KEUKA PARK, N.Y. – The Keuka College Men's Lacrosse team defeated Cazenovia College 17-8 on Wednesday in the North Eastern Athletic Conference Semi-Finals at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex

Keuka College (12-2), the two seed, advances to the championship game on Saturday where they will face hosts Morrisville State College, the conference's regular season champions.

Seniors Tyler Skowronski and Matt Beebe each scored four goals for Keuka. Beebe added three assists for a seven point game. Andrew Burns finished with a hat trick and both Brendan King and Ryan Waldron added a pair of goals. Rounding out the scoring for Keuka was Matt Mahalick and Cody Nitzke, each with a goal. Mahalick also set a new career-high with three assists in the game.

The Green and Gold got out to a fast start against Cazenovia. Ryan Waldron got the opening goal of the game for Keuka two minutes in. That started an 8-0 run for the home team to build an early advantage in the first quarter. Twice in the quarter Keuka scored a pair of goals less than 30 seconds apart. Cazenovia got on the board, but Waldron finished the quarter like he started it, with a goal, as Keuka led 9-1 after the first quarter.

After an eventful opening 15 minutes, the scoring pace slowed. Cazenovia worked possession for the early part of the quarter. The netted a pair of goals with 20 seconds of each other to make it 9-3 halfway through the quarter. King scored for Keuka. After Cazenovia made it 10-4, Keuka responded in six seconds. Matt Mahalick won the faceoff and got the ground ball. He raced down the field and found Andrew Burns for the goal. Keuka added a man-up goal and led 12-4 at the half.

Both teams alternated goals in the third quarter. Both teams held each other scoreless in the opening half of the third quarter. Keuka got on the board first, and then Cazenovia responded. The Wildcats go the final goal with seven seconds left in the quarter, but the Green and Gold led 15-7 going into the final quarter.

Cazenovia scored to make it 15-8, but Andrew Burns had an answer 22 seconds later, completing the hat trick. Matt Beebe added the final goal as Keuka College continued onto the 17-8 victory in the conference semi-finals.