SCRANTON, PA-The York College men's lacrosse team finished their regular season in stellar fashion as they defeated the University of Scranton 10-9 in the Spartan season finale in Scranton, PA on Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans trailed 4-3 after the first quarter of play. The green and white tied the game in the second, outscoring the Royals 2-1 in the period as the teams went to the half tied at five.
Attackman Brendan Brace (Bethpage, NY/Bethpage) scored his two goals in the third period as the green and white scored four goals to take a 9-7 lead.
The Spartans pushed the lead up to 10-7 on a Ricky Cherba (Annapolis, MD/Annapolis) goal early in the fourth period. York then held off a late Scanton charge to earn the win. The Royals had possession with less than a minute to play but the Spartans forced a turnover and then ran out the clock, preserving the victory.
Spartan netminder Evan Mazzocchi (Swarthmore, PA/Strath Haven) made a career-high 24 saves to earn the win. Mazzocchi allowed eight goals in 59:50 of action. Scanton's Thomas Kenyon made seven saves for the Royals.
The Spartans received a game-high four goals from senior Scott Hermes (New Freedom, PA/Mervo) as he played his final game in the green and white. Fellow senior Ryan Wynne (Mt. Airy, MD/South Carroll) also played well in his final game for the Spartans as he notched two goals and two assists. Brace added a pair of goals while Jason Kemper (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air) and Cherba each added one tally. Kemper dished out three assists while Brace added two. Cherba and Hermes each chipped in with one assist each.
Timothy Miller led the Royals with three goals while Dennis Mahon added two goals.
Hermes and Wynne joined Justin Johnson (Bel Air, MD/Bel Air) in playing their final games for the Spartans. Hermes leaves as the Spartans' all-time leading goal scorer and point scorer. Hermes ends his career with 104 goals and 49 assists for 153 points. Wynne finishes his two-year Spartan career with 39 goals and 40 assists for 79 points. Johnson, a defensive midfielder, closes out his two-year career with three goals and two assists for five points.
The Spartans conclude their season at 4-10.