Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University men's lacrosse team (1-0) opened its 2025 season at home against Penn College (0-2) and emerged victorious with a 15-9 win on Sprague Field Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Penn started strong in the first quarter, scoring three unanswered goals in the first eight minutes. The Red Hawks got on the board at the 4:08 mark when JULIAN VARONA netted the team's first goal of the season, sparking a four-goal run. Varona added another goal, while ETHAN MOUNIER and MAX MOROSOFF each tallied one to give Montclair a 4-3 lead at the end of the quarter.
• The momentum continued for Montclair in the second quarter, as JACK CLEARY scored at the 9:23 mark, followed by Morosoff's second goal just 27 seconds later. However, Penn responded with a three-goal run to tie the game at 6-6 with 4:40 remaining in the half. A delay of game penalty after the next faceoff gave Montclair a man-up opportunity, which Mounier capitalized on with a goal off a Cleary assist. Penn quickly answered, but another penalty gave Montclair another man-up chance, and Cleary once again set up Varona for a goal. The Red Hawks took an 8-7 lead into halftime.
• The third quarter remained scoreless until the 9:04 mark when Mounier completed his hat trick off a pass from Jack Simons, extending Montclair's lead to 9-7. Just 42 seconds later, WILLIAM BURDGE added another goal to push the lead to three. Penn responded at the 6:22 mark to cut the deficit to two, but Montclair reestablished a three-goal cushion at the 2:15 mark when Morosoff, assisted by Burdge, completed his hat trick, giving the Red Hawks an 11-8 advantage heading into the final quarter.
• Montclair controlled the fourth quarter, breaking away with four unanswered goals up to the 2:47 mark for a commanding 15-8 lead. JOHN CRANK highlighted the run with two goals down the stretch. Penn managed one last goal in the final minute, but Montclair secured a dominant 15-9 opening-day victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Morosoff and Mounier led the Red Hawks with four goals each. Mounier also collected a team-high six ground balls, while Morosoff recorded five.
• Cleary was the primary playmaker, tallying three assists and adding a goal of his own to tie Mounier and Morosoff with four points.
• DAVID DRISCOLL was a key contributor at the faceoff X, winning 11 of 22 attempts (.500) and securing two ground balls.
• Montclair took 62 shots in the game, with 34 on target. This marked their highest shot total since March 4 of last year, when they recorded 60 shots in a 21-3 win over FDU-Florham.
• The Red Hawks were efficient on clears, successfully converting 25 of 30 attempts (83%), while Penn finished 15 of 22 (68%).
• Goalkeeper NICHOLI HALSE played the full game and recorded 16 saves in the victory.

FROM THE FIELD

• "It's always nice to get the first win of the season. We got out to a sluggish start but I am proud of our guys for being resiliant and continuing to play hard and get the win. We have a lot of work to do and we are excited to get back on the practice field to try and get another win on Wednesday"." Head Coach Matt Poskay

UP NEXT

• Montclair State University will hit the road for the first time this season on Wednesday, February 27, for a matchup against Western Connecticut. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.