On Thursday, the NEC Semifinals took place in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, at the campus of Robert Morris University. After the top two seeds heading into the tournament took care of business with their respective opponents, the Robert Morris Colonials will look to repeat as NEC champions, and the Long Island Sharks will be in search of their first-ever NEC Men’s Lacrosse title this weekend.
NEC Semifinals Recap
#1 Robert Morris vs #4 Virginia Military Institute
As the rain rolled into the area in Moon Township, PA, number one-seeded Robert Morris played as host to the visitors of VMI in the first semifinal game of the 2026 NEC Men’s Lacrosse Tournament. Coming into the game, the Colonials had won a program record of 11 wins in a row, including a flawless 7-0 record in the conference. Part of that 11-game winning streak included a 20-9 trashing of VMI on April 4, 2026, in Lexington, Virginia. Following the loss to Robert Morris, the Keydets went on to finish off their regular season with a three-game winning streak with wins over Long Island (10-8), Wagner (13-6), and Detroit Mercy (14-5).
After the first quarter, Robert Morris held a narrow 4-2 lead with both teams going back and forth to start the game before Robert Morris ended the quarter with two goals to hold the advantage going into the 1st break. The second quarter saw both teams deadlock with two goals apiece, and entered the half with Robert Morris still only up two goals. Even with the lead, Robert Morris still was behind VMI in total shots as the Keydets ripped off 22 to the Colonials’ 20.
The second half is where RMU regrouped and showed VMI and the rest of the conference why they were regular-season champions by extending their two-point lead at half to six at the end of the third quarter. It wasn’t just the offense that stepped up in the third quarter, but the defense did their part by shutting out VMI, in which all four VMI shots on goal were saved.
In the fourth quarter, RMU handled the time wisely and finished the job, adding two more to the scoresheet and finishing off with a 12-5 win to advance to the championship game for a second consecutive season. VMI’s season ended with a loss and finished with a .500 record (7-7) and an above .500 record (4-3) in the NEC.
#2 Long Island vs #3 Cleveland State
After the first semifinal matchup, which by the end of the game was not close, the second semifinal game between Long Island and Cleveland State was much different. Heading into the conference tournament, the two-seeded Long Island Sharks ended their regular season with a 12-8 win over Cleveland State. After their 4-0 record to start in conference play, the Sharks dropped their next two NEC games with a loss to VMI (8-10) and to RMU (10-14) in the fight for the number one seed in the conference. Cleveland State had a little shake-up at the end of their regular season with two losses in their final three games and dropping their regular-season finale to Long Island.
The teams that have great memories of each other were not able to shake one another off, which saw the first quarter ending in a 2-2 standstill. Even though each team scored two goals apiece, the offense was active to say the least, with Long Island testing the defense with 11 shots, trying the keeper with five on target, while Cleveland State tallied 10 shots and put six of them on net. It was Long Island who broke the tie going into the half, scoring six goals in the second quarter and holding an 8-6 lead going into halftime. Once again, each team tallied double-digit shots (10 a piece), showcasing the offensive firepower each team held in its arsenal.
Coming out of the break, the Vikings responded to the small deficit and ended the quarter in a tied semifinal game, 13-13. Even after losing their halftime lead, Long Island came out in the fourth quarter shooting on all cylinders, ripping off 12 shots, putting half of them on net, and putting all of the pressure on Cleveland State’s defense. However, each team only scored 1 goal apiece, which meant the game that already started later than anticipated was going to end later than expected, with overtime being the deciding factor.
It took 13 minutes and 44 seconds for the ice to be broken between the two sides, with Long Island’s junior midfielder Aidan Zuhoski scoring the game-winner to put the “Fins Up” and move on to the NEC championship game. Cleveland State ended with a respectable 6-8 record and a 4-3 conference record.
NEC Finals Preview
#1 Robert Morris vs #2 Long Island
As the regular season progressed and the season ended with each conference game being extremely meaningful, many could have predicted a Robert Morris and Long Island championship game this season. Both teams sat atop the conference all season, with Long Island holding the number one spot until their loss to VMI (8-10) and RMU (10-14), which was when RMU took control of the conference.
When these two sides met, RMU was riding high on their nine-game winning streak with their eyes set on remaining atop the conference, while the Sharks were looking to get the bad taste out of their mouths from their first conference loss of the season. After a tied game (5-5) in the first quarter, the Colonials would respond to a quick two-goal deficit in the second quarter and not look back, eventually putting the visitors behind them and pulling out the victory for the battle of the top seed.
Then earlier this week, the NEC announced its season awards, with the Colonials sweeping the lot. Freshman, superstar Dylan Anderson added to his already impressive resume filled with six Freshman of the Week awards, taking home the Freshman of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and the granddaddy of them all, the NEC Player of the Year. Owen Tapper, junior defender from Whitby, Ontario, took home NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach Craig McDonald wrapped it up, taking home Coach of the Year award.
In addition to an already impressive award-winning regular season, the Colonials also saw six of their players on the NEC First Team (Anderson, Tapper, Ben Eck, Nate Fetcher, Elijah Edwards, and Nathan Ruff), three on the NEC Second Team (Calumn Brennan, Joel McCormick, and Liam Blakely), and a pair of teammates on the NEC All-Rookie Team (Anderson and Koerner Marecheck).
Long Island saw a handful of its players take home awards themselves. The Sharks landed four on the NEC First Team (Cameron Connolly, Shaun Hill, Aidan Zuhoski, and Ben McIsaac), a solo player on the NEC Second Team (Ryan Fountain), and a pair of players on the NEC All-Rookie Team (Antonio Ciolfi and Jack Whitehouse).
The championship is expected to be a high-scoring affair between the conference’s top two scoring offenses and a bid for an NCAA tournament game. The game will be played at the campus of Robert Morris University at the Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, PA. Faceoff is set for 4:00 PM today and can be streamed on ESPN+.
