Griffin Liebsch at Franklin & Marshall 3/17/18
Patrick Blain
8
Elizabethtown ETOWN 3-4, 0-1 Landmark
9
Winner Susquehanna SUS 6-4, 1-0 Landmark
Elizabethtown ETOWN
3-4, 0-1 Landmark
8
Final
9
Susquehanna SUS
6-4, 1-0 Landmark
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Elizabethtown ETOWN 2 1 2 3 8
Susquehanna SUS 2 3 3 1 9

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Susquehanna snaps Jays' 19-game Landmark regular season winning streak

SELINSGROVE, Pa. -- All good things must come to an end.

A young and developing Elizabethtown College men's lacrosse team found that out firsthand on Saturday. Despite a furious push in the last two minutes, Susquehanna held on for a 9-8 victory and became the first team to defeat E-town in a Landmark Conference regular season game since the Blue Jays joined the league in 2015.

Down as many as four goals in the final quarter, Alex Filbert did his best to kickstart Elizabethtown's comeback. The sophomore from Nazareth scored off a pass from Cameron Goodling with 7:36 to play and trimmed Susquehanna's (6-4, 1-0 Landmark) lead to 9-6.

While the Blue Jay defense and goalie Tom Mahoney held the River Hawks scoreless over the final 12:33, Susquehanna's defense did an equally admirable job on the E-town offense following Filbert's goal.

Five precious minutes ticked away before Ben Hiltebeitel made it a two-goal game with 2:18 remaining. After SU's Pierce Mead won the ensuing faceoff, Jeremy Klipple forced an Alec Tzaneteas turnover.

Elizabethtown (3-4, 0-1) re-entered its attacking area, but committed a costly turnover. By the time Scott Nizolak beat Susquehanna goalie Dylan Abplanalp to pull the Jays within a goal, there were a mere 18 seconds left.

Mead would win another massive faceoff --he was 14-of-20 on the day-- and the River Hawks ran out the clock, ending Elizabethtown's 19-game Landmark Conference regular season unbeaten streak.

Mike DiGenova and Mike Scrafano scored goals in the first 1:14 to give the Blue and Gray a pair of early one-goal leads, but Susquehanna went on a 7-1 run that encompassed parts of the second and third.

An 8-3 hole for the Jays after SU midfielder Andrew Porzio's hat trick goal with 6:17 to go in the third proved too much to overcome.

Thomas Palen collected his second man-up goal of the season in the second quarter for E-town. DiGenova and Scrafano each netted their second of the afternoon to cut Susquehanna's lead to 8-5 after three.

Mahoney, making his first start of the season, was tested early and often. Eight of the sophomore's 13 saves came in the first half when the River Hawks out-chanced E-town 16-9. Susquehanna would fire 35 shots to the Jays' 21 overall.

Porzio and Jake Smolokoff led the SU offense with three goals apiece. Colton Dick added two and Mead secured a game-high nine ground balls.

Elizabethtown's non-conference schedule continues Wednesday afternoon with another heavy-hitter. The Blue Jays travel to York (Pa.), currently ranked No. 2 in the USILA Division III Coaches Poll, for a 7 p.m. start.
 
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