#16 Sacred Heart Defeats Manhattan to Claim Share of Regular Season Title and #1 Seed in MAAC Championships

Wednesday, April 23

3:00 PM

Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics

11-2, 7-1

Manhattan University

6-8, 4-4

Manhattan

Sacred Heart

Photo by: Jack Cavicchi

#16 Sacred Heart Defeats Manhattan to Claim Share of Regular Season Title and #1 Seed in MAAC Championships

4/23/2025 6:05:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

SHU has won seven games in a row

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — The #16 nationally ranked Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team pulled off a dramatic second-half comeback to secure an 11-7 victory over Manhattan in the final Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season game on Wednesday afternoon on Campus Field. The Pioneers have won seven games in a row as they secured a share of the MAAC regular season title and the number one seed in the MAAC Championships for the second straight season.

For the first time in school history, SHU will host the MAAC Championship Tournament, starting with a pair of semifinal games on May 1, followed by the Championship game on May 3.

Records:
#16 Sacred Heart: 11-2 (7-1 MAAC)
Manhattan: 6-8, 4-4 (MAAC)

Leaders:
John Murray: 3 goals (3 points)
Ryan Rooney: 2 goals, 1 assist (3 points)
Michael Moreschi: 3 assists (3 points)
Dom Basti: 2 goals (2 points)
Will Moulton: 1 goal, 1 assist (2 points)

Of Note:
Trailing 6–5 heading into the final period, Sacred Heart flipped the script with an offensive surge. Senior John Murray led the Pioneers with a hat trick, including two goals in the final frame to seal the victory. Sacred Heart's surge began just 32 seconds into the fourth with Murray's second tally of the day, knotting the game at 6–6. Rooney followed with back-to-back strikes in less than a minute, before assisting on Will Moulton's goal to cap a 4–0 run in under three minutes. The Jaspers answered with one but Tim Kiely and Murray scored the final two goals of the game to secure the Pios win.

Manhattan kept pace early, holding a 5–2 advantage at the halftime break. However, the Jaspers managed just one goal over the game's final 15 minutes as the Pioneers' defense tightened and graduate goalie Alex Pazienza made timely stops, finishing with 11 saves on 18 shots on goal.

Faceoff specialist Luke Romanek dominated the X, winning 12 of 18 faceoffs and scooping up six ground balls. MP Thomas went three of four with one ground ball from the faceoff X.

Up Next:
The Pioneers will host the MAAC Championships, starting with a pair of semifinal games, on May 1. Times and opponents are TBA.