ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Hartwick Men's Lacrosse team hosted the SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles for the first round of the 2025 Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament. The Hawks battled their way to victory, advancing to the next round of the Empire 8 Tournament.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: (No.5) Brockport 11 (No.4) Hartwick 12 

• Location: Oneonta, N.Y.

• Records: Brockport (8-9, 5-4 Empire 8) Hartwick (8-6, 6-3 Empire 8)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Hartwick geared up for their first round matchup against the Golden Eagles, taking the victory in their regular season affair by a score of 11-9 at Brockport on March 29th.

• The two teams took two minutes to settle in before the Hawks drew first blood on a Harry Rubin (Portland, Me.) goal. Liam McManus (Skillman, N.J.) slotted a pass to a cutting Rubin who quickly fired it past the Brockport keeper.

• Spencer Hogaboom (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) put the Hawks up two on the second effort, quickly scooping up the rebound off a Hawk shot and hitting the airborne shot for the score.

• Brockport was able to get on the board with six minutes left, getting the goal from their top scorer, Nate Askin as they looked to get back into the contest.

• Luke Ward (Attleboro, Mass.) closed out the scoring in the first quarter, taking the pass from Tararihwakohe Lazore (Hogansburg, N.Y.) and firing a low missile, sneaking past the keeper for the score.

• McManus kept the Hawks rolling to open the second quarter, connecting on his first goal of the afternoon. 

• Brockport hunkered down, stringing together four goals to take their first lead of the contest at the 5:19 mark.

• As time went on, physicality and intensity from both squads rose significantly as the two teams gave it their all in hopes of advancing to the next round.

• Garrett Frost (Wading River, N.Y.) knotted the game up at six with two minutes remaining in the half, taking the Lazore pass and finding the back of the net with a rocket.

• With just thirty minutes remaining and the teams deadlocked at six, Mason Adams (Delmar, N.Y.) made quick work of the Brockport defense, putting away the first score of the quarter, a minute in.

• The Golden Eagles were not deterred as they went on another scoring run, firing in three consecutive goals to take an 8-6 lead with ten minutes to go in the third.

• Coach LaSala's squad showed great resilience, ignoring the noise and finding a way to claw their way back into the contest.

• Hogaboom inched the Hawks closer to tying the game once again, displaying his range with a rocket from deep, McManus was credited with the assist.

• The Golden Eagles went back up by two goals, finding their fourth goal in their best offensive quarter yet.

• Tyler Nocito (Mahopac, N.Y.) came up huge for the Hawks in crucial moments, displaying his veteran composure. Nocito broke down the Golden Eagle defense and catapulted a shot into the top corner of the goal, closing out the third with a bang.

• Ward struck again with another beauty of a goal, taking the Hogaboom pass and displaying his elite precision, putting one past the keeper with contact to tie the game up once again in the fourth quarter.

• Brockport answered back quickly, regaining their lead just 28 seconds after the Ward score.

• The Royal Blue and White took over and dominated the final ten minutes after Brockport regained the lead with Nocito leading the charge, tying the game with his second goal with an overhand missile at the 7:41 minute mark.

• Colin August (Garrison, N.Y.) was held under wraps by the Golden Eagles for majority of the contest, appearing to be the focus of the Brockport defensive gameplan.

• Despite being held scoreless, Colin August struck when it mattered most, barreling his way through several Golden Eagles crashing onto him. August maneuvered his way through the heavy traffic and quickly flicked it past the keeper for the score to inject his squad with momentum.

• Frost iced the game for the Hawks, connecting on his second goal of the day with six minutes remaining to down the Golden Eagles.

• The Hawks held on to their lead, conceding a goal with ten seconds left to bring the game to one but strong defense denied Brockport of a final shot attempt to tie the game.

• Kaiden Johnson (Wakefield, Mass.) continued to make tough save after tough save, collecting 14 saves on the day including several point blank stops.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will head to St. John Fisher for a 7PM faceoff against the No.1 seed Cardinals on Thursday, May 1st in Pittsford, NY in the semifinal round of the 2025 Empire 8 Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament.

About Hartwick College:

Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.