UNION, N.J. (5/1/21) – Connor Batjer and Anthony Porter combined for 11 points as the second seed Kean University men's lacrosse team advanced to the Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship game with a 16-7 defeat of third seed Montclair State University in the tournament semifinals on Saturday evening.

Kean advances to their first conference championship game since 2014 when they faced Montclair State for the Skyline Conference Championship.

Porter totaled six points on five assists and one goal for the Cougars who improve to 9-1 overall. Robert Brennan finished with three points on three goals for the Red Hawks who finish their season at 7-5 overall.

Kean scored four unanswered to open the contest, highlighted by Max Stevens first career goal to close the quarter.

The second quarter saw MSU notch three goals to cut Kean's lead to 5-3 with 5:45 remaining in the half. The Cougars responded by closing out the half with another four unanswered goals, including scores by Justin Arredondo, Stevens, George Capria, and Batjer. Kean maintained a 9-3 advantage at halftime.

The third quarter saw Kean increase their lead to 11-5 with a second goal from both Brady Moore and Tommy Pellegrino. Moore and Pellegrino each notched a goal in the opening quarter.

In the fourth, Kean added to their scoring total with goals by Dean Gillette, Danny Bill, Batjer, and Alex Hufford.  

On faceoffs, Stevens finished 10-for-20 with three groundballs.

On defense, Gregory Castor totaled six groundballs and five caused turnovers, while Matt Tanis and Matt Palmieri both tallied two groundballs and a caused turnover.

In goal, Thomas Francy finished with a season-high 18 saves in 60 minutes of work between the pipes.

Head Coach Shelley Sheiner and the Cougars will return to action on Saturday, May 8^th, in Galloway, N.J. against the top seeded Ospreys of Stockton University in the CSAC Championship beginning at 1:00 p.m.