Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University Men's Lacrosse team completed the second half of its season-opening back-to-back, defeating Gwynedd Mercy 17-4 at Sprague Field on Sunday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (2-0) came out of the opening face-off strong, notching a goal from JACKSON SIMONS in the fourth minute of play. Montclair accumulated three more shots over the next four minutes, paired with caused turnovers from CORBIN QUINTERO and LOGAN LAMARCA. With the quarter passing its midway point, the home side potted a pair of goals on consecutive possessions, as BRIAN KELLY and JONATHAN SLUSSER found the back of the net. Later in the frame, SEAN STEPHENSON generated a turnover from the Griffins leading to Kelly's second marker of the afternoon to make the score 4-0 after 15 minutes of play.
• Montclair's defense tightened in the early stages of the second frame, allowing just one shot over the opening seven and a half minutes. Following a turnover in the opponent's half of the field, Stephenson scooped up a ground ball, leading to a goal from RYAN VIERBUCHEN off a feed from LOUIS AZARA to increase the lead to five. Gwynedd Mercy searched for their first strike of the day in the final minutes of the half, logging three shots over the final 90 seconds, leading to a goal with 26 seconds on the game clock. The Red Hawks immediately countered with a Slusser goal coming out of a timeout to make the halftime score 6-1.
• KAI DONAHUE kicked off the third stanza with a marker two minutes in, with the Griffins getting on the board once again at the 10:59 mark. The home side answered on the ensuing possession, with Kelly recording his second goal of the afternoon, kickstarting what would be a stretch of eight consecutive goals spanning two quarters for Montclair. Following a penalty from Gwynedd Mercy, Vierbuchen converted the man-up opportunity, with Kelly potting one of his own on the advantage after a face-off win from JACOB HOLICKI. After Holicki notched his second-straight face-off victory, Vierbuchen found Kelly for another marker to vault Montclair in front 11-2. Vierbuchen netted another pair of strikes shortly after, with the Red Hawks taking a double-digit advantage into the final quarter, 13-2.
• The Red Hawks continued their surge, with Stephenson finding the back of the net after cruising across the field after NICHOLI HALSE tallied a pair of saves on the previous two possessions. Vierbuchen continued his busy day 30 seconds later, slotting a pass to MAX MOROSOFF for a goal. The next minute, Montclair extended the lead to 14 on a strike from ADRI KOLIQI. With just over eight minutes on the clock, Gwynedd Mercy potted their third marker of the day, but the Red Hawks answered again on a shot from RYAN BROWN for their final goal of the afternoon. The Griffins notched the last score of the contest with 1:21 left, but the Red Hawks came away victorious in their 2026 home opener.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Vierbuchen amassed four goals and four assists for the day, one point shy of his career-high. 
• Kelly recorded a game-high five goals, with Slusser the other Red Hawk with multiple goals in the contest.
• Stephenson and Koliqi scored their first collegiate goals, with JACK HICKAM tallying his first career assist.
• In total, 12 Red Hawks notched a goal contribution, with the home side dominating the offensive side of the ball with a 39-21 advantage in shots, putting 24 on goal.
• The 13-goal difference was Montclair's largest margin of victory since March 24, 2024, when they took down Southwestern 20-5.
• Defensively, the four goals marked the fewest allowed by the Red Hawks since March 2, 2024, when they allowed three against FDU-Florham. Montclair held Gwynedd Mercy to just eight total shots on goal and only one in the first half. 
• Halse notched his second-straight victory in goal for the Red Hawks, recording four saves. Quintero stood strong defending in front, causing a game-high five turnovers to match his career-high.

FROM THE FIELD

"Proud of our team today to get our second victory in back-to-back days. We had spurts of playing sluggish but I'll give our guys credit for coming out in the second half and playing much better lacrosse. We have a long way to go, but it was a nice opening weekend for our team." - Head Coach Matt Poskay

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday, February 25 against Western Connecticut. Opening face-off from Sprague Field is scheduled for 4:00 PM.