Men's Lacrosse | 4/28/2026 6:44:36 PM
No. 3 seed SUNY Geneseo (12-5) and No. 5 seed Utica University (7-9) advanced to the 2026 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Semifinals after earning first round wins on Tuesday, April 28. SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 6 seed Alfred University, 15-5, while Utica withstood a late rally to defeat No. 4 seed Hartwick College, 13-12.
Utica will take on top-seed Nazareth University in one semifinal from NLPA Stadium on Thursday, April 30 at 4 p.m., while SUNY Geneseo will travel to face No. 2 seed St. John Fisher in the second semifinal, also at 4 p.m. Thursday. Nazareth defeated Utica, 25-5 on March 28, while St. John Fisher rallied for a 12-10 win over SUNY Geneseo on April 8. The Cardinals are looking to win their seventh straight E8 Championship
The two semifinal winners will play in the E8 title game on Saturday, May 2, at the highest remaining seed. The winner will receive an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which begins with first round games on May 6 and second and third round action, May 9-11.
NO. 3 SUNY GENESEO 15, NO. 6 ALFRED 5
After spotting the visitors a 2-0 first quarter lead, SUNY Geneseo scored 15 of the game’s next 17 goals to earn a 15-5 win and advance to the Empire 8 Semifinals for the second straight season.
Ryan Trebing led the Knights with eight goals on five goals and three assists, while brother Ronnie Trebing tallied two goals and five assists for a seven point night. Ian Leahey added three goals and an assist.
Geneseo out-shot Alfred, 44-28 and had a 44-32 edge in ground balls. Geneseo went 21-of-23 on clears.
The Geneseo defense recorded 13 caused turnovers, while Josh Knapp had a team-high six ground balls. Goalkeeper Ben Bradshaw made 10 saves to earn the win.
Cole Loewke and Brendan Riley led the Saxons with two goals apiece, while Loweke added an assist to hit the 100-point plateau on the season (66 goals and 34 assists). Hunter Cupp won 16-of-23 face-offs and had a game-high 12 ground balls for Alfred, who finished the season with an 8-9 mark.
NO. 5 UTICA 13, NO. 4 HARTWICK 12
Utica raced out to a 10-5 third quarter lead before holding off a furious Hartwick rally to earn its first Empire 8 postseason win in program history, 13-12 at Wright Stadium. The Pioneers also became the first No. 5 seed to advance to the E8 Semifinals.
Ryan Considine and Lucas Donahue led the Pioneers with four goals and an assist apiece, while Nolan Shea dished out five assists and Noah Erickson added four helpers. Chase Nappi won 12-of-15 face-offs.
Considine also had a pair of caused turnovers. Jake Bowen made 10 saves to earn the win for the Pioneers.
Utica out-shot Hartwick, 43-33 and won the ground ball battle, 29-23. Utica went 14-for-18 on clears, while Hartwick was 15-for-19.
Colin August had four goals and an assist for Hartwick, giving him 61 goals on the season. Liam McManus had three goals and an assist, while Mason Adams had two goals and two assists and Colby Simonetti added a pair of goals. Harry Rubin had three caused turnovers and Kaiden Johnson made 15 saves between the pipes for Hartwick, who had its season come to an end with an 5-11 mark.
2026 Empire 8 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Schedule
Tuesday, April 28 – First Round
No. 5 Utica University defeated No. 4 Hartwick College, 13-12 – BOX SCORE
No. 3 SUNY Geneseo defeated No. 6 Alfred University, 15-5 – BOX SCORE
Thursday, April 30 - Semifinals
No. 5 Utica at No. 1 Nazareth University – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
No. 3 SUNY Geneseo at No. 2 St. John Fisher University – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Saturday, May 2 - Championship
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed – VIDEO/LIVE STATS