The men’s lacrosse team came into the season with high hopes. Having been ranked second in the preseason rankings in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) and coming off a strong 2024–25 season where they finished as runners-up, expectations were high across the board. With a core group of returning players and strong leadership, the team looked ready to take the next step and compete for a championship.
Last year’s team had some great playmakers who graduated, leaving a big gap in both talent and leadership. With midfielders Nate Campbell and Brady Swisher as the only seniors on this year’s squad, the responsibility fell heavily on them to step up.
Graduate student Matthew Carbone helped to dominate faceoffs. With the help of junior captains Dom Dionisio and Jason Martin, they led the Lasers through some great fall ball.
The team chemistry was never a question with this team; on and off the field, they were always brothers.
The spring season is where the real fun was supposed to begin, and the Lasers instead had a rough start. They started 1-4 in the regular season.
The lone win came against Dean College, where Jason Martin scored four goals, and Sam Guilmette had five assists. The offense was on fire with 18 goals against Dean’s 13. Campbell said that stretch of games taught them that “the team had to step up and face the challenges head-on,” and that’s what happened; they turned their season around and went on to become 5-5.
A great game in that stint came on March 11, in a match against Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. The Lasers came out on top with a final score of 15-8. Last year’s GNAC Rookie of the Year, attacker Jack Condon, had three goals in this game, and freshman midfielder Cole Mackin got his first career goal. Freshman goalie Dominick Ciarelli added, “This is the first game where the level we played at was great.” he also added that “it was fun lacrosse, and fun lacrosse is good lacrosse.”
With the Lasers clinching a playoff berth a few games later, they turned their head to the final game of the regular season, which was against Maine Maritime Academy. “This was personal,” sophomore midfielder Thomas Smedick said. Last year, the team traveled to Maine and lost in freezing temperatures.
So this senior day, Thomas stated that “We wanted to represent the seniors and the high level of lacrosse we are capable of.” They did the seniors well and protected their home field, winning with a score of 10-9. It was a back-and-forth game, highlighted by great goaltending from Ciarelli, who made key saves to keep the Lasers in it.
Throughout the season, freshman standout midfielder Julian Vogel—who earned multiple Rookie of the Week honors—stepped up in big moments, and this game was no different, as he came through clutch with four goals. The Lasers clinched the third seed in the GNAC playoffs.
The Lasers lost in the first round of the playoffs, but the season was not a complete loss. Multiple freshmen stepped up and will have great futures in Laser Blue.
Freshman defender Nicholas Kaufman reflects: “This season was a fun one, and I can’t wait to come back to win it all next year.” The Lasers look to come back even stronger next season with veteran presences and make a push for the GNAC championship.
–May 15, 2026–
