The SUNY Cortland men’s lacrosse team defeated Nazareth College 18–8 on March 12, 2025, at Nazareth College in a dominant demonstration of athleticism and strategy. The Red Dragons’ season record now stands at 4-1 after this victory, while the Golden Flyers’ record drops to 3-4.
At 13:03 in the first quarter, midfielder Frank Neeson gave the Red Dragons the lead, solidifying their control early on. Jeremy Jacob and Owen Riley gave Nazareth a quick 2-1 lead in response. But Stuver and Sam Rothman of Cortland swiftly responded, taking back the lead. A heated matchup was anticipated after the first quarter ended with both teams tied at 4–4.
Cortland’s offense surged in the second quarter, with Kole Stuver netting his third goal at 12:57, followed by goals from Rothman, Stoecker, and Klay Stuver. This offensive onslaught resulted in a 9-5 lead by halftime. The Red Dragons maintained their momentum in the third quarter, adding five goals to Nazareth’s one, effectively sealing the game’s outcome. Despite Nazareth’s efforts, including goals from Louis Cogliandro and Matthew Farrington, Cortland’s defense remained resolute, culminating in the 18-8 final score.
With Six goals, Kole Stuver led all scorers in an incredible showing. With four goals, Sam Rothman made a substantial contribution. Klay Stuver also netted 3 goals, Nick Stoecker added 2 goals. Nazareth’s offensive attempts were eaten up by goalie Travis Wagner, who made 11 saves in the net. Wagner also just won USA Lacrosse Division III Player of the Week, solidifying himself as one of the best goalies in the nation.
After the game awards the coach and players hand out, first the Nails award, this is an award that the previous teammate won and is to be passed down to another teammate. Christian Lembo won the Nails award last week vs Skidmore and after the Nazareth game, he decided to give it to Kole Stuver. And the Dragon Award, which is the MVP of the game is the award coaches hand out, that award also went to Kole Stuver. After he won these awards Kole made a speech saying “This win means nothing without the next one.” After a slow start to Kole Stuver’s season hes hoping to keep this type of performance up for the rest of the year. Stuver before this game had 1 goal and 4 assists in 4 games. Hopefully, he can use this momentum and have a good rest of the year.
Looking ahead: This year the Red Dragons are not traveling far for spring break. They will be going to Pennsylvania to take on the Scranton at 1 pm on Saturday, and will again travel to Pennsylvania to take on Muhlenberg on a Wednesday (March 19th). Cortland is looking to go 2-0 while on spring break to improve to 6-1 on the year.
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Kole Stuver 6-2, Sam Rothman 4-1, Klay Stuver 3-1, Nick Stoecker 2-0, Sean Kavanagh 1-1, Frank Neeson 1-1, Matt Franzoni 1-0, Ryan Scanlon 0-1
Nazareth: Matthew Farrington 3-0, Louis Cogliandro 1-1, Quinn McKercher 1-1, Kyle Rosenberger 1-0, Owen Riley 1-0, William Meagher 1-0, Hayden Lucas 0-1, Luke Suchyna 0-1
Goalkeepers:
Cortland: Travis Wagner, 11 saves (8 GA in 54:43), Charlie Falowski, 2 saves (0 GA in 5:17)
Nazareth: Zac Isaac, 6 saves (14 GA in 45:00), McLean Ralston 4 saves (4 GA in 15:00)
Shots: Cortland 40, Nazareth 38. Ground Balls: Cortland 29, Nazareth 25 Turnovers: Nazareth 15, Cortland 12 Caused Turnovers: Cortland 6, Nazareth 2 Clears: Cortland 25-of-27, Nazareth 16-of-17 Faceoffs Won: Nazareth 21, Cortland 9 Penalties: Cortland 5-4:30, Nazareth 2-1:30 Extra-Man Offense: Nazareth 0-5, Cortland 1-2
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 4-1; Nazareth (Golden Flyers) 3-4