Keuka takes NEAC Championship Tournament title behind Leonard performance

Senior goalkeeper, Brett Leonard (Syracuse, NY) made 23 saves, including eight in the final frame, to lead second seed Keuka College men's lacrosse to an 8-7 victory over top seeded Morrisville State College in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Championship Tournament final Saturday afternoon in Morrisville.



Morrisville State drops to 12-4 overall while Keuka concluded their season with a 10-5 record.



Mike Crumlish (Rochester, NY) gave Keuka the early 1-0 lead just 1:33 into the contest, but Morrisville State responded with three straight tallies, two from Adam Lewis (Painted Post, NY) and one from Kevin Wilkerson (Nedrow, NY) for the two goal advantage after the first.



In the second, Keuka's Gino Marcello (Rochester, NY) brought the Storm to within one, and Scott Miller (Penn Yan, NY) added another nearly two minutes later to tie the contest at three. Thomas Owens (Cazenovia, NY) tallied a man advantage score midway through the quarter to regain the lead for the Mustangs, but Keuka posted three straight unanswered tallies to claim the 6-4 lead at the break.



Lewis posted both goals for the Mustangs in the third to knot the contest at six, but Mark Butto (Rochester, NY) put Keuka ahead with his second score of the afternoon with 9:03 to go, and David Miller (East Syracuse, NY) posted another for the Storm just a minute later for the 8-6 lead.



With 6:37 remaining, Devin Maxwell (Culver City, CA) brought Morrisville State to within one, but Leonard shut out the Mustangs for the remainder of the quarter to secure the victory for the Storm.



Marcello and Butto each tallied two goals and an assist in the victory for Keuka, while Leonard posted 23 total saves in between the pipes, 14 in the second half, earning him Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament.



Lewis led the Mustangs with four goals, while Owens and Maxwell contributed one score and assisted another each.



Micheal Hinchey (Lake Katrine, NY) recorded the loss in net, making 16 stops.



Morrisville State out shot Keuka 44-30, and held the 38-30 advantage in ground balls, and will await NCAA and ECAC tournament selection.