The Maritime College men's lacrosse team picked up their third straight win over USMMA as they defeated the Mariners by a score of 14-10 on Saturday afternoon to retain the Hagedorn Cup. The Privateers last two wins came in 2019 when they beat the Mariners in the regular season 19-9 and then again in the Skyline Conference championship 16-13. Despite already having a game under their belts and USMMA taking the field for the first time in over a year, the Privateers got off to a slow start as they trailed early on by a score of 4-1. Maritime bounced back at the end of the first quarter and start of the second with back-to-back goals from Brian Drost (Shoreham, NY/Shoreham-Wading River) and Matthew Guercio (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East), but the Mariners never relinquished their lead. Down 8-6 with under a minute to play in the first half, the Privateers had possession and were hoping to make it a one-score game at the buzzer, but USMMA forced a quick turnover and scored a huge goal with four seconds left to make it 9-6 at halftime. That last second goal ultimately proved to be a difference maker for Maritime because they came out strong on both ends of the field in the second half. Defensively, they only allowed one goal in the entire second half, and offensively they scored four unanswered goals to open the third and fourth quarters to erase the lead for the Mariners and take a 10-9 advantage of their own. After USMMA tied the game back up at 10, junior midfielder Kyle Orton (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen) scored an impressive unassisted goal with nine minutes left in the game that gave the Privateers a big momentum boost down the stretch. Following the goal from Orton, Mike Leake (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) and Patrick Schnell (Jericho, NY/Jericho) combined to score three more goals to ice the game and retain the Hagedorn Cup with a 14-10 victory. Offensively, Mike Leake (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) led the way with six points on four goals and two assists, while Bryan Keegan (Lake Grove, N.Y./Sachem North) chipped in three goals and an assist. Also scoring for the Privateers was Alex Ellis (Massapequa, NY/Kellenberg Memorial), Schnell, Drost, Connor Buschle (Bellport, NY/St. John the Baptist), Orton, Matthew Guercio (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East), and Garrett Vincent (Tequesta, Fla./Jupiter Community). Nick Butler (Northport, NY/Northport) and Collin Flannery (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) also added an assist each in the game. Defensively, Maritime caused eight turnovers and basically shut down all offensive attempts by USMMA the entire second half. Kyle Bockelman (Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) played outstanding in goal and earned the win with 12 saves on 33 shots faced. Kevin Buser (Babylon, NY/) dominated his brother at faceoffs by winning 17 of 28 faceoffs throughout the game. Buser, Guercio, and Butler led the team in ground balls with five each. "We knew today would be a four-quarter battle and we were telling the team all week that we need to maintain our standards and even though we beat them twice two years ago, we needed to prove that we could beat them two years in a row," said head coach Justin Manjares. "I'm really proud of them for fighting all 60 minutes and earning the win, but we still have a lot to work on and need to get off to better starts." The Privateers will hope to improve to 3-0 in conference play on Tuesday when they host Manhattanville at 7:00 p.m. on Reinhart Field. Click below to watch post-game interviews with Kevin Buser (Babylon, NY/), Kyle Orton (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen), and Coach Manjares.