FARMINGDALE, NY – Last week, the Maritime College men's lacrosse team lost at defending Skyline Conference champion Farmingdale. As a result, the Privateers ended up as the No. 3 seed in the Skyline Tournament and had to visit the Rams again on Thursday night in the semifinals. This time, Maritime came out on top. The Privateers (9-8) earned a dominant 13-5 triumph over second-seeded Farmingdale (13-4) at Rams Field to move into the Skyline Championship Game.
Maritime came out firing and never let up.
Ryan Hannaford (Bayport, NY) scored less than two minutes into the contest and the Privateers had a 5-0 lead before the Rams finally got on the board with 2:07 left in the first quarter. That tally started a 3-0 Farmingdale run that pulled the Rams within two early in the second quarter. However, Skyline Offensive Player of the Year
Nick Uzakewicz (Hauppauge, NY) found the back of the net with 4:11 remaining until halftime to give Maritime a 6-3 cushion at intermission.
After Adam Giovinco brought Farmingdale within 6-4 at the 12:20 mark of the third quarter, the Privateers' defense would hold the Rams without another goal until the final seconds of the game. Hannaford notched back-to-back tallies to make it 8-4, then he added a pair of assists, as Maritime increased its advantage to 10-4 at the end of the third quarter. The Privateers extended their run to seven straight goals before Ethan Vargas scored for Farmingdale with eight seconds to go. The 13-5 victory was Maritime's first-ever postseason road win.
Hannaford finished with seven points in the game. He notched four goals and added three assists.
Tyler Mahood (Sleepy Hollow, NY) recorded five points on two goals and three assists, while Uzakewicz and Skyline Rookie of the Year
Thomas McCarvill (Port Washington, NY) both scored twice.
Christopher Laino (West Islip, NY) went 16-for-20 on faceoffs and picked up a game-high 11 ground balls, as the Privateers held a 38-20 edge in that category. Goalkeeper
Cristian Scaffaro (Brookhaven, NY) (8-6) made 13 saves.
For the Rams, Joey Forchelli and Tommy Mai each tallied a goal and an assist. Fabrice Cormier and Matt Durnin collected three ground balls apiece, while Sean Lawson had five caused turnovers. Connor Dobson (11-4) was credited with 10 saves in the losing effort.
With the win, Maritime advanced to the Skyline Championship Game for the first time since 2024. The Privateers will make their sixth Skyline Championship Game appearance in the past seven tournaments on Saturday, when they visit top-seeded Merchant Marine (11-5) at 12 p.m. Maritime posted a 13-11 victory over the Mariners in the teams' regular season meeting on April 11.
