing two goals to break the record and he didn't waste any time getting to that mark. The Sayville, NY native scored the first goal of the game at 13:05, and then scored the record-breaker goal at 9:51 for the 2-0 lead for the Privateers. 


"Breaking the record means a lot to me because I've been working really hard on and off the field just trying to get better every day," said DeMeo. "It's great to see other guys coming with me now after practice to get more shots in and I owe a lot to our defense for pushing me every day in practice. Everything has been coming together for this team so far and hopefully we can keep this success going."

The Rangers quickly responded with their first goal of the game, but the Privateers weren't going to let Drew get within reach again as they quickly extended the lead to 4-1 and left the first quarter with a 6-2 advantage. The second quarter saw more strong offense from Maritime as Collin Flannery (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River), Mike Leake (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side), Bryan Keegan (Lake Grove, N.Y./Sachem North) and DeMeo all netted goals, but the final period of the first half was highlighted by the defense. Junior goalkeeper Kyle Bockelman (Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) and the Privateers didn't allow a goal in the second quarter and entered the locker rooms with a 10-2 advantage. Bockelman tallied four saves in the quarter and Maritime forced 10 total turnovers in the opening half.

Drew made the adjustments they needed to start the second half as they netted two quick goaals to make the score 10-4, but DeMeo and Kyle Orton (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen) got the Privateers rolling again on offense with back-to-back goals. DeMeo capped off the third period by scoring an unassisted goal with only 14 seconds left to play. The final period saw five more goals for Maritime and more solid defensive effort as they earned the 20-8 win to improve to 2-0 on the season.

"These guys have been working really hard this preseason," said head coach Justin Manjares. "It's nice to be able to see them on the field these past couple games and watch that hard work pay off."

DeMeo finished with seven goals and three assists, while Leake tallied an impressive 11 points on five goals and six assists. Connell chipped in five assists and a goal as well while Bockelman earned the win in goal with seven saves.

Maritime's road contest at SUNY Cortland scheduled for this weekend is currently postponed due to weather, but they are set to play at SUNY Oneonta Wednesday, March 4 at 4:00 p.m. To see the post-game press conference, click below!