NEW LONDON, Conn. (March 25, 2023) – The USMMA men's lacrosse team defeated arch-rival Coast Guard, 19-12, on Saturday afternoon up at Cadet Memorial Field in Connecticut. The Mariners' record improves to 3-4 with their first victory over the Bears since 2017, while USCGA falls to 3-4 in defeat.
 
Seven different players found the back of the net for the Mariners, all finishing with multi-point games, while senior Samuel Stephenson (Boca Raton, Fla.) made 14 saves to earn the win between the pipes.
 
Sophomore Michael Emerick (Damascus, Md.) led Merchant Marine with five goals, while a trio of freshmen recorded four points with three goals and one assist each - William Badeer (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Owen Barcus (Annapolis, Md.) and Jack DeTommaso (Massapequa, N.Y.).
 
Both senior Carter Hall (Annapolis, Md.) and sophomore Jack Collins (Memphis, Tenn.) put forth two-goal and one-assist efforts, and junior Sam Winkler (Moorestown, N.J.) rounded out the scoring with two points on a goal and one helper.
 
Sophomore Chris Neuman (South Huntington, N.Y.) won 19 faceoffs and freshman Michael Hofstetter (Deer Park, N.Y.) tied for the game-high with six groundballs.
 
After falling behind 2-1 in the first three minutes of the game, the Mariners scored five of the next six goals to make it a 6-3 game early in the second quarter. The visitors took a 9-6 lead into the halftime break.
 
Coast Guard pulled within two goals three times early in the third, but once again the Mariners netted five-of-six late in the third to the early fourth quarter to all but put the game away at 16-10 with just 7:37 remaining.
 
For the Bears, Caleb Holdridge led all players on the afternoon with six points on two goals and four assists, while Taylor Gustafson found the back of the net five times. Dan Lucas made 15 saves in the losing effort.
 
Up next, the Mariners return home to the friendly confines of Tomb Field on Wednesday night, March 29, with a matchup against perennial powerhouse MIT. Opening faceoff against the Engineers is scheduled for 7 p.m. Live links for the game can be found on the USMMA Men's Lacrosse Schedule Page.