THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College men's lacrosse team is headed back to the Skyline Conference Championship Game for the fifth consecutive time. The top-seeded Privateers (11-6) secured their place in the Championship Game with a 19-8 semifinal victory over fourth-seeded Manhattanville (8-10) at Reinhart Field on Tuesday night.
Just like in the regular season finale between these two squads on Saturday, Maritime had a five-goal halftime lead before pulling away in the second half. The Privateers held the Valiants to just two goals over the final 30 minutes and closed the game on a 6-0 run to secure the 19-8 win and earn the right to play for a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Maritime's top attack unit of
Charles Gerace (Rocky Point, NY),
Charles Longo (Bellport, NY) and
Parker Reilly (West Islip, NY) combined for 16 of the Privateers' 19 goals. Gerace scored six times and added two assists, while Reilly finished with six goals for the third successive outing. He also had an assist. Longo tallied eight points on four goals and four assists, and he added four ground balls.
Patrick Schnell (Jericho, NY), meanwhile, contributed four assists.
Kieran Hendry (East Northport, NY) gathered eight ground balls and scored his second goal of the season.
Joseph Bruno (East Islip, NY) collected five ground balls after going 16-for-26 on faceoffs, and
Grant Gifford (Oakdale, NY) picked up four ground balls, as Maritime held a 43-28 edge in that category. The Privateers also outshot the Valiants 53-27 and caused 14 turnovers, with
Jack Meyers (Rocky Point, NY) forcing four of those giveaways.
Michael Monahan (Ronkonkoma, NY) (4-2) made six saves in the win.
Manhattanville got on the board first before Reilly and Gerace scored to put Maritime in front, 2-1. After the Valiants tied it at 3-3, a Longo tally sparked an 8-1 run that gave the Privateers an 11-4 lead. Manhattanville's Drew Paladino scored the final two goals of the first half, though, bringing the Valiants within 11-6 at halftime.
Longo found the back of the net at the 13:49 mark of the third quarter, then assisted on Gerace's tally that made it 13-7 heading into the final period. Nick Cornelia cut the margin to 13-8 with 13:42 remaining, but that would prove to be Manhattanville's last goal of the night.
Luke Caliendo (North Babylon, NY) put one home with 11:39 left, and Reilly added another score 26 seconds later. The Privateers tacked on four more to close out the 19-8 triumph.
Cornelia had a hand in six of Manhattanville's eight goals, finding the back of the net four times and assisting on two others. Palladino added two goals, while Tyler Berch recorded a goal and an assist. Francisco Rosas collected a game-high nine ground balls for the Valiants to go along with three caused turnovers. Goalkeeper Cody Johnston (2-2) was credited with 12 saves in a losing effort.
In the Skyline Championship Game, which is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m., the Privateers will host third-seeded Farmingdale (15-3), an 11-7 winner over Merchant Marine in Tuesday's first semifinal. When the teams met on April 9, the Rams earned a 16-15 overtime victory to snap Maritime's 30-game regular season conference winning streak that dated back to 2018.
