In an intense game between two of the nation’s top Division II lacrosse programs, the top-seeded Saint Anselm College men’s lacrosse team fell just short in a 13-12 overtime loss to No. 2 seed Adelphi University in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) Championship on Saturday afternoon. The back-and-forth game took place in front of a home crowd of 812 at Grappone Stadium, and ended in heartbreak for the Hawks.
Saint Anselm entered the championship with an undefeated 12-0 record and high hopes of capturing its first-ever NE10 title. But the Hawks’ hopes were crushed by a last-minute overtime goal from Adelphi’s Michael Durnin, giving the Panthers their second straight conference championship.
The Hawks came out firing, scoring three times in the opening three minutes of play. Senior Colin Mulvey opened the scoring, followed immediately by a highlight-reel goal from long-stick midfielder Tyler Vigeant, who found the net for the first time in his career. Freshman standout Matt Lemay followed with a goal of his own to cap the explosive start.
Adelphi quickly regrouped, responding with a 4-1 run to take the lead late in the first quarter. Joe Lombardi’s goal for Saint Anselm briefly tied things up, but a late score by Adelphi gave the visitors a 5-4 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter followed a similar pattern, with both teams exchanging goals and momentum. After Adelphi extended their lead to two, Saint Anselm responded through Lemay and Mulvey, who each tallied to knot the score at 6-6. Another back-and-forth scoring occurred where Adelphi capitalized on a Hawks turnover to regain the lead, only for Saint Anselm to tie it again via a well-executed play coming out of a timeout. Adelphi had the final word of the half, scoring with just 18 seconds remaining to take an 8-7 lead into the break.
Lemay wasted no time evening things up at the start of the third quarter, capitalizing on a man-up situation with a laser from the top of the arc. Despite multiple scoring chances, the Hawks couldn’t seize the lead, and Adelphi took advantage with another two-goal burst.
Mulvey continued his stellar play with a fourth goal of the afternoon, and sophomore Mark Boyle tied the game once more with a well-placed shot off a pass from junior Aidan Claflin. The third quarter ended in a deadlock at 10-10, with both teams hitting the post and the goalies making critical saves to keep the game tight.
The Panthers struck twice early in the fourth to build a 12-10 lead. Saint Anselm refused to go quietly. Lombardi ripped one top-shelf with under three minutes to play, and the Hawks defense came up with a clutch stop to give them a final possession.
With the clock winding down and just five seconds left, Mulvey fired a desperate shot that somehow found its way to Claflin near the crease. He caught the ball in stride and fired it home with just two seconds left, sending the game into overtime.
Gannon won the all-important faceoff in overtime, and Saint Anselm had the first chance to win it. Renner turned away Lemay’s attempt, and Adelphi quickly countered. Despite being double-teamed and falling to the turf, Aldelphi was able to scoop it off the bounce and scored the golden goal, clinching the NE10 Championship for the Panthers.
The Hawks outshot Adelphi 48-37 and held a 23-18 advantage in shots on goal. Faceoff specialist Quinn Gannon was dominant, winning 20 of 27 draws and collecting a game-high 11 ground balls. Saint Anselm also led in ground balls (37-21) and cleared at a solid 88.2% rate. Despite those advantages, turnovers proved costly. The Hawks committed 18, including several in key moments. Adelphi forced 12 of those turnovers with aggressive defense and disciplined play.
Mulvey led the Hawks with four goals and an assist, marking his seventh straight multi-goal game. Lemay added three goals, continuing his impressive freshman season with his 12th consecutive multi-goal performance.
Though the result stung, Saturday’s championship really showed the talent and determination of Division II men’s lacrosse. The Hawks may not have raised the trophy, but their fight, skill, and resilience throughout the game made it clear they are far from done this season. Go Hawks!