RIVERDALE, N.Y.—For the first time in program history, the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team is championship game bound after defeating fifth-seeded Siena College 15-13 in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) semifinal on Thursday afternoon at Gaelic Park. The Pioneers, the number one seed in the tournament, picked up their first MAAC postseason win and extended their win streak to 10 to advance to the championship game on Saturday.
 
Alex Pazienza made a career-high 19 saves in-between the pipes, coming up huge in the final two minutes to secure the win for the Pioneers. Jake Ward led SHU offensively with four goals.
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 12-4, 9-0 MAAC
Siena: 8-8, 5-4 MAAC
 
Top Performers:
Jake Ward: 4 goals (4 points)
Carson Spooner: 2 goals, 2 assists (4 points)
Morgan O'Reilly: 3 goals (3 points)
Tucker Spencer: 2 goals, 1 assist (3 points) 
Alex Pazienza: 19 saves
 
Of Note:
Siena scored first but a man-up opportunity gave Sacred Heart the push they needed as James Moran got the Pios on the board and sparked a four-goal run with a pair of goals from Ward and one for Morgan O'Reilly. The Saints cut the run with a goal at 6:39 but Ward completed the first period hat trick to take a 5-2 lead. Siena added one more at 1:49 but SHU held the 5-3 edge heading into the second.
 
Michael Moreschi got scoring going in the second with his lone of the day at 13:12 but Siena answered to cut their deficit to two. Carson Spooner scored his first of the day at 6:36 as Sacred Heart fired away three straight goals to jump ahead 9-4 heading into halftime.
 
Ward and Tucker Spencer continued the Pios run into the third, extending the lead to the largest of the game at 11-4. Siena scored back-to-back goals, but Will Moulton scored with 11 seconds left to keep SHU ahead, 12-6 heading into the final quarter.
 
The Saints put up a fight in the final frame, outscoring the Pioneers 7-3. Caden Olmstead scored first, sparking a three-goal run for Siena, pulling within three at 8:51. Ryan Rooney put one away for SHU to jump back ahead by four, but Siena scored three straight goals again to pull within one, 13-12 with 3:24 remaining. The Saints had a man-up opportunity in the final two minutes but thanks to the standout performance of Pazienza with back-to-back saves, the Pioneers were able to kill the penalty.
 
With 42 seconds left, O'Reilly scored his third of the day to put SHU ahead by two, but Siena took advantage of a man-up opportunity to pull within one, again, with 30 seconds left in the game. Nicky Casano won the key face off for Sacred Heart to get possession as time was winding down. The Pios found Spooner, who was able to get it to the cage and put the game away for the 15-13 final.
 
Up Next:
Sacred Heart improved its win streak to 10 and will face the winner of #2 LIU vs #3 Manhattan in the MAAC Championship game on Saturday at 11:00 AM at Gaelic Park at Manhattan College.