Final Score
Manhattan (2-0) 9
Monmouth (0-1) 7

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth University men's lacrosse team fell in its 2025 season opener at Kessler Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks jumped out to an early lead, before ultimately falling 9-7 to Manhattan.

The Hawks wasted no time asserting themselves, racing out to a 2-0 first-quarter lead behind goals from Connor Gorman and Luke Cole. Gorman, who led Monmouth with a hat trick, continued his strong play into the second quarter, finishing a feed from Ryan O'Rourke to push the Hawks ahead 3-0. Monmouth's defense, anchored by goalkeeper Tommy Heller's 14 saves, held strong against Manhattan's persistent attack, keeping the Jaspers scoreless for nearly 21 minutes.

Monmouth maintained control for much of the first half, responding to Manhattan's push with a goal from Ty Caffarelli, set up by Brendan Dundas, to make it 4-1. However, the Jaspers found their rhythm late in the second quarter, closing the gap to 4-3 by halftime.

The Hawks capitalized on a man-up opportunity early in the third when Dundas found the back of the net off another O'Rourke assist. Nick Teets added to Monmouth's total minutes later, giving the home team a 6-3 advantage. But Manhattan, led by Sean Shelko's two-goal effort, mounted a steady comeback, tying the game 7-7 by the end of the third quarter.

Monmouth was unable to regain the lead as Manhattan netted the go-ahead goal just seconds into the fourth and added another insurance tally with 2:34 remaining.

Game Notes
Monmouth leads the all-time series against Manhattan 7-4.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Monmouth in home openers.
The Hawks wore their midnight navy helmets with white jerseys and shorts.

Numbers Crunch
Connor Gorman led Monmouth's offense with a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point game.
Ryan O'Rourke was the Hawks' top playmaker, dishing out a game-high three assists.
Tommy Heller anchored the defense with an impressive 14 saves.
Brendan Dundas contributed across the board with one goal, one assist, and a team-high five ground balls.
Lance Martineau collected five ground balls to disrupt Manhattan's offense.
Ty Caffarelli found the net once.
Nick Teets added one goal with a pair of caused turnovers.
Gabe Bowen-Slott recorded four ground balls and one caused turnover.
As a team, Monmouth's defense forced 16 turnovers in the game.

Up Next
Monmouth hits the road for the first of a four-game trip against Boston University on Friday, February 14 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.