THROGGS NECK, NY – Patrick Schnell (Jericho, NY) scored with 4:43 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Maritime College men's lacrosse team a 10-9 lead against Merchant Marine in the Skyline Conference opener at Reinhart Field on Saturday.  The Privateers (5-5, 1-0 Skyline) then held off the Mariners' (3-6, 0-1 Skyline) late flurry of shots to earn their fourth straight win and 26^th consecutive victory against Skyline opposition.

Maritime led 8-4 midway through the third quarter, but Merchant Marine rattled off the next five goals to pull in front, 9-8, with 7:05 remaining.  Connor Tomich (Sayville, NY) scored for the Privateers just 38 seconds later, though, to make it a 9-9 game.

After Schnell's goal put Maritime back in front, the Mariners regained possession with 1:33 left.  Two Merchant Marine shots were off the mark before the Privateers took a penalty at the 39-second mark.  The Mariners fired two more shots with the man advantage, but both went wide.  Maritime backed up the second of those attempts, giving the ball back to the Privateers with eight seconds remaining.  Goalkeeper Ben McGrady (Annapolis, MD) held it long enough to run out the clock and close out Maritime's second one-goal win of the season.

Schnell finished with three goals and two assists to go along with three caused turnovers and two ground balls.  Tomich, meanwhile, had three goals, one assist, four ground balls and two caused turnovers.  Charles Gerace (Miller Place, NY) scored twice, and Parker Reilly (West Islip, NY) contributed a goal and three assists.  Kieran Hendry (East Northport, NY) and Matthew Weigand (Massapequa, NY) picked up six ground balls apiece, while Joseph Bruno (East Islip, NY) collected five ground balls.  McGrady (5-4) was credited with 17 saves in the win, including four in the fourth quarter.

The Privateers scored the first two goals of the game before Merchant Marine rallied to tie it.  After the teams traded scores, Maritime rattled off five of the next six to open up an 8-4 advantage with 6:14 remaining in the third quarter.

William Badeer and Michael Emerick each recorded a hat trick for Merchant Marine.  Dom Mirack contributed seven ground balls and three caused turnovers, while Mark Bredeck also finished with seven ground balls.  Chris Neuman tallied six ground balls after going 13-for-22 on faceoffs. Goalkeeper Samuel Stephenson (2-6) made 13 saves.

On Friday, Maritime concludes its non-conference slate with a 12 p.m. matchup at Salve Regina (5-4).  The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 25, but was postponed due to weather and field conditions.