Maritime Captures 2026 Skyline Conference Title

KINGS POINT, NY – For the first time since 2022, the Maritime College men's lacrosse team is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The third-seeded Privateers (10-8) posted a 13-12 victory over top-seeded Merchant Marine (11-6) in the Skyline Conference Championship Game on Saturday afternoon at Brooks Stadium to earn the fourth conference title in program history. Ryan Hannaford (Bayport, NY) was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after scoring six goals in the Championship Game, including the tying and go-ahead tallies in the fourth quarter.

"We took a year off from being in the big game," Head Coach Justin Manjares said. "And it really made me appreciate what the players and coaches have to do to get to Championship Saturday. Today, we knew that they (the Mariners) were going to bring the fight, and we were very fortunate to come out with a W."

Merchant Marine scored the first four goals of the game and had a 5-1 lead at the 6:22 mark of the first quarter. After Hannaford and Nick Uzakewicz (Hauppauge, NY) each posted unassisted tallies to bring Maritime within 5-3 at the end of the period, the Mariners got two scores in 45 seconds midway through the second quarter to bring the margin back to four at 7-3. Merchant Marine held an 8-5 advantage at halftime.

The Mariners were still in front 9-6 when Uzakewicz started a three-goal rally that tied the game for the first time, 9-9, with 3:57 left in the third quarter. It would remain deadlocked for just 38 seconds before Merchant Marine regained the lead on a Landon Locke goal. Owen Barcus then made it 11-9 in favor of the Mariners heading into the fourth quarter.

When the teams met on April 11, Merchant Marine outscored the Privateers 5-0 in the fourth quarter. The roles were reversed on Saturday, as Maritime dominated the final period. Nick LiPuma (Bayport, NY) brought the Privateers within one, then Hannaford leveled the score at 11-11 with 5:27 to go. He scored again 47 seconds later to give Maritime its first lead of the contest, then Uzakewicz added an insurance tally with 3:34 left.

After Jack DeTommaso cut the Mariners' deficit to one, Merchant Marine took its final timeout with 1:13 remaining. Cristian Scaffaro (Brookhaven, NY) made the save on William Badeer, though, and he secured the ground ball to secure the 13-12 victory and the Privateers' first conference championship in four years. The win snapped Maritime's two-game losing streak in the Skyline Championship Game and improved the Privateers to 4-2 all-time when playing for the conference title. This is the first time Maritime clinched the Skyline championship away from Reinhart Field.

"These kids don't give up," Manjares said. "As long as we have a heartbeat, we're still in the fight. No one gave up (after falling behind 5-1), and that's why I'm so proud of these guys for what they did. They deserve to be champions."

Hannaford and Uzakewicz accounted for 11 of the 13 goals scored by the Privateers. Hannaford finished with six goals and an assist, while Uzakewicz recorded five goals and three assists. LiPuma and Tyler Mahood (Sleepy Hollow, NY) each added an unassisted tally for Maritime. Christopher Laino (West Islip, NY) and Brody Smith (Rehoboth Beach, DE) picked up six ground balls apiece, and Smith also notched three caused turnovers. In addition to securing six ground balls, Scaffaro (10-6) was credited with 18 saves.

For the Mariners, DeTommaso led the way with four goals. Locke tallied seven points on three goals and four assists to go along with three ground balls. Barcus also found the back of the net three times, while Tucker Kuhn had a game-high nine ground balls. Michael Valentine IV caused four turnovers and goalkeeper Julian Garcia (7-4) made 10 saves for Merchant Marine.

With the win, the Privateers qualified for their fourth all-time NCAA Tournament appearance. Maritime will find out its opponent during the NCAA Selection Show, which is set for 9 p.m. on Sunday and will be broadcast on NCAA.com.