Madison, NJ – In a low-scoring affair on Friday afternoon, the Montclair State University men's lacrosse team (4-0) made the plays they needed and held off an Emerson (1-5) push to sneak past the Lions, 7-5, at Drew University in the Tom Leanos Cup Championship game.  

How It Happened

• Both teams traded possessions and forced each other into off-target shots and turnovers. Montclair saw a flurry of shots on goal between 10:21 and 9:21, with three shots on goal, but all were saved. NICHOLI HALSE picked up his first save of the game at the 7:52 timestamp, and after both teams flipped possessions again, Montclair broke through when BRIAN KELLY found JACK NORBERTO to put the first goal on the board. That goal started a flow for the Red Hawks as they followed with goals by Kelly and JONATHAN SLUSSER to take a 3-0 lead with 3:56 remaining in the first quarter. Ryan Vierbuchan extended the lead to 4-0 with just over two minutes remaining, but Emerson found the back of the net to end the shutout, putting the score at 4-1 at the end of one.
• The Lions won the opening face and pushed the tempo to try and halve the lead, but were denied again by Halse. Montclair's defense was stellar in the second frame, holding Emerson to just two shots in the period. The Red Hawks generated 14 shots in the frame, but were unable to get any to fall. The game continued at 4-1 going into halftime.
• An early penalty on the opening faceoff set up a man-up goal for Emerson. Montclair again went on the attack, and after a series of shots missed their mark, BRIAN KELLY took advantage of a failed clear and buried a shot for a 5-2 lead. The Red Hawks controlled most of the offensive opportunities down the stretch, but were unable to score. The Lions made one final push in the quarter, but the stick of Halse came through again and kept the score at 5-2 heading into the fourth.
• A pair of turnovers early by Montclair put Emerson in position to score, and they did at the 11:26 timestamp to cut the lead to 5-3. Kelly responded with another goal, but the Lions flipped momentum and notched a pair of goals at the 9:43 and 7:06 timestamps, and narrowed the deficit to just one goal. Emerson was tabbed with a hold, and a man-up opportunity saw Kelly find Vierbuchan for a goal and gave the Red Hawks the two-goal cushion. Emerson attempted to mount a comeback, but three turnovers late kept Montclair in control, and the Red Hawks came away with the win.

Inside the Numbers

• Halse had a stellar performance in net with 10 saves to preserve the win.
• Kelly was once again the force on offense, accounting for five of Montclair's seven points with three goals and two assists.
• CORBIN QUINTERO and KAI DONAHUE forced half of Emerson's turnovers with four and three, respectively.

From the Field

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Up Next

• Montclair will play the winner of Drew/Emmanuel on Sunday, March 8, in the Tom Leanos Cup finals. First face is tabbed for 3:00 p.m.