Montclair, NJ – Coming off a thrilling win yesterday, the Montclair State University men's lacrosse team welcomes Gwynedd Mercy for their first home game of the season on Sunday
 
GAME INFO
First face off from Sprague Field is set for 1:30 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at montclairathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair battled Goucher in their season opener and used a last-minute goal to walk away with a 10-9 win. The Red Hawks (1-0) registered a pair of shots on goal in the first three minutes of the contest from HENRY NORDSTROM, with the offensive pressure leading to the opening goal of the campaign shortly after from BRIAN KELLY. Goucher equalized a minute later, with Montclair notching two more attempts on frame from Kelly before NICHOLI HALSE recorded a save on the other end to maintain the score. With six minutes on the clock, JONATHAN SLUSSER nudged the visitors back in front with a goal, and RYAN VIERBUCHEN doubled the advantage on the next possession following a face-off violation from the Gophers. Goucher accumulated four shots over the remaining four minutes of the stanza, getting within one goal with a marker at the 1:15 mark. Kelly and Slusser recorded a pair of shots in the early stages of the second quarter, with Halse recording another save a minute and a half in to maintain the lead for the visitors. Shortly after, KAI DONAHUE found Slusser for his second goal of the day to push the margin back to two. Montclair tallied two shots on goal over the next five minutes, but the Gophers capitalized on a man-up opportunity to make the score 4-3 with 6:23 on the clock. Following a Goucher timeout, Vierbuchen and Kelly rattled in goals on back-to-back possessions to balloon the lead to three. The home side recorded a goal with 90 seconds left to go into the break with the Montclair lead at 6-4. The Gophers recorded three shots on the opening possession of the second half, leading to a marker that trimmed the margin to one. CORBIN QUINTERO forced a turnover from Goucher while on the penalty kill, with the strong defense leading to a JACKSON SIMONS goal at the 11:25 mark of the period. Halse recorded a crucial stop to steady the lead, as Donahue pushed the lead to three at the halfway mark of the stanza. The home side countered with a pair of goals, capitalizing on an extra-man opportunity to bring the Gophers within one. Goucher continued to push for the equalizer, tallying another attempt in the final minute, but would go into the final quarter down 8-7. Montclair looked to add to the advantage with the combination of Kelly and Slusser, but the Goucher defense forced a turnover, leading to the leveling goal with 10:52 remaining in the contest. After blocking a shot on the next possession, the Gophers cleared the ball, leading to the go-ahead marker with just over nine minutes on the clock. Halse came up with a huge save after Goucher won the ensuing face-off, and Montclair countered with their own equalizer on a strike from Vierbuchen. The Red Hawks searched for the winning goal, recording four shots over the next six minutes, and after a timeout from the home side, Slusser found the back of the net with 59 seconds on the clock to vault the visitors ahead. Montclair did not allow a shot the rest of the way, sealing the road victory to kick off 2026.
 
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (1-0)
Goals: Two tied with 3
Assists: Four tied with 1
Points: JONATHAN SLUSSER, 4
Shots: JONATHAN SLUSSER, 12
Ground Balls: CARTER FINNEN, 7
Caused Turnovers: Three tied with 2
Faceoff Wins: JACOB HOLICKI, 15
Saves: NICHOLI HALSE, 6
Wins: NICHOLI HALSE, 1
 
GWYNEDD MERCY (0-1)
Goals: Two tied with 2
Assists: Two tied with 1
Points: Gunnar Seaman, 3
Shots: Gunnar Seaman, 7
Ground Balls: Caleb Gaines, 5
Caused Turnovers: Two tied with 2
Faceoff Wins: Jake Tedeschi, 6
Saves: Carter Guardino, 6
Wins: N/A


SCOUTING GWYNEDD MERCY
The Griffins enter this matchup with a 0-1 record after being defeated in their home opener at Moravian, 9-5, this past Wednesday. In 2025, Gwynedd Mercy finished 6-10 and 2-3 in Atlantic East conference play. They qualified for the Atlantic East Tournament, but saw an early exit at the hands of Immaculata, 20-9. According to the 2026 Atlantic East Preseason Poll, the Griffins are slated to finish fourth this season.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the third meeting between the Red Hawks and the Griffins, with Montclair taking both contests for a 2-0 record.  

LAST MEETING
These two programs met last on March 5, 2022, where Montclair upended Gwynedd Mercy by a score of 23-3.

UP NEXT
The Red Hawks will remain home to host Western Connecticut on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:00 p.m.