Montclair, NJ – For the second-straight season, the Montclair State University men's lacrosse team competes for the Tom Leanos Cup this weekend at Drew University
 
GAME INFO
The field will consist of Montclair, Drew, Emerson, and Emmanuel. Montclair will face off against Emerson on Friday at 3:00 p.m. The second game will be played on Sunday, with the consolation game at 11:00 a.m. and the championship game at 2:00 p.m. Live coverage links can be found at montclairathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Montclair won a thrilling overtime victory on Tuesday, outlasting Scranton on the road by a score of 14-13. The Red Hawks (3-0) jumped in front early, scoring on the opening possession of the afternoon after a faceoff victory from JACOB HOLICKI, as JONATHAN SLUSSER ripped a shot past the goalie. A minute later, the Royals attempted to equalize on a shot on goal that was collected by NICHOLI HALSE. Montclair's defense stood strong in the opening stanza, blocking a shot on Scranton's next possession. CARTER FINNEN generated a turnover as the quarter approached the 10-minute mark, with MAX MOROSOFF feeding HENRY NORDSTROM for a strike to make it a two-goal game. The Red Hawks continued to push offensively, as Slusser rang the crossbar with an attempt, and JACKSON SIMONS put a shot on goal that was stopped by the Royals. Halse tallied a pair of saves in the final minutes of the stanza to preserve the lead after one period. Scranton cut into the gap on their first trip up the field in the second quarter and tried to equalize right after, but Halse stood tall once again. At the 9:31 mark, Kelly slotted a pass to RYAN VIERBUCHEN, who sent a shot into the back of the net to answer for the Red Hawks. Two minutes later, Scranton capitalized on a Montclair penalty with another strike to get within one for the second time in the stanza. They continued their run with the game-tying goal with 5:47 remaining in the half before Nordstrom scored off a pass from Vierbuchen off the ensuing faceoff. The Red Hawks reopened a two-goal advantage with 16 seconds on the clock on a marker from Vierbuchen before the Royals struck right back in the waning moments of the half to make the score 5-4 at the break. Kelly tallied his first goal of the evening 99 seconds into the third frame, but Scranton forced a turnover and capitalized on the other end to counter. The two sides continued to trade goals in the quarter, as Morosoff and Vierbuchen combined for two of the game's next three markers to make the score 8-6 with 9:28 on the clock. Montclair scored three of the next four, capped off by a strike from Morosoff, to make the margin four with two minutes to play. The Royals won the resulting faceoff and scored on that possession to cut the deficit to 11-8 going into the final period of regulation. Scranton climbed back into the contest in the fourth, recording four-straight goals to surge in front, 12-11, with 4:15 remaining. Two and a half minutes later, Kelly provided the leveler to force a timeout from the home side. Coming out of the stoppage, the Royals vaulted back in front and would win the ensuing faceoff. Finnen forced another crucial turnover, leading to Morosoff equalizing on a shot off a feed from SEAN STEPHENSON, pushing the two sides into an overtime period. Scranton applied the offensive pressure early in the extra session, recording a pair of shots with the latter being stopped by Halse. With 2:16 on the clock, a wide shot from Scranton led to a ground ball pickup from Halse, as the Red Hawks would call timeout following the resulting clear attempt. Coming out of the break, Kelly ripped the winner into the back of the net to end the game.
 
TEAM LEADERS
MONTCLAIR STATE (3-0)
Goals: BRIAN KELLY, 11
Assists: RYAN VIERBUCHEN, 5
Points: RYAN VIERBUCHEN, 15
Shots: BRIAN KELLY, 27
Ground Balls: CARTER FINNEN, 17
Caused Turnovers: CORBIN QUINTERO, 8
Faceoff Wins: JACOB HOLICKI, 241
Saves: NICHOLI HALSE, 25
Wins: NICHOLI HALSE, 3
 
EMERSON (1-4)
Goals: JD Frey, 7
Assists: Three tied with 4
Points: Aedan Kiniry, 9
Shots: Brady Fish, 24
Ground Balls: John Marcone, 20
Caused Turnovers: Two Tied with 6
Faceoff Wins: Enzo Choi,
Saves: Ethan Corby, 57
Wins: Ethan Corby, 1
 
DREW (1-2)
Goals: Two tied with 4
Assists: Joost Van Der Horst, 4
Points: Riley Zeer, 7
Shots: Yaneik Gallego, 22
Ground Balls: John Clinton, 12
Caused Turnovers: Two tied with 4
Faceoff Wins: Gabriel Gutierrez, 20
Saves: Joe Barnish, 30
Wins: Joe Barnish, 1
 
EMMANUEL (1-0)
Goals: Two tied with 3
Assists: Cooper Melhorn, 2
Points: Three tied with 3
Shots: Cole Cloney, 13
Ground Balls: Three tied with 4
Caused Turnovers: Three tied with 2
Faceoff Wins: Ty Carroll, 6
Saves: Colby Enos, 11
Wins: Colby Enos, 1


SCOUTING EMERSON
The Lions enter the weekend at 1-4 after falling to #20 Bates, 22-6 in their last game on Tuesday. Last season, Emerson finished 2-12 and 0-7 in NEWMAC play. According to the 2026 NEWMAC Preseason Poll, Emerson is slated to finish eighth in conference this season.   
 
SCOUTING DREW
The Rangers post a 1-2 overall record heading into the weekend's cup. Drew's last time out this past Saturday was an 11-8 defeat at the hands of Immaculata. In 2025, the Rangers put together a 10-7 overall record and a 6-3 record in the Landmark. They qualified for the conference tournament, but were bested in the first round by Susquehanna, 13-7. According to the 2026 Landmark Preseason Poll, the Rangers are slated to finish fifth this season. 
 
SCOUTING EMMANUEL
The Saints head into the cup with a 1-0 record after besting Lasell, 8-7 in overtime this past Wednesday. Last season, Emmanuel notched a 10-8 overall record and an 8-2 record in GNAC play. They entered the conference as the two-seed and bested Dean, 14-13 in overtime, before falling to Lasell, 14-8 in the semifinals. According to the 2026 GNAC Preseason Poll, the Saints are expected to finish third this season.

SERIES HISTORIES
The Red Hawks and the Lions will match up for the first time on Friday. A win for Emmanuel would set the same stage. Montclair has faced off with Drew 22 times before, holding an edge of 19-13.   

LAST MEETINGS
These two teams met for the Tom Leanos Cup finals last season on March 16, where Montclair secured a 17-6 victory.   

UP NEXT
Men's lacrosse is back in action on Sprague Field, where they welcome Manhattanville for a 4:00 p.m. slate on Wednesday, March 11.