By Abrielle Tutino
Susquehanna men’s lacrosse faced a tough test Saturday afternoon, falling to Arcadia University 23– 5 at home.
After the face off, Arcadia jumped out quickly, scoring seven goals in the first quarter to take a 7–2 lead. The Knights used a fast offensive pace to pull away early and would keep that same intensity throughout the game.
Sophomore Tyler Young put Susquehanna on the board midway through the opening frame, cutting the deficit to 3–1, before first-year Matt Chubenko added another goal to make it 4–2.
Despite early offensive flashes, the River Hawks struggled to slow Arcadia’s attack as the visitors continued to find momentum.
The Knights extended their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring Susquehanna 8–2 to carry a 15–4 lead into halftime.
First-year Quin Michaels scored early in the second period for Susquehanna, while Young added his second goal of the game later in the quarter, but Arcadia’s consistent scoring runs proved difficult to contain.
Chubenko recorded his second goal in the third quarter to make the score 15–5, marking the River Hawks’ final goal of the afternoon. Arcadia closed the game with eight unanswered goals across the third and fourth quarters to secure the 23–5 victory.
Chubenko and Young each finished with two goals, while Michaels added one. Junior Pat McDermott led the playmaking effort for Susquehanna with two assists, while seniors Jimmy Maro and Nick Remund each contributed one assist.
In goal, sophomore Jack Storipan got the start before sophomore Will Harcourt and first-year Greyson Stewart split time in relief, with Harcourt and Stewart recording four saves each.
According to Harcourt, the defensive approach entering the game played a significant role in the outcome.
“I think our biggest challenge was our plan going into the game,” Harcourt said. “We had planned to not double team them at all in order to minimize penalties, but it ended up isolating our defensive middies and leading them on an island to defend a dodge with no slides.”
Despite the loss, the River Hawks saw positives in their offensive balance, with multiple players contributing to the scoring effort.
“Seeing some diversity in our scorers is definitely a positive because having multiple threats on offense is much harder to defend than just having one standout scorer,” Harcourt said.
Early-season matchups continue to serve as learning opportunities for Susquehanna as the team prepares for conference play.
“We’re definitely focusing on turning our early out-of-conference games into learning experiences,” Harcourt said. “We watch film after all of our games and break down what we did wrong and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes twice.”
The River Hawks will look to bounce back as they begin a four-game road stretch, starting on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at Misericordia.