Tampa, Fla. – The #4 seeded Lewis University men's lacrosse team saw their historic 2026 campaign come to an end Wednesday afternoon as they fell to UTampa, 12-9, in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament.
With the win, the Spartans improved to 20-1 and will advance to the semifinal round of the competition while Lewis ends the year with a 14-4 ledger. The red and whites four losses are the least in a season in program history.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Zack Friend led Tampa with three goals and four points. MP Thomas collected eight ground balls and was 17-of-22 in the face-off circle as well. In net, Westin Schmidt made 13 saves in the win.
Kohl Wesner (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) paced Lewis with three goals while
Paul Ruskoski (Tulsa, Oklahoma/Bishop Kelley HS) and
Carter Korzenski (Orchard Park, N.Y./Limestone) each notched a pair of points.
Dylan Kendrick (Chanhassen, Minnesota/Chanhassen HS) snagged four ground balls and joined
Connor Williams (Lonsdale, Minn./New Prague) and
Tyler Davis (Edina, Minnesota/Edina HS) with two caused turnovers each.
Caden Donahue (Hugo, Minnesota/Mahtomedi HS) made 10 saves between the sticks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After surrendering the first goal of the afternoon, the Flyers offense was cleared for take-off as Wesner netted his first goal of the day to spurn a short 3-0 burst that vaulted the Flyers ahead, 3-1, with 3:32 left in the first quarter.
The Spartans flipped the script before the frame ended as they scored back-to-back goals in under a minute to send both sides into the second quarter tied, 3-3.
After trading the first four goals of the new frame, the Spartans found a spark as Grant Green found the back of the net to usher in a 3-0 run that made it 8-5 Tampa after 30 minutes.
Out of the break, the Spartans continued to roll as they netted the first two goals of the new half to push their lead to a game-high five, 10-5, with 12:57 on the clock in the third.
It was all Flyers to end the third frame however as
Camden Rappis (Delafield, Wisconsin/Kettle Moraine HS) and
Kohl Wesner (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) each found the net four seconds apart to trim the Tampa lead to just three, 10-7, ahead of the final credenza.
Despite two goals from the Flyers, Tampa had two goals of their own to keep the red and white at bay and punch their ticket to the semifinal.
GAME NOTES
- Today marked the second meeting between Lewis and Tampa. Both meetings came in the NCAA Tournament as well
- Wesner notched his first hat trick since April 24 against UIndy
- Ruskoski ends his season with 78 points, the most of any Lewis player in a single season all-time
- Davis had two-or-more caused turnovers for the ninth time this season
For the latest news and updates on Lewis men's lacrosse, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @lewismlax on Instagram and X.
