ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland men's lacrosse team survived a third quarter push by SUNY Morrisville Saturday afternoon (May 6) to emerge as the 2023 United East Conference Men's Lacrosse Champions.
 
St. Mary's College (14-5), the No. 1 seed, repeated as United East champions with a 17-10 win over the second-seeded Mustangs (9-5). With the win, the Seahawks notch the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament.
 
Additionally, senior Mitch Boudreau (Towson, Md./Towson) earned Tournament MVP honors after winning 34-of-38 face-offs, scooping up 21 ground balls, and scoring a goal between the semifinal and championship games. Boudreau's 13th face-off win of the afternoon was the 400th of his career.
 
The Seahawks will find out Sunday, May 7, at 9:00 p.m. who their next opponent will be when the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Selection Show airs on NCAA.com.
 
How It Happened

• It was a tight battle in the first quarter as Morrisville drew first blood with a Daniel Squires tally before the Seahawks responded with two goals in less than a minute to stake their first lead of the game, 2-1, at 10:42.
• The Mustangs then answered with three straight to reclaim the lead at 4-2 with 1:50 to go in the first. Boudreau closed the gap to 4-3 as he scored a fast-break goal after winning the face-off, sparking a 7-0 run by St. Mary's that carried them from the first period into the third for a five-goal cushion with 12:18 remaining in the third.
• Morrisville put together a 5-1 run, pulling within 10-9 on a Dante Patriarco man-up goal at 3:02. The Mustangs were unable to reestablish a lead as St. Mary's closed out the game on a 7-1 spurt to pull away.

Inside the Box Score

• Boudreau continued his dominance at face-off X, winning 19-of-23 face-offs and disrupting any offensive rhythm for Morrisville.
• The Seahawks fired off 54 shots to Morrisville's 25 while St. Mary's gained a 38-20 advantage in ground balls.
• It was a sloppy game with both sides combining for 51 turnovers.
• Both man-down defensive units worked hard all day to kill off 21 penalties. St. Mary's killed four of seven Morrisville extra-man opportunities while the Mustangs allowed only four EMO goals in 11 Seahawk attempts.

 
St. Mary's College Game Notes

• Senior attackman Walker Krizman (Damascus, Md./Damascus) found the back of the net a career-tying four times to finish as the game's top goal-scorer.
• The leading point-getter was junior midfielder Johnny McGrain (Lutherville-Timonium, Md./Dulaney) as McGrain tallied a career-matching five points on two goals and a career-best three assists.
• Sophomore attackman Keegan Preis (Upper Falls, Md./Loyola Blakefield) had a hand in four goals this afternoon, dishing out a game-best four dimes.
• Junior LSM Bryce Howard (North Beach, Md./Northern) helped to interrupt Morrisville's transition game with season-bests of four grounders and two caused turnovers.
• Senior goalie Ben Robertson (Davidsonville, Md./South River) turned away seven Mustang shots for his 14th win between the pipes.

 
Morrisville Game Notes

• Patriarco and Squires each put up three goals to lead the Mustangs while Zach Nestor contributed two goals and two assists.
• Dylan LaPlace made 14 stops to keep Morrisville in the game.

Up Next for the Seahawks

• May 10 vs. TBA – NCAA Tournament First Round

 
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