BEVERLY, Mass. - The Conference of New England (CNE) Men’s Lacrosse season returns in 2026 with momentum building after a thrilling 2025 championship season. Endicott College captured last season’s conference title, while Wentworth Institute of Technology made an impressive postseason surge to reach the championship game. With defending champions looking to repeat and challengers eager to close the gap, the 2026 season promises high-level competition and another compelling race for the CNE crown. Here is a look into each program ahead of this season.

Curry College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 22 | graduated: 9 | newcomers: 12)
2025 Results (2-15, 2-6 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: T-7th Place
 
The Colonels will hit the turf in 2026 looking to bounce back after last season. They will lean heavily on Nicholas Cole (22 G, 19 A) and Jed Cappuccino (15 G, 11 A), as no other returners had more than 11 points last year.
 
On defense, Joey Pinto and Kyle Bouley will each have their eyes on becoming just the second and third players in program history with 100 caused turnovers, Pinto currently has 71, the third most in program history, just ahead of Bouley’s 69. Both players will reach the century mark if they match their totals from last year of 30 and 32 respectively.

 
Endicott College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 34 | graduated: 18 | newcomers: 18)
2025 Results (15-4, 8-0 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2024-25 Postseason Finish: CNE Champion, NCAA Tournament Second Round

The Endicott men's lacrosse team opens up its 2026 season on the road against Nazareth on Saturday, February 21, at 12 PM. The Gulls will look to capture their third consecutive conference championship. Endicott returns two All-Conference selections, including attackman Nick Graap. Midfielder Tommy Tyksinski was named an Honorable Mention Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. The Blue and Green face off against one preseason-ranked team, No. 4 Bowdoin. Endicott is also receiving votes in the latest USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll.
 

Gordon College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 14 | graduated: 5 | newcomers: 6)
2025 Results (1-11, 0-8 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: 9th place
 
Jackson Wright paced the Fighting Scots with 33 points last season, scoring 26 goals and adding seven assists. Caden Lake dished out a team-best 16 assists last spring to go with six goals.
 
Led by first-year head coach Zachary Scarano, Gordon begins the 2026 season February 28 at Maine Maritime.


Johnson & Wales University
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster
2025 Results (7-9, 4-5 GNAC) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: GNAC First Round

The JWU (Providence) men’s lacrosse team begins year one under new head coach Jeff Cohen looking to gain respect in their first year as a member of the CNE. The Wildcats return their top two scorers from a year ago in junior Jack Davis (19-38-67) and sophomore Jacob Tresser, who tied classmate Matthew Bancroft for the team lead in goals with 27. Junior Trevor Reid anchors the defense after collecting 24 ground balls and causing 15 turnovers last year. A pair of returning goalkeepers – Ethan Mosier and Cam Courchesne – will compete with newcomers Tom Packer and Quinn McDonald for playing time between the pipes.
 

Nichols College
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 26 | graduated: 7| newcomers: 11 )
2025 Results (3-14, 1-7 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: CNE 7th
 
The Nichols Men’s Lacrosse program is set to open its 2026 campaign with a strong blend of returning talent and new additions eager to make their mark on the Hill. Head Coach Shayne Lynch returns for his fourth season at the helm of the Bison, looking to build on last year’s progress as the team prepares to hit the ground running.
 
The Bison graduated seven upperclassmen from last season’s roster but welcomed 11 newcomers poised to make an immediate impact, including nine incoming freshmen and two transfers.
 
Nichols returns 26 players from the 2025 squad, led by senior attacker/midfielder Conor Doherty, who finished third on the team in goals last season with 18 while posting a .524 shooting percentage on shots on goal. Faceoff specialist Travis Arnold also returns after leading the Bison at the faceoff, winning 175 of 335 while pacing the team with 89 ground balls.
 
Defensively, sophomore long stick midfielder Jared Van Cor and junior midfielder Shea Ullo bring valuable experience after both tied for second on the team with 10 caused turnovers apiece last season.
 
