Farmingdale State - 19, Manhattanville - 8
PURCHASE, N.Y. | The Farmingdale State College men's lacrosse team jumped out to a 7-2 halftime lead Tuesday night, and scored 12 consecutive goals while holding host Manhattanville College scoreless for nearly a 26-minute stretch, as the visiting Rams (10-3, 4-2 Skyline) captured a 19-8 decision over the Valiants (3-11, 2-4).
With the victory, Farmingdale State clinched a berth in next week's four-team Skyline Conference Championship. Semifinals play gets underway on Wednesday, May 4, with the championship final taking place on Saturday, May 7. Seeds and pairings will be determined after regular-season play wraps up around the conference this weekend.
A trio of FSC attackers registered six-point outings, including sophomore mid Thomas Stock (Selden, N.Y.), who scored a career-high five goals to lead all players. Senior attack Terrence Haggerty (Centerport, N.Y.) and senior mid Johnny McMahon (Albertson, N.Y.) each netted a hat trick, while tying for the game-high with three assists apiece. Junior midfielder Hunter Lyons (E. Islip, N.Y.) netted a hat trick, while sophomore Antonio Kaminskey (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) helped control possession for Farmingdale State with a 14-of-21 display at the face-off "x" to go with a game-high 11 ground balls.
Stock opened the scoring 34 seconds after the opening whistle, before the Valiants' Sean Larkin (White Plains, N.Y.) leveled with 9:08 to go in the first period. FSC then scored the next five goals from as many different players, with Lyons's tally with 3:54 to go in the half putting his side ahead 6-1. Nick Cornelia (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) pulled one back for Manhattanville 28 seconds later, before McMahon's score in the closing seconds gave FSC a 7-2 halftime edge.
Farmingdale State blew things open in the third period, scoring nine unanswered times in the 15-minute session to take control for good. Three of Stock's goals came during the stanza, including a pair of unassisted efforts in the final 4:02 of the frame.
Junior goalie Kevin Loonie (Lynbrook, N.Y.) continued his stellar season to earn the victory in the FSC cage, making seven saves while allowing two goals in his 50:31 of time on the field. Senior long-stick middie Nick Bucholz (Holbrook, N.Y.) caused a career-high five turnovers at the top of the Rams' zone defense, while junior defender Gino Luchetti (Farmingville, N.Y.) added four.
Head coach Sean Chamberlain's Rams will round out regular-season Skyline Conference play Friday night, when they play host to Purchase College on Senior Night. Opening face-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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