MCC men hang on to defeat Mercyhurst

ROCHESTER - The MCC men's lacrosse team pulled away for a 9-5 victory over Mercyhurst North East in the opening round of the NJCAA Region III tournament Wednesday afternoon.

The Tribunes (9-2) now advance to the regional semifinals on Saturday, where they will face Genesee Community College at 1:30 p.m. in Syracuse. The game will also serve as a district championship, with the winner qualifying for nationals.

Monroe jumped out to a quick lead on Wednesday, as Nick Kallio scored off a Zack DeFazio feed just 1:07 in for a 1-0 lead. Brandon Barnhart and DeFazio then tallied to make it 3-0.

The Saints responded with a pair of power play goals and another score to tie it at 3.

MCC then registered three straight to take a 6-3 lead at the half. Barnhart scored the first and then assisted on a goal by Kallio. Chantz Sellers added the final tally.

The teams then traded goals in the second half, and Mark Campbell and the Tribune defense kept the Saints from getting any closer than three over the final 30 minutes.

Barnhart finished with three goals and two assists, while Kallio and Sellers added two goals each for Monroe. DeFazio had one goal and one assist, and Reed Perestam chipped in with a goal.

Campbell stopped 10 shots in the cage for the Tribunes while also picking off three Saint passes. Trevor Knoepfler scooped up a team-high five ground balls and caused a pair of Mercyhurst turnovers.