KINGS POINT, N.Y. (May 2, 2023) – The USMMA men's lacrosse team exorcised its demons of seasons past on Tuesday night, defeating the third-seeded Farmingdale State Rams in the Skyline Semifinals after being eliminated by them two years in-a-row, getting the monkey off their backs with an 11-9 victory to clinch its first Championship Game Appearance since 2019.

Game Link

• Box Score

In a back-and-forth game, the Mariners showed resilience as both sides traded body blows but The Academy prevailed to earn a right to play for an NCAA Tournament berth on Friday.
 
Netminder Samuel Stephenson (Boca Raton, Fla.) led the Mariners with a season-high eight ground balls, stopping 13 shots over 22 attempts for a 59.1% save percentage.
 
Carter Hall (Annapolis, Md.) led the offensive charge with a team-best four points on four goals with Jack Collins (Memphis, Tenn.) and Michael Emerick (Damascus, Md.) right behind him at three points, the former with two assists plus a goal as the latter had a pair of scores plus an assist.
 
Dom Mirack (Stevensville, Md.) set a new campaign-most for grounders with seven while Michael Valentine IV (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) caused two Rams turnovers, the only two student-athlete for Merchant Marine to force multiple miscues.
 
The Blue and Gray travel across the bridge for a rematch of the 2019 Championship battle against SUNY Maritime on Friday at 7 p.m. on Reinhart Field. Live links for the game can be found on the USMMA Men's Lacrosse Schedule Page.
 
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