EMMITSBURG, Md. (March 4, 2023) – Strong defense and goalkeeping play helped Mount St. Mary's men's lacrosse force overtime. But the visiting Monmouth Hawks won the first faceoff in the extra session and scored on that possession, handing the Mount a 8-7 defeat.
 
Griffin McGinley finished the afternoon on 12 saves, five coming in the second half. Mitchell Dunham and Jake Wright caused four turnovers out of seven. From the back lines, Jackson Phillips and Steven Schmitt collected three ground balls each.
 
On offense, Jared McMahon finished with three goals for the hat trick. Schmitt, TJ Gravante, Kyle Cullen, and Jake Krieger all found the back of the net. Cormac Giblin ended with a team-high five ground balls, creating extra offensive opportunities.
 
The teams ended even on shots at 38, with Monmouth landing one extra on goal. Saves and clears were also even at a respective 12 and 16. Neither side could take advantage of penalties, as both went 0-for-6 on the EMO's.
 
Burke Webb led Monmouth with three goals while Luke Cole added three assists. Monmouth improved to 4-1 as the Mount fell to 1-5.
 
Mount St. Mary's offense came to life in the second quarter. Gravante's goal got the team on the board, and McMahon's first pulled them within one. After Monmouth scored twice to go up 5-2 entering the media, the Mountaineers responded on a 4-0 run. The three goals to tie proceedings came in rapid succession. Schmitt leveled the game at five on a quick trip downfield, picking up a ground ball from the face off and planting the ball in the net. Key saves by McGinley kept the Hawks from scoring, and McMahon's score on a pass from Kelly Gouin at 2:20 put the Mount ahead.
 
Both teams clamped down on defense in a second half filled with crucial saves and aggressive defensive work to plug up gaps in the lines. Monmouth did manage to find the back of the net once in the third quarter to tie the score at 6-6. Both goalies made saves while defenses forced both shot clock violations and turnovers. Nine of the 29 combined giveaways occurred in the third period.
 
Monmouth regained the lead on an incident where McGinley gave away the ball on a pass following a save. The Hawks' Ty Caffarelli forced the error, depositing a shot in the net. Three minutes later, Cullen had an answer with his second goal of the season. Shots from both teams landed inches over and outside the net for the rest of regulation.
 
Matt Soutar won the faceoff to start overtime, and it took 48 seconds for Monmouth to end the game. Matt Karsian finished the contest on a bouncing goal from the far side.   
 
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play begins for the Mount next Saturday (Mar. 11) when the team hosts Manhattan. First faceoff is at noon.