Top-seeded Oberlin (12-5) will host second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (10-6) in the 2026 NCAC Men's Lacrosse Tournament final as both teams collected semifinal wins Wednesday evening. The Battling Bishops captured a 14-12 victory over third-seeded Denison (8-9), while the Yeomen defeated fourth-seeded Wooster (12-6), 19-7. This year's tournament title game will be played on Saturday, May 2, at Oberlin’s Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex and Dick Bailey Field at 7:00 p.m.
#1 OBERLIN (12-5) 13, #4 WOOSTER (12-6) 7
- Wooster struck first as rookie Owen Thompson (Media, PA/Penncrest) scored a man-up goal at the 13:17 mark of the opening quarter for an early 1-0 lead. Oberlin answered with a tally from sophomore Cooper Zancosky (Pittsburgh, PA/Pine-Richland) at 12:30 to even the score. Senior Jacob Starcke (Northport, NY/Northport), off an assist from first-year Manolis Paragioudakis (Ocean, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy), put the Yeomen ahead 2-1 at 9:34. The teams went scoreless until late in the period, when Wooster junior John Allen Ginder (Jacksonville, FL/The Bolles School) tied the game at the 1:01 mark. Sophomore Nicholas Cuda (Pittsburgh, PA/Kiski Prep) responded just 34 seconds later to give Oberlin a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
- Oberlin took control of the second quarter with six goals. Junior Asher Friedman (Palo Alto, CA/Palo Alto) opened the period with back-to-back tallies at 13:08 and 11:57 to extend the lead to 5-2. Cuda scored his second of the game off a sophomore Ryan Murphy (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) assist at 10:41, and Zancosky added another, set up by Cuda, at 9:25 to push the margin to 7-2. Wooster countered with consecutive goals from sophomore Jack Holub (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley), the first assisted by Ginder and the second by senior Lane Kellogg (Arvada, CO/Ralston Valley), to cut the deficit to 7-4. Friedman struck for his third of the game at 1:23, and sophomore Cooper Rand (Northfield, MN/Northfield) added a goal at 1:04 to send Oberlin into halftime with a 9-4 lead.
- Kellogg cut the deficit to 9-5 with a Wooster goal at 11:53 of the third quarter, but Oberlin responded with goals from junior Andrew Rosa (Weehawken, NJ/The Pennington School), set up by Cuda, and senior Solomon Brennan (Montclair, NJ/Montclair), assisted by Zancosky, to extend the lead to 11-5. Holub answered for the Fighting Scots off an assist from first-year Ian Marsland (Park City, UT/Park City) with 3:05 remaining, and Kellogg added a man-up score off a feed from senior Austin Jourde (Cherry Hills Village, CO/Kent Denver School) with 1:23 to play to send the Scots into the fourth quarter only down by four, 11-7.
- First-year Anders Burrows (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale) scored both of Oberlin's fourth-quarter goals to seal the 13-7 victory. He found the net at 6:53 off an assist from Cuda and added an unassisted score with 2:36 remaining.
- Friedman led the Yeomen with three goals, while Cuda finished with two goals and three assists for five points. Zancosky contributed two goals and one assist, and Burrows added two goals. Junior Evan Sardina (Charlestown, MA/Boston Latin School) controlled the faceoff X, winning 19 of 20 attempts and collecting 19 ground balls. Sophomore Nolan Grieshaber (Rocklin, CA/Rocklin) finished with seven saves and a .500 save percentage.
- Holub paced Wooster with three goals, while Kellogg added two goals and one assist. Sophomore Domenic Cuda (Latrobe, PA/The Kiski School) led the Fighting Scots with seven ground balls and four caused turnovers. Sophomore goalie Case Lowery (Avon, OH/Avon) finished with 14 saves and a .519 save percentage.
- As a team, Oberlin outshot Wooster 45-23 and held a 48-33 advantage in ground balls. The Yeomen won 22 of 24 faceoffs.
#2 OHIO WESLEYAN (9-6) 14, #3 DENISON (8-8) 12
- Junior Henry Ross (Snoqualmie, WA/Mount Si) opened the scoring at the 9:22 mark of the first quarter to give the Battling Bishops a 1-0 lead. Junior Carson Fialho (Pleasanton, CA/De La Salle) followed off a Ross assist at 8:04 to make it 2-0, and sophomore Blake Altman (Salem, OR/Lake Oswego) extended the margin to 3-0 at 7:18. Senior Michael Cassidy (Lake Bluff, IL/Lake Forest) put Denison on the board at 6:13 and first-year Teddy Hardy (Edwards, CO/Colorado Academy) cut the deficit to 3-2 at 3:28, but junior Wade Beckstrom (Devon, PA/Conestoga) struck for Ohio Wesleyan less than a minute later to push the lead back to two. Cassidy notched his second of the game with 2:03 remaining in the period, and the Bishops carried a 4-3 lead into the second.
- Junior Brady Monturio (Weymouth, MA/Thayer Academy) tied the game at 4-4 early in the second period off a senior Grant Larson (Charlotte, NC/Charlotte County Day School) faceoff win. Senior Garrett Smith (Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern) put Ohio Wesleyan back in front 5-4 at 8:40, and Altman, assisted by Ross, extended the lead to 6-4. Ross then scored his second of the game at 6:55 to push the margin to 7-4. Denison answered with a first-year Jonah Frank (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) goal to make it 7-5, but senior Noah Citek (Long Beach, CA/St. John Bosco) responded for the Bishops to push the lead to 8-5. Sophomore Jack Moellering (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard West) brought the Big Red within two with an unassisted goal at 4:47, and Frank notched his second of the half off a Cassidy assist with 4:17 remaining to make it 8-7. Ross capped the half with a man-up goal off a Beckstrom assist at 1:11, sending Ohio Wesleyan into intermission ahead 9-7.
- The third quarter belonged to Denison's defense, which held the Bishops to a single goal. Senior Macky Peck (Naples, FL/Western Reserve Academy) cut the deficit to 9-8 off a Hardy assist at 10:36, then evened the game at 9-9 just 10 seconds later. Monturio gave Denison its first lead at 10-9 at the 8:59 mark before Beckstrom equalized at 10-10 with 8:30 remaining. The teams entered the fourth tied 10-10.
- Larson opened the final quarter with an unassisted goal seven seconds into the period to put Denison ahead 11-10. Beckstrom answered with an assist from Smith to tie the game at 11-11, and followed with another goal at 6:55 to put Ohio Wesleyan back in front 12-11. Altman, set up by Beckstrom, extended the lead to 13-11, and Beckstrom scored his fifth of the game at 2:40 to make it 14-11. Peck added a man-down score off an assist from senior AJ Boxler (Westport, MA/Tabor Academy) with 35 seconds remaining, but Ohio Wesleyan held on for the 14-12 win.
- Beckstrom led all scorers with five goals and two assists for seven points. Ross finished with three goals and two assists, and Altman added three goals. Citek controlled the faceoff X, winning 18 of 29 attempts, and led the Bishops with 12 ground balls. Junior Jason Mosher (Hilton, NY/Hilton) recorded 14 saves and a .538 save percentage.
- Peck paced Denison with three goals, and Cassidy added two goals and one assist. Frank and Monturio each contributed two goals. Senior Andrew Albert (Weston, CT/The Hill School (PA)) finished with 12 saves.
- Ohio Wesleyan outshot Denison 39-36 and held a 48-38 edge in ground balls. The Bishops won 18 of 29 faceoffs.