Among the key players to watch this season is senior goalie Carter Renaud, who steps into the starting role after appearing in 12 games last year and recording 29 saves. Renaud will anchor the defense as the Bison’s final line of protection. Another player to keep an eye on is sophomore Keegan Rose, a transfer from Bryant University, where he competed at the club level. As a short-stick defensive midfielder with experience against Division I competition, Rose has the potential to make a significant impact for Nichols.
 
The Bison will open the 2026 season at home against Lasell University on Vendetti Field, with a faceoff scheduled for 1:00 PM.
 
 
Roger Williams University
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (Returners: 45 | Graduated: 14 | Newcomers: 17)
2025 Results (9-9, 5-3 CNE) | 2025 Statistics | 2025 Postseason Results: Lost to No. 5 WNE in CNE Tournament - First Round
 
The Roger Williams University Men’s Lacrosse team is set to open their season on Wednesday, Feb. 18. At 4:00 pm at Salve Regina. The Hawks are looking to build on last season, going 9-9 overall and 5-3 in Conference of New England (CNE) play. 
RWU is entering their fourth year under Head Coach Kevin Gould, who has compiled a 31-22 overall record with a 15-9 record in CNE action. He is joined by Luke Bernasconi '20 and Elias Elcock. 

The Hawks will return their starting goalkeeper Aaron D’Aversa (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) who took all 18 starts last season, playing 985:47 in the net. A senior, D’Aversa posted a 10.10 goals against average and collected 179 saves in 2025. Back on the field for the Hawks is junior Brady Lee (Mattapoisett, Mass.) who appeared in 15 games and collected 17 goals and eight assists. On the defensive side, senior Kyle Zirn (Chester, N.H.) returns, who holds the program record in caused turnovers. 
 
 
University of Hartford Men’s Lacrosse
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (Returners: 29 | Graduated: 3 | Newcomers: 14)
2025 Results (10-7, 6-2 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: 3rd Place Lost in CNE Semifinals

Head Coach Ryan Martin enters his 10th season as the head coach of the Hawks as the men’s lacrosse program looks to build on a successful 2025 season. 
The Hartford men's lacrosse program finished the 2025 season 10-7 and 6-2 in Conference of New England (CNE) play. In the first round of playoffs, the Hawks defeated the University of New England 12-5 at home taking them to the semifinals. They would fall 15-11 at Wentworth, which concluded their 2025 season.

The Hawks top offensive returner is junior Aidan Ezra (New Milford, Conn.) who led the team in points last season with 47 on 28 goals and 19 assists. Ezra was named to the CNE All-Conference Second Team as was named a team captain ahead of 2026. Hartford will also retain its top goal scorer as junior Michael Novoty (Cornwall, N.Y.) who was named CNE All-Conference Third Team last season returns. Novoty had 32 goals last season along with seven assists on the year and is only looking to improve those stats in 2026. Second-year captain graduate student Nick DiDomizio (Cheshire, Conn.) will be the Hawks top returning defender. Last season DiDomizio was named a USILA Scholar All-American, CNE All-Conference Second Team selection and a College Sports Communications Academic All-District choice. In 2025 Nick ended the year with a goal, an assist, 15 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls. 

Other key returners include 2025 CNE Rookie of the Year sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.), CNE All-Conference Second Team selections junior CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) and junior Ben Costanzo (Chester, Conn.) and All-Conference Third Teamer senior Tobias Ballester (Westwood, N.J.). 

The Hawks have 15 regular season games for the 2026 schedule, with five taking place at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium. 
 
Wentworth Institute of Technology Men’s Lacrosse
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 38 | newcomers: 11)
 2025 Results (14-5, 6-2 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: CNE Championship Game

Dan Russo enters his 15^th season as head coach of the Wentworth men’s lacrosse team after leading the Leopards to a program-best 14 wins last year and a Conference of New England championship game appearance. Wentworth finished the 2025 campaign with a 14-5 record and 6-2 mark in CNE action. The Black & Gold welcome 11 newcomers to this year’s roster, who will look to repeat last season’s success and compete for a conference title.

