STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart men's lacrosse team scored three straight goals in the fourth quarter Saturday at Hameline Field to overcome an 8-6 deficit and beat the Wagner Seahawks 9-8. The win keeps the Pioneers in the hunt for the fourth and final spot in the Northeast Conference Tournament.

Jerome Rigor (Pleasanton, Calif.) led Sacred Heart with four points on the day, scoring two goals with two assists. Julian Garritano (Markham, Ont.) and Brian Masi (Smithtown, N.Y.) each had two goals, while Matt Posch (Brookhaven, N.Y.) and Alex Dodge (Smithtown, N.Y.) both had a goal and an assist.  Senior goalie Jon Flood (Bay Shore, N.Y.) made seven saves in goal.

Wagner (4-7, 1-3 NEC) won the opening faceoff and scored on its opening possession, as Patrick McMenamin scored at the 12:45 mark to give the Seahawks a 1-0 lead. Sacred Heart tied the game with 6:15 remaining in the first quarter on an alley dodge goal by Masi. Mike Calvagna (Holbrook, N.Y.) won the next faceoff, which led to a Bryce Jurk (Burlington, Ont.) shot that was saved by Wagner goalie Anthony Peruso.  The Pioneers took the lead, 2-1, with 1:27 left in the opening quarter. It started with Mark Macdonald (Billerica, Mass.) forcing a Wagner turnover and starting the clear. Garritano finished the rush by putting home a pass from Rigor.

The Seahawks tied the game 2-2 early in the second quarter. Billy Orme let loose a low roller right in front of the Sacred Heart net with 13:56 remaining to level the game. Wagner then won the ensuing faceoffs and fired four straight shots, including one that hit the post. The Pioneers broke the tie at the 6:59 mark. Rigor threw a diagonal pass to Masi, who fired a shot from 10 yards out past Peruso to make the score 3-2. Ian Farley (Camillus, N.Y.) then put Sacred Heart up 4-2 with 4:25 remaining with a man-up goal from Posch. Wagner closed to within one goal before halftime, as David DeCirce tallied a man-up goal at the 3:02 mark to make the score 4-3.

Sacred Heart (6-6, 2-3 NEC) and Wagner traded goals to start the third quarter. Orme tied the game 4-4 1:38 into the third quarter with his second goal of the game for the Seahawks. The Pioneers took back the lead less than a minute later when Rigor cut from behind the net and scored into the top corner of the cage, giving Sacred Heart a 5-4 advantage. Wagner responded with goals from McMenamin and Billy Battaglia 1:16 apart to take a 6-5 lead. Rigor scored his second goal of the quarter with 3:31 to play to tie the game 6-6. The Seahawks took a 7-6 lead in the final minute of the third, as Orme completed his hat trick.

Wagner extended its lead to 8-6 with 13:19 remaining in the game. Andrew Streilein collected the groundball off of a McMenamin shot that hit the crossbar and scored to put the Seahawks up by two. Wagner then went on the extra-man, but Calvagna won the faceoff and Sacred Heart killed the penalty in the Seahawks' end of the field. Dodge started the Pioneers' comeback with his goal at the 11:56 mark, making the score 8-7. Posch capped off his first career two-point game with a man-up goal with 7:27 remaining, getting an assist from Jurk. Garritano capped the rally with his goal at the 4:26 mark, giving Sacred Heart the 9-8 lead. Flood made the lead hold up with a save on a Paul DeVita shot with 1:49 to play.

The Seahawks outshot the Pioneers 31-21 and held a 28-20 advantage in groundballs. Sacred Heart was 2-for-5 on the extra man, while Wagner was 2-for-4.

The Pioneers close the regular season on Saturday, April 25 when they host Saint Joseph's at 1 p.m. at Campus Field for Senior Day. A Sacred Heart win or a Mount St. Mary's loss will send the Pioneers to their third consecutive NEC Tournament.