Danny Mallay	Christopher Crapanzano	Shayne Fallon

Box Score

SCRANTON - Senior Danny Mallay (South Hempstead, N.Y./South Side) scored the eventual game-winner with five minutes left in regulation, as The University of Scranton men's lacrosse team knocked off Elizabethtown, 10-9, in a Landmark Conference thriller at Weiss Field on Saturday.

The win (which was Scranton's first over Elizabethtown since 2014), pushed the Royals' record to 3-1 overall and in the Landmark Conference. ETown dropped to 1-1 overall and in the Landmark with the tough defeat.

To start on Saturday, the Royals came out on fire, opening a lead early on for the second straight game. This time, Scranton scored four straight goals in the opening frame after giving up the first tally of the match, as a score by freshman Alex Eglitis (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) gave Scranton a 4-1 lead with six minutes left in the quarter.

Once Scranton opened a lead in the first half, they never relinquished it, even after ETown cut their deficit down to 4-3 early in the second quarter. There, the Royals scored back-to-back goals to end the first half, as they rode a wave of momentum into halftime with a 6-3 lead.

To open the second half, Scranton got on the board quickly to go up, 7-3, their biggest lead of the match. But, Etown attacked back strongly to end the third, as they scored four unanswered goals to knot the game up at 7-7 all entering the fourth.

There, ETown continued to score, tallying two more goals to take a 9-7 lead over the Royals with 10:01 left. The 6-0 run by the Blue Jays could have sunk the Royals for the day, but in an afternoon of scoring runs, Scranton got the last laugh.

First, with 6:53 left, senior Jalen Holmes (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) scored unassisted to cut the ETown lead to 9-8. Less than a minute later, junior Sean Crotty (Long Beach, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) scored (also unassisted) to just like that, tie the game back up at 9-9.

Then, with 5:06 left, Mallay scored the eventual game-winner off an assist from Holmes to give the Royals a 10-9 lead that they would hold the rest of the match. But, the win didn't come easy for Scranton down the stretch.

First, with four minutes left, the Royals were called for a penalty, setting up an extra man opportunity for ETown. Scranton, however, turned away the Blue Jays from scoring, as senior Shayne Fallon (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) made a save on the lone shot attempt of the sequence.

In the game's final minute, Scranton forced an ETown turnover with 52 seconds left, but on their next trip down the field, turned it right back over to the Blue Jays, setting up one final scoring chance for ETown.

The final moments of the contest saw ETown have one last attempt at a score at the buzzer, but Fallon once again came up huge, making a save on the shot to preserve the win and cause a wild celebration at midfield for Scranton.

Overall, two players scored multiple goals on the day for Scranton - Crotty and junior Cole Lukasiewicz (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) - who both scored two goals and each added an assist. The score sheet was rounded out by Mallay, Holmes, Eglitis, juniors Steve Apicella (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) and Mike Bouhall (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) and freshman Matthew McAree (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset), who all scored one goal, apiece.

The Scranton attack was set up all match by sophomore Christopher Crapanzano (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge), who was absolutely dominant on the face-off, winning 20-of-22 in the victory. Crapanzano also ended the game with 15 ground balls, rounding out an impressive afternoon.

Finally, in net, Fallon had a big game, making 10 saves, including two in the final four minutes that preserved the victory for the Royals.

The University of Scranton men's lacrosse team returns to action on Wednesday, traveling to Drew for another Landmark Conference showdown. The match gets underway at 4:30 p.m.

--ROYALS--