M onmouth University’s men’s lacrosse team kicks off their 2026 season this weekend, looking to improve from their 2025 campaign.
Last season, the team struggled to perform up to expectations, as the team went 5-9. It was the Hawks’ fourth straight season only winning five games.
Head Coach Brian Fisher returns for his 13th season at the helm, and he is still the only coach in program history. Fisher will be relying on senior attackman Ty Caffarelli to lead the offense, as he returns after a 34 goal junior season. He’s not the only goal-scorer to return for the Hawks, as four of Monmouth’s top five goal scorers from the 2025 season are back for 2026. Junior attackman Brendan Dundas scored 20 goals for the Hawks, and senior attackman Connor Gorman scored 18 goals for the Hawks. The trio of Caffarelli, Dundas, and Gorman will once again lead the attack for Monmouth.
With midfielder Sean Ketchen graduating, it may give Nick Teets a bigger opportunity to be involved in the offense. Teets, a graduate student who also plays midfield, was fifth on the Hawks with 16 goals last year. Another key returner in the midfield is senior Ryan O’Rourke, who despite only having four goals last season, led the team with 14 assists. The third starting midfield spot is up for grabs, but senior midfielder Caden Kesselring and senior long-stick midfielder Hayden Chester should both have a big impact. Kesselring started seven games last year, and Chester was third on the team in ground balls with 25 in 2025. Expect both to have a big role on the 2026 team.
As for the defense, a major shake up is expected. The only returning starter on defense for the Hawks from last year’s team is senior Miles Edmiston. No other defender on the team has any starting experience prior to the 2026 season. We will likely have a general idea of who will be the other two starting defenders for this edition of the Hawks after the first few games.
There will also be a change in goal for the Hawks. Last year’s goalie, Tommy Heller, is gone to graduation. Juniors Dylan Cadigan and Cody Lavin both had experience playing goal for the Hawks last season, so it’s likely one of them two will start the season in net.
In terms of the Face-off X, Sophomore Ethan Cronk is back after taking a majority of the faceoffs for the Hawks last year. Sophomore Landon Parker also took a handful of faceoffs and he returns as well. However, Monmouth did bring in Wagner transfer Jack O’Neill, who won 51% of his faceoffs with the Seahawks. It’s possible Cronk, Parker, and O’Neill could all split time facing off.
Other key returners for the Hawks this season include senior Matt Dollive, junior Matt Porazzo, junior Bobby Keane, junior Miles Fang, redshirt sophomore Fletcher Sullivan, and sophomore Gavin Seaman. All of these players played in over half of the Hawks games last season.
The team opens its season on the road against Manhattan on Saturday. Last season, the two teams also played in the season opener, with Manhattan taking a 9-7 victory in Kessler Stadium.
After traveling to Long Island on Feb. 14, the Hawks will have a quick turnaround for their home opener against the Wagner Seahawks on Tuesday, Feb. 17. The rest of Monmouth’s non-conference schedule consists of games against Saint Joseph’s, Mount St. Mary’s, NJIT, and VMI. Conference play will begin on the road at Drexel on Saturday, Mar. 14. The Hawks will play five more conference games following the opener against Drexel, with opponents including Hofstra, Hampton, Towson, Stony Brook, and Fairfield. If Monmouth finishes top four in the conference standings, they will advance to the CAA Tournament for a shot at a bid into the NCAA Tournament.
