Union, NJ – The Montclair State University men's lacrosse team (8-6, 0-4 CLC) went on the road and dropped its Coastal Lacrosse Conference (CLC) matchup against rival Kean, 12-9 on Wednesday night.

How It Happened

• Both defenses stood tall through the first five minutes of the game. Montclair State had three early shots from JACK CLEARY but couldn't convert, while Kean was denied on an early attempt by goalkeeper NICHOLI HALSE. The Cougars broke through first at the 9:26 mark for a 1-0 lead. After both teams exchanged saves and killed off a penalty, Kean extended its lead to 2-0 with 5:17 left in the quarter. Montclair capitalized on a man-up opportunity with 2:59 remaining, as CODY COOPER connected with Cleary for the Red Hawks' first goal. Kean struck again with just 27 seconds left in the quarter to carry a 3-1 lead into the second.
• A man-up goal helped Kean push its lead to 4-1 early in the second quarter. Montclair responded after a turnover on a clear attempt, with JOHN CRANK scoring to cut the deficit to two. The Red Hawks kept pressing and scored again at the 4:19 mark, with Crank assisting MAX MOROSOFF to make it 4-3. Kean answered at 3:08, but Morosoff responded with another goal off a feed from Cooper. The Cougars again found late-quarter momentum, scoring at the horn to head into halftime up 6-4.
• Kean added to its lead quickly in the third quarter, scoring less than 90 seconds in. Montclair responded three minutes later with another man-up goal—this time Cleary assisted Cooper to bring it to 7-5 with 10:35 remaining. The Cougars scored again at 9:09, and the game remained scoreless until the final two minutes of the period. Montclair closed the gap with two quick goals—one from LOUIS AZARA at 1:36 and another from ETHAN MOUNIER at 0:35—cutting the deficit to one. But Kean struck once more with just 11 seconds left to take a 9-7 lead into the fourth.
• The Cougars opened the final frame with two goals in the first 70 seconds to take their largest lead of the game at 11-7. At the 10-minute mark, Cleary again found Cooper for a goal, but Kean responded at 8:06 to push the lead to 12-8. Montclair had five shots down the stretch and managed one more goal—JULIAN VARONA scored off a pass from SEBASTIAN GRAZIANO at the 3:15 mark—but couldn't close the gap. Kean held firm to secure the conference win.

Inside the Numbers

• CODY COOPER led the Red Hawks with four points (2 goals, 2 assists).
• MAX MOROSOFF and JACK CLEARY each tallied three points—Morosoff with 2 goals and 1 assist, Cleary with 1 goal and 2 assists.
• Montclair was strong in man-up situations, scoring on 4-of-8 opportunities—their best performance of the season in that category.
• The Red Hawks also excelled in transition, successfully clearing 22-of-23 attempts.
• NICHOLI HALSE played all 60 minutes in goal and recorded 14 saves in the loss.

From the Field

• "Disappointed in the outcome. We played very good lacrosse at times, but had some moments where we lapsed, and Kean took advantage. There were a few times we cut the deficit to one, but never gained enough momentum to take the lead."
  — Head Coach Matt Poskay

Up Next

• Montclair State wraps up its 2025 regular season on Saturday, April 19, when they play host to #2 Salisbury at 11:00 a.m.