Goucher Opens 2026 Season Against Montclair State

BALTIMORE, MD - The Goucher College Gophers men's lacrosse team (0-1 overall) opened the 2026 season at home on Saturday afternoon, hosting Montclair State University (1-0 overall) on Beldon Field. Despite a late push and a strong second-half effort, the Red Hawks netted the game-winner with 59 seconds remaining to secure a 10-9 victory.

Montclair State tested Goucher early, forcing goalkeeper Josh Steinmiller into a pair of saves within the opening minutes. A turnover led to the Red Hawks' first goal of the season at the 11:28 mark of the first quarter. Less than a minute later, the Gophers capitalized on a turnover, with Jacob Morgan scoring his first goal of the 2026 campaign. After a series of shots from both teams, the game's brief scoring lull was ended by back-to-back goals from Montclair State, giving them the 3-1 lead with 5:31 left on the clock. Morgan responded with his second goal of the game to pull the Gophers within one heading into the second.

The Red Hawks again struck early in the second quarter and pushed their lead to two at 12:32. Following a six-minute stretch that featured eight combined shots, Morgan completed his hat trick off an assist from Scott Tayman to trim the deficit. Montclair answered with two quick goals to build a three-goal cushion before Morgan found the back of the net once more to close the half, sending Goucher into the break trailing 6-4.

Goucher opened the second half with energy, as Tayman scored less than a minute into the third quarter. Montclair responded with two goals to extend the margin to 8-5 with 6:17 remaining in the period. Goucher capitalized on Red Hawks' penalties with Milan Temple adding this first of the season on a man-up opportunity, followed by Morgan, who finished off an assist from Gianni Karam. The final minutes of the contest were scoreless, putting the game at 8-7 heading into the final period.

The fourth quarter opened with strong defensive stands from both sides. Three minutes in, Jason Luk sparked an offensive surge with a caused turnover, which led to a game-tying goal from James Dean, assisted by Eli Jean-Jacques. Jean-Jacques followed a minute and a half later with a goal of his own from a Karam pass. Montclair State answered with the equalizer at the 7:31 mark, setting up a tense final stretch. With under a minute remaining, the Red Hawks converted the decisive goal to claim the 10-9 win.

Morgan led the Gophers with five goals and nine shots, adding three ground balls. Jean-Jacques and Tayman added two-point performances. Luk, Karam, and Nick Gambone each added a caused turnover to the contest. Steinmiller played all 60 minutes in the net, earning 16 saves on the 26 shots. Aaron Butera went 2-10 on the face-off, while Mason Wolf went 5-12.

The Gophers are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 21^st when they host McDaniel at 1pm on Beldon Field.