LOUDONVILLE, NY — Adversity took on a new meaning for the Siena Men's Lacrosse team in the 2026 MAAC Men's Lacrosse Championship hosting No. 2 Marist on Saturday as the Saints fought valiantly to the end before falling 12-8 to the Red Foxes before 1,457 fans at Hickey Field.
The Saints (12-5) turned to a pair of goalkeepers who were making their collegiate debuts after primary starting goalkeeper and four-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Week
Vito DeBellis was injured at the tail end of their MAAC Semifinal win against Merrimack on Thursday.
Redshirt freshman
Johnny Carrington started the first half and made six saves before limping off the field to close the half. In the second half, true freshman
James O'Hara had his opportunity and performed admirably with 10 saves against just three goals allowed to give Siena a rally attempt.
Carrington, a four-year starter at Wheaton Academy in Aurora, IL, had championship pedigree after being a member of the 2023 boys' high school lacrosse championship team.
O'Hara, an alum of Don Bosco Prep from Goshen, NY was a First Team All-Non Public selection and Second Team All-County selection.
As the game wore on, injuries mounted up as two-time MAAC Face Off Specialist of the Year
Logan Banek departed the game after winning 10-of-14 face off with seven ground balls to lead the team. Then, All-MAAC First Team selection and long-stick midfielder
R.J. Ihlefeld left the field as well.
After trailing 9-4 at halftime, Siena rallied back to get the score within 10-7 at the end of three with goals from
Conor Hufnagel,
Patrick Radomski—who returned after a seven-game absence—and
Travis Fry, who flew through the air with an acrobatic one-handed twisting goal with 11 seconds left.
But Marist (11-4) had just a bit more on this day as Sean Mullan and Drew Anderson came up with huge goals at 8:09 and 7:22 remaining in the fourth to give the Red Foxes some padding to their lead.
For the Saints, they reached the title game for the third time in four seasons and the ninth time in program history. A tumultuous season that included sorrow after the loss of late head coach Liam Gleason in December and several injuries to top playmakers like Radomski, who had been a Tewaaraton Award Watch List and one of the nation's top scorers, and DeBellis, who had ranked third in the MAAC in goals-against average were all onerous to the team. Additional injuries to Carrington, Banek and Ihlefeld mounted up.
For Marist, the Red Foxes won its' conference-leading fifth MAAC Championship to go ahead one title past the Saints. Marist goalkeeper Richie Metzger was named the Tournament MVP while Mullan, Aidan McCaffrey and Collin Patrick were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Siena had three players named to the MAAC All-Championship Team with Olmstead, Fry and O'Hara all bestowed the honor. Merrimack was represented by Jack Salva and Dan Bezrutchenko while Sacred Heart had Dom Basti and Hunter Molway also named to the team.
The first quarter opened with a quick goal from Siena's
Caden Olmstead, assisted by
Liam Lennon just nine seconds after the face off. Marist responded rapidly, with Peter Murray scoring at 14:08, followed by Anderson's goal less than a minute later. Marist extended its lead with goals from Brady Dolan and Josh Smith, pulling ahead 4–1 by 12:06. Siena's
Gavin Blenk narrowed the gap at 10:42, but Marist's Collin Patrick scored at 4:16 to maintain their advantage. Olmstead added another for the Saints, bringing the score to 5–3 in favor of Marist as the quarter concluded.
Colby LeBlanc scored early in the second quarter for Siena, but Marist responded quickly with a goal from Mullan at the 13:05 mark. Despite several opportunities, including a shot that hit the post by Fry, the Saints struggled to find the back of the net. Marist capitalized on their chances, with Patrick scoring twice, including a goal just three seconds before the end of the quarter. Marist outscored Siena 4–1 in this quarter, extending its lead to 9–4 by halftime.
Siena capitalized on a penalty at 7:23 in the third quarter when Radomski scored a man-up goal, assisted by Hufnagel, extending their momentum. Earlier, at 7:58, Hufnagel had found the back of the net, marking a decisive moment for Siena. Marist responded at 3:40 with a goal by Steven Cain, assisted by Dylan Rocchio. As the quarter neared its end, Fry scored for the Saints with 11 seconds on the clock, narrowing the gap to 10–7 in favor of Marist.
In the fourth quarter, Marist capitalized on Siena's turnovers, with Mullan scoring at 8:09 to extend its lead. Shortly after, Anderson found the back of the net at 7:22, widening the gap. The Saints responded with a man-up goal by Olmstead, assisted by Hufnagel, with 52 seconds left. Despite the late effort, Siena could not overcome Marist's lead.
James O'Hara made several crucial saves to keep the Saints in contention, but Marist maintained control throughout the quarter.
Siena's 12 wins this season was tied for the second most all-time in a single season, equaling the win totals with the 1979 undefeated team that went 12-0, the 2009 team that went 12-6 and the 2010 team that went 12-5.
