Emmitsburg, Md.—The historic season continues for the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team. The Pioneers defeated Mount St. Mary's 16-5 on the road on Saturday afternoon in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action, extending their win streak to eight, remaining undefeated in conference play, and claiming the 2024 MAAC Regular Season Title.

That's not all. Alex Pazienza and the Pioneers broke the SHU DI program record for wins in a season with 10. With his fourth goal of the day, Morgan O'Reilly tallied his 100th career goal, and with a six-point performance, Jake Ward eclipsed 100 career points.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 10-4, 8-0 MAAC
Mount St. Mary's: 1-13, 1-7 MAAC

Top Performers:
Morgan O'Reilly: 6 goals, 2 assists (8 points)
Jake Ward: 3 goals, 3 assists (6 points)
Carson Spooner: 2 goals, 2 assists (4 points)
Michael Moreschi: 3 assists (3 points)
Tucker Spencer: 2 goals (2 points)
Alex Pazienza: 9 saves (10-4)

Of Note:
Sacred Heart got out to a bit of a slow start, trailing 3-1 through a majority of the opening frame. O'Reilly scored his first of the day at 3:22 in the first quarter, sparking a seven-goal run that extended into the second period. Spooner, Johnny Morgan, and Ward each scored following O'Reilly's spark to give SHU a 5-3 advantage heading into the second.

Spooner, Tucker Spencer, and James Moran each added a goal in the run for the Pios, taking an 8-3 lead in the second. Mount St. Mary's scored once, but O'Reilly added a man-up goal to secure a 9-4 advantage at halftime.

O'Reilly quickly opened the third period with another man-up goal just 16 seconds after the break. Almost two minutes later, he scored his third straight goal and fourth of the day, tallying his 100th career goal as the Pios took an 11-4 lead. Ward scored next at 12:03 in the third, collecting the 100th point of his career and fifth point of the day. The Mountaineers scored at 9:25 in the third, but O'Reilly and Ryan Rooney added a goal each to put SHU ahead 14-5 heading into the final frame.

O'Reilly scored his sixth of the day, and Spencer capped the scoring as the Pioneers shutout Mount in the final quarter, taking the 16-5 victory.

Senior goalie Alex Pazienza made nine saves for SHU as he broke the program DI record for wins in a season.

The Pioneers were perfect on man-up opportunities, going 2-for-2.

With the win, Sacred Heart has clinched at least a share of the 2024 MAAC Regular Season Title, for the first time in program history. 

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will wrap up the regular season with a road game at Canisius next Saturday, April 20th, at noon.