2024 Skyline Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship – Semifinal
(3) Farmingdale State - 11, (2) U.S. Merchant Marine Academy - 7
THROGGS NECK, N.Y. | Third-seeded Farmingdale State College earned an 11-7 victory Tuesday against No. 2-seed U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in the semifinal round of the 2024 Skyline Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship.
With the victory, FSC (15-3)
 advances to Friday night's championship final at SUNY Maritime College's Reinhart Field, where it will face the winner of Tuesday's other semifinal featuring No. 4-seed Manhattanville University and the top-seeded Privateers.
In the first period, Farmingdale State goalie
Dan Erler (Smithtown, N.Y.) made eight saves – many from point-blank range – to help the Rams to hold a 2-1 edge after 15 minutes of play. Senior
Thomas Stock (Selden, N.Y.) opened the scoring for the third-seed just over five minutes in, before classmate
Rob Varello (Smithtown, N.Y.) doubled the FSC advantage by firing home a pass from junior midfielder
Tyler Kollar (Bellport, N.Y.) with 6:00 left.
The first four goals of the second quarter went the way of the Rams, with a pair from freshman attackman
Adam Giovinco (Syosset, N.Y.) sandwiching single scores by Kollar and junior midfielder
Michael Cassano (Plainview, N.Y.), as Farmingdale State led by a 6-1 count with 3:28 left before halftime. The Mariners (10-5) pulled back one goal less than two minutes before the interval, cutting their deficit to 6-2.
FSC outscored USMMA by a 4-0 edge in the third quarter, with senior midfielder
Kyle Kolano (Babylon, N.Y.) lifting the lid on the scoring 4:33 into the resumption of play. Fellow senior mid
John Carnevale (E. Meadow, N.Y.) converted a pass from Cassano in transition at the 9:15 mark, before Varello notched his second tally of the day from Stock with 76 seconds remaining. Less than four seconds before the third-quarter horn, Kolano scored his second goal of the frame off a behind-cage pass from senior midfielder
Gerardo Maldonado (W. Hempstead), pushing the Rams ahead by a 10-2 margin.
The Mariners came out storming in the fourth quarter, scoring three times in the first 4:02 of play to force a time-out call by FSC. Kolano completed his hat trick at the 9:35 mark, before USMMA pulled to within an 11-7 count with under three minutes to play. Farmingdale State ran down the shot clock on two-consecutive offensive possessions, and kept the Mariners off the scoreboard the rest of the way to advance to Friday's championship final.
Cassano (g, 2a) tied with Kolano with a team-high three points, with Maldonado dishing out two assists from his midfield position. Stock and Kollar both finished with a goal and an assist. Erler finished with 14 saves, with senior face-off specialist
Antonio Kaminskey (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) helping the Rams earn possession on a 15-of-23 effort at the midfield "x." Freshman long-stick midfielder
Sean Lawson (Mattituck, N.Y.) scooped six ground balls and swiped a game-high four caused turnovers, while Varello notched three takeaways in the riding game.