Returning for the 2026 season are two of the top five point getters from last season, Tyler Longo and Brendan Kroll. Longo tallied 21 goals and a team-high 44 assists for 65 points, second on the team. Kroll was fifth in scoring with 33 goals and 10 assists in 19 games. The two combined for six man-up goals and 44 ground balls last season.

The Leopards also bring back two of their top defensemen from last season in Kyle Leger and Colin Blackburn. Leger led the team with 25 caused turnovers and added 46 ground balls in 19 appearances. Blackburn made 17 appearances in his freshman season, tallying 11 ground balls and six caused turnovers.

Wentworth defeated Emerson 14-8 on February 11 to open the season.
 
Western New England University Men’s Lacrosse
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (Returners: 31 | Newcomers: 11 | Graduated: 12)
2025 Results: (9-10, 5-3 CNE) | 2025 Season Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: CNE Semifinals, (#5 Seed)

The Western New England men’s lacrosse team will look to return to the CNE Championships game after falling short in the semifinal round a season ago. The rich history of the program sees 31 student-athletes return from a season ago while Western New England men’s lacrosse Head Coach John Klepacki, entering his 25^th season at the helm of the program, brings in 11 new true first-years to the program. Klepacki will look for new offense this season with the graduation of his top two scorers from a season ago.
 
Senior Jacob Roy (Brookline, N.H.) will look to guide the Golden Bears offensively, scoring 90 points, including 73 goals, across his first three seasons in Blue and Gold. Rising sophomore Logan Jenkins (Preston, Conn.), who made a splash for the Golden Bears last season, scoring 14 goals and adding 17 assists. Seniors Josh Gagnon (Dracut, Mass.) and Max Rudgers (Brunswick, Maine) will also look to contribute on the offensive end for the Golden Bears. 

The Golden Bears will continue their solid back line of defense this season, led by junior David Noel (Hampden, Mass.) and seniors Connor Callahan (Brunswick, Maine) and Jack Gara (Madison, Conn.). The Golden Bears surrendered over 200 goals a season ago and will look to maintain their strong standards in front of their goalkeepers in 2026. 

The Blue and Gold will have a new starting goalkeeper this season, with Chase Beyus (Groton, Conn.), Jeffrey Wojtowicz (Shelton, Conn.) and Matthew Davis (West Springfield, Mass.) battling for a starting spot for Klepacki’s squad. 
The Golden Bears open the season with three straight on home turf at Golden Bear Stadium, welcoming St. Lawrence University on Thursday, February 19, at 3:30 PM, Keene State College on Tuesday, February 24, at 4:00 PM, and MIT on Saturday, February 28, at 1:00 PM to begin the 2026 season. 
 
University of New England Men’s Lacrosse
2026 Schedule | 2026 Roster (returners: 28 | graduated: 6 | newcomers: 13)
2025 Results (8-10, 3-5 CNE) | 2025 Overall Stats | 2025 Postseason Finish: CNE 1st Round (#6 Seed)
 
The University of New England and 14th-year head coach Charlie Burch bring back 28 players from the 2025 group, including 16 who saw regular minutes throughout the season. Among the field leaders are senior defender Chris Gottlieb and senior midfielder Shea Fogarty, who were second team and third team all-conference picks last year, respectively. Gottlieb topped the squad with 57 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers, while Fogarty led the way on offense with 29 goals and 16 assists.

Junior attackman Preston Briggs (who was pacing the team with 18 goals through the first 10 games), junior attackman Kyle Dunn, junior midfielder Stephen Fogarty, senior defender Nate Hunt, junior midfielder Ean LaRochelle, and senior attackman Finn McCoy all had starting nods in more than half of the contests.