MONTCLAIR, N.J. (5/3/22) – Connor Batjer totaled five points on five goals as the third seeded Kean University men's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker to the second seeded Montclair State University, 12-11 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference semifinals on Tuesday evening.
Tyler McCreery totaled nine points on six assists and three goals for the Red Hawks who improve to 12-4 overall and advance Saturday's CSAC championship game against Stockton.
Thomas Francy made 13 saves for the Cougars who finish their season at 10-6 overall.
Montclair and Kean each scored three straight goals as the Red Hawks held a slim 4-3 advantage after 15 minutes of play. In the second quarter, both sides scored on back-to-back goals as MSU maintained a 6-5 lead with 5:22 remaining.
Nick Fischetti helped Kean pull even at halftime as the senior scored with 4:01 remaining for a 6-6 tie at intermission.
The second half was a back and forth affair with Batjer scoring four of his five goals during the second stanza. Kean went ahead 8-7 on back-to-back goals from Batjer and
Anthony Porter, before MSU notched three straight goals for a 10-8 advantage at the end of the third.
Batjer scored twice to open the fourth and even the contest at 10-10 with 9:30 remaining. The Red Hawks responded with back-to-back goals to regain the lead at 12-10 with three minutes remaining. Batjer's third fourth quarter goal helped Kean cut the lead in half at 12-11, but the Cougars couldn't find the equalizer in the final three minutes.
Porter finished with three points on two goals and one assist, while
Kyle Ryder tallied two points on two goals. Fischetti and
Hunter Jenkinson each recorded a point as.
At faceoff,
Christian Baucom went 11-for-25 with five groundballs. On the turf,
Joseph McNulty recorded seven groundballs, while Ryder,
Tyler Brookes and Francy all notched three groundballs apiece. On defense,
Steven Thorne and
Ben Martin collected two caused turnovers apiece.
