April of last year was a great time to be a part of the men’s lacrosse team. The team was 12-2 and ranked 14th according to USA Lacrosse. However, after losing to Towson 14-9 in their second-to-last game, they were eventually upset by Drexel.
Fairfield was one of the favorites to win the Coastal Athletic Association, which made their loss to Drexel in the first round of the playoffs, 14-6, even more disappointing for the team. But the team is now ready to not make that mistake twice by molding their offseason to help them play their best lacrosse towards the end of the year.
The Stags are coming into this season as one of the pre-season favorites in the CAA, being predicted as the second seed in the conference, only behind Towson who has won the conference the past two years.
Some players for Fairfield also picked up pre-season honors, with senior midfielder Will Consoli and junior defenseman Julian Radossich getting preseason All-CAA. Senior attackman Jake Gilbert, graduate midfielder Rob Moore and graduate goalkeeper Owen Hirsch earned honorable mention status.
The talent is still there from last season, with 4 of the 5 leading goal scorers returning this year, including their starting goalkeeper and multiple defenders returning. But that didn’t stop them from being aggressive this offseason, bringing in 18 new faces with 16 from recruiting and two from the transfer portal.
The two players from the transfer portal are sophomore defenseman Gavin McCarthy, who played six games at Bryant as a first-year player, and junior goalkeeper Landon Whitney, who made 22 career appearances for Albany. Whitney started for the Danes during their 2024 America East Championship run, where he earned All-Rookie honors.
On the recruiting side, the Stags took in 16 new faces from multiple states. The class is led by midfielder Logan Bryant, who was a two time USA Lacrosse All-American from Louisville, Kentucky.
Joining Bryant are another two-time USA Lacrosse All-American at midfielder, Jack Cox, who comes from Ponte Vedra, Florida, and one-time All-American midfielder Luke Patchen from Jamesville-DeWitt in New York.
The Stags come into this season with a very similar schedule to the one they had last season. The slate will open up against Lehigh on Feb. 7th at 11 a.m., the same matchup from a year ago, when Fairfield won 10-7.
This similar schedule could be a catalyst for a team that was undefeated in nonconference play in 2025. The list of repeat opponents includes Sacred Heart, Manhattan, Brown, and Providence. Assuming the returning players from last season get better or stay at the level they were playing at, they should be very successful again in this part of the season.
“The extra effort that we’re putting in every day,.. especially the work in the morning, has been super helpful, and the extra one percent work we’ve been putting in,” Hirsch said.
Most of the stat leaders from last year are returning again this season, including the leading goal scorer, sophomore attackman Devin Lampron. Junior attackman Keegan Lynch is also back this year, who led in assists and points for the Stags last season.
On the defensive side, key returners include Radossich and senior defender Eli Adams, who are the base of the defense. Still, that unit will look the most different this season after losing some of their senior defenders.
The goalkeeping projects to remain strong this year. “Ever since Landon has gotten here, there’s been a lot more competition at practice, and his experience as a starting goalie helps me with sharing our experiences,” Hirsch said.
The goalkeeping unit will look similar to the past season, with Hirsch most likely receiving the nod again this year, as he will return for another after starting all 15 games for the Stags in 2025.
The boys aren’t setting their sights small for this year, and they think they can compete with anyone this season. “Win the CAA championship and win the NCAA championship. We strive for the best,” said Hirsch.