EDEN, N.Y. - The Hilbert College men's lacrosse team closed their 2019 season with a 9-6 victory over SUNY Cobleskill  in North Eastern Athletic Conference action.

Prior to the cold and windy contest at Eden High School, coaches Mike Carbery, Andrew Beleca and Grant Stockman as well as the rest of the Hawks honored their three teammates who left it all on the turf.

Playing in their final Hilbert game today were a pair of four-year players, Marc O'Neill and Elijah Ryan as well as a third-year senior James Duffy.  All three players were escorted across the field today by their families before the game's first face-off.

The 1-6 NEAC Cobleskill Fighting Tigers showed that they were better than their 3-9 record reflected.  The short-handed visitors scored first and then matched goal for goal with the Hawks until the start of the fourth quarter.

Hilbert, leading 6-5 after 45 minutes of action, benefited from Duffy's man-up 3rd quarter score with 3:25 on the clock and then his 10:58 tally in the 4th which created the game's first 2-goal lead by either team.

Cobleskill made it a one-goal game at 9:32 (7-6) but that was all they got.  Ryan Spath (Duffy) and Anthony Cappola (Drew Werner) lifted Hilbert to the 9-6 final score.

Hilbert's Elijah Ryan and Cobleskill's Willis Wilson were spectacular today.  Ryan carried Hilbert to his 6th win of the year after making 22 saves (5 ground balls) and Wilson was credited with 19 saves.   Both goalies made multiple point-blank, quick-reaction stops or deflections away from the goal.

Ryan, playing in his 13th game of the season, established a new Hilbert Single Season Saves Per Game (14.31) and Saves record (186).

Duffy finished the game with 5 points, scoring three goals while both Anthony Cappola and Ryan Spath notched two each.

Edward Mathias and Daniel Flynn finished with two points, scoring one goal apiece while Drew Werner assisted twice.

Joshua Maloney, who won 12-of-19 face offs led with six ground balls.  Devin White-Kearns, Michael Bellanca, Travis Kilanowski, and Chance Gunderman were tough on defense credited with caused turnovers against the Fighting Tigers. 

The Hawks closed their second season under coach Carbery at 6-7 overall with a 3-4 NEAC record.

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