KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Feb. 28, 2026) - The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's lacrosse team remained perfect on the season with a 15-10 victory over WestConn on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium. The Mariners improve to 3-0 overall with the victory, while the Wolves drop to 2-1 on the year.
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The Blue and Gray had four players record three or more points in the victory. Junior Owen Behr (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) led the attack with nine points on six goals and three assists. Seniors William Badeer (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Jack DeTommaso (Massapequa, N.Y.) added four points each, with Badeer tallying three goals and one assist and DeTommaso posting two goals and two assists. Freshman Nathan Mangus (Sugar Land, Texas) registered three points on one goal and two assists, and classmate Ryan Sullivan (Warwick, N.Y.) contributed two points on a goal and an assist.
Defensively, senior Christian Meyers (Miller Place, N.Y.) caused three turnovers, while sophomore Tucker Kuhn (Towson, Md.) dominated at the X, winning 17-of-27 draws and collecting a team-high 13 groundballs. The Mariners held a commanding 47-28 advantage in groundballs and won the faceoff battle, 18-11. Senior Michael Hofstetter (Deer Park, N.Y.) and sophomore William Schipfer (Colorado Springs, Colo.) each picked up four groundballs, while Meyers, Mangus, Behr, and seniors Owen Barcus (Annapolis, Md.) and Michael Valentine IV (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) recorded three apiece.
In goal, senior Tucker Swinerton (Weston, Fla.) earned the win with 15 saves over 60 minutes of action.
Merchant Marine broke through on a man-up opportunity at 8:33, when Sullivan finished a feed from Behr to open the scoring. Behr notched the next two goals for the Mariners to double the advantage at 6:55 and cap the run at 5:56 to make it 3-0. WestConn responded with goals to cut the margin to 3-2, but Swinerton made a save in the final seconds to preserve the lead after one.
WestConn tied the game at three at the 10:41 mark, but the Mariners answered immediately. Behr finished off a feed from Kuhn seven seconds later at 10:34 to restore the lead 4-3. Behr completed his hat trick at 6:46, and Merchant Marine closed the half on a decisive 3-0 run. DeTommaso scored off a Badeer assist, and Badeer followed with a goal from Behr with forty seconds remaining, sending the Kings Point into halftime with a 7-3 advantage.
The Wolves opened the half with goals at 13:08 and 11:50 to trim the deficit to 7-5 before the hosts responded with three consecutive goals to regain control. Badeer scored off a Sullivan assist, Barcus finished a Mangus setup, and DeTommaso added a man-up goal from Behr to stretch the lead to 10-5. The visitors scored twice more at 4:30 and 2:46, cutting the deficit to three, 10-7, heading into the final quarter of play.
Mangus opened the final frame with a goal, assisted by Hofstetter, to make it 11-7. WestConn answered at the 14:29 mark and again at 12:41 to close within 11-9. Behr pushed the lead to 12-9 at 11:25, and after a WestConn man-up goal at 9:55, the Mariners pulled away down the stretch. Sullivan scored off a DeTommaso assist, Behr added his sixth of the game at the 2:50 mark, and Badeer registered a hat trick with 38 seconds remaining to secure the 15-10 home victory.
WestConn was led offensively by Thomas Keegan, who recorded three goals on four shots on goal. Tristan McMahon added three points on two goals and one assist, while Sam Rosa contributed three points with two goals and an assist. Joseph D'Orazio chipped in two points on a goal and an assist. In goal, Jake Kelly made six saves in the loss.
Merchant Marine returns to action next Saturday, Mar. 7, on the road against Salve Regina in Newport, R.I., at 1 p.m.
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