Box Score Union, NJ – The third-seeded Montclair State men's lacrosse team fell to second-seeded Kean University 16-7 in the CSAC Semifinals Saturday evening.

The Red Hawks end their season at 7-5, while Kean improves to 9-1 and will face top-seeded Stockton University in the championship next Saturday.

The Cougars rode a hot start and opened the game with four tallies in the first 3:41. The Red Hawks settled in and got eight shots on goal. Kean's Thomas Francy was up to the task, stopping all eight shot attempts he faced in the first quarter.

After Kean was whistled for a penalty, MIKE MCCREERY snapped the scoring drought with a man-up tally 2:14 into the second period. The Cougars answered 1:24 later with an Anthony Porter tally before ROBERT BRENNAN trimmed the deficit to three with an unassisted goal. The Red Hawks got within a pair at 5-3 as CONNOR MCCOY scored off an excellent feed from Nick Detore, yet the Cougars responded with the final four goals of the half.

Montclair outshot Kean 28-19 in the opening half but still trailed 9-3, entering half number two.

Brennan opened the second-half scoring with an unassisted tally 37 seconds into the second stanza before Brady Moore of Kean and CHRISTIAN BOYLE traded goals. Kean's Tommy Pellegrino capped off the scoring in the frame with a goal off a Connor Batjer helper as Kean led by six entering the fourth.

The Cougars notched the first two goals of the period early, and Montclair State didn't register their first shot of the period for the first 6:15. TYLER MCCREERY had his shot saved by Francy, and off a successful clear, Hunter Jenkinson found Batjer for the goal.

Exactly halfway through the final period, Brennan registered his third goal of the evening to bring MSU within eight. MATT DANCSECS got them to within seven with an unassisted marker late, but the gap was too much to overcome. Kean added two more late tallies to punctuate the final result.

Brennan was the lone goal-scorer with multiples goals for MSU, while KYLE MATTHEWS won 14-of-25 face-offs to go along with six ground balls. KYLE BIRKNER and WILSON SMITH combined for nine ground balls in the setback. In the cage, TOM POLLOCK had 17 saves in his first collegiate start. Porter led the Cougars with a goal and five assists, and Batjer had four goals and an assist. Francy stopped 18 shots to earn the victory.