OWINGS MILLS, Md.– Since joining the MAC in 2013, Stevenson Men's Lacrosse has run the table in the MAC Commonwealth. Eastern University Men's Lacrosse won the last unified MAC Championship in 2012 and had a good deal of success in the MAC Freedom. That success, however, did not match the 70 straight contests that the Mustangs had won against league opponents. The visiting Eagles gave the Mustangs all they could handle before falling, 10-9, in overtime.

Eastern fell behind two goals early, but Connor Bachman bounced in a shot off a pass from Siam Owen to give the Eagles something to get excited about with eight minutes to go in the opening quarter. The Mustangs responded with a goal, but Connor Killion laced a high hard shot into a top corner to close the gap to 3-2. After Stevenson scored with three and a half minutes left in the quarter, Owen found Jake Gottschalk to pull the Eagles back to within one.

"You get there," Head Coach Kevin Wallace said of the game, "and they are going to try to intimidate you from the start. The big stands and the horn, and the talk, and they thought we would fold. Our guys were not intimidated. We took the physical play and matched it. We need to execute better down the stretch, but this is the mentally toughest group I have coached. Our last three games have had really good defense and goalie play against three good teams."

Through the first period, first-year goalie Ethan Myers made several great stops, and the goal began to look a little smaller for the hosts. Myers made six of his 11 saves in the first quarter.

Early in the second, Nicholas Fanelli fed his older brother Kyle for goal to tie the game at 4-4. It is the tenth time this year that a Fanelli has fed a Fanelli for a goal. The two combined three times last year. Less than two minutes later Nicholas fed Killion for the lead. Stevenson found a goal to tie, but Kyle Mulrane scored late in the half to send the Eagles to the locker room with a 6-5 lead.

The Eagles were dominant on defense in the third quarter. Stevenson put only two shots on cage in the frame and Killion netted two goals to build an 8-5 lead headed to the fourth. Cole Millard set up both Killion goals. ON the first, Millard reached a career milestone with his 100th caused turnover. He stripped the ball free and scooped the ground ball before firing it up the field where Killion beat his man and scored in transition. For the next goal, Millard caught the Mustangs out of position on a ten-man ride. His long pass hit Killion for an open net opportunity.

Though the Mustangs scored the first goal of the fourth, Connor Bachman answered to rebuild the three-goal lead at the midpoint of the final frame. Stevenson chipped away and tied the game with 45 seconds left. The Eagles had the final possession after Patrick McClain won the faceoff, but the Stevenson defense answered the challenge and kept the Eagles on the perimeter for the final 40 seconds of regulation. A penalty on the opening faceoff of overtime gave Stevenson the window to the game -winner. Jacob Tatum scored from in close to end the game.

Chris Durning grabbed nine ground balls and forced four turnovers to continue to move up Eastern's career list. He is now the career leader with 113 caused turnovers. He is two ground balla short of the program record set in 2003 by Brian Miller. Durning has 393 career ground balls.

The Eagles (5-3, 3-2 MAC Commonwealth) will pay at Lebanon Valley on Wednesday.