VICTOR, N.Y. -- The Oneonta men's lacrosse team fell in their season opener of the 2026 season against St. John Fisher, 23-7, on the road Saturday afternoon. The game was tied halfway through the first quarter before St. John Fisher closed out the half with a 10-3 run, then they scored seven unanswered in the third period to take a commanding lead into the final 15. Junior
Thomas Hnis (Smithtown, N.Y./Kings Park) led the game with six goals, three ground balls and a caused turnover, while senior
Jamie O'Neil (Bath, N.Y./Haverling) finished with the game-high five assists with two ground balls. The Red Dragons begin the season 0-1 with the result as the Cardinals start off 1-0.
St. John Fisher recorded the first two goals of the contest, before O'Neil found Hnis twice in a span of a minute to tie the game at 7:20. The Cardinals took a 7-2 lead with five straight goals, then Hnis earned his hat trick at 12:38 in the second period as he got the ball near the sideline, sprinted towards the top of the zone and past his defender for the shot.
Following Hnis' goal, St. John Fisher added four more to the margin to go up 11-3 at 8:33 in the second. Junior
Finn Morris (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) scored his first goal of the season at 7:09 after O'Neil backed his defender down near the goal and waited for the second defender to close in on him. He then passed it to an unguarded Morris near the far post for the goal. Hnis scored his fourth goal of the game off a pass from O'Neil during a man-up advantage as the Red Dragons went into the break trailing 12-5.
The Cardinals scored eight in a row for a 20-5 lead with 12:11 to play. In the remaining moments, Hnis scored twice for Oneonta while St. John Fisher found the net three more times. The Red Dragon junior's first score in the final quarter happened when junior
Aidan Boyle (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) restarted play from behind the net and sent a pass to Hnis who fired in a tough shot past the Cardinals keeper. The team's final goal happened with 5:22 to play after junior
Ben Thayer (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) made a save and sent a long pass down the field to senior
Daniel Macchiarella (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland). Macchiarella picked up the ball for the clear and passed it to O'Neil who immediately dished it to Hnis at the top of the zone for the goal.
St. John Fisher outshot Oneonta 58-36 in total shots, 37-18 on goal, and finished with a 55-31 advantage in ground balls. The Red Dragons were 25-for-32 in clear attempts and 1-for-3 on extra man opportunities, and the Cardinals were 30-for-31 on clears and 0-for-2 on the man-up.
Sophomore
Mark Restivo (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) started the first 21:53 in goal for the Red Dragons and finished with six saves. Senior
Ryan Collins (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) recorded three saves in 22:18, then Thayer played in net for the final 15:49 and recorded five saves. Juniors
Johnny Terrana (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East) and
David Trahan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) both caused two turnovers and scooped up three ground balls, while sophomore
Hunter Busch (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) also caused two turnovers and picked up a ground ball.
Robbie Salit and Scott Bovard each led St. John Fisher with three goals and two assists. Lane Edinger and Hayden Lauer both recorded three goals and an assist. Tyler Manning started the first 45 minutes in goal for the Cardinals and picked up eight saves, while Ian McIntyre played the final 15 and totaled three stops.
The Red Dragons are back on the field for their home opener on Saturday, February 21, for a non-conference match against Brockport starting at 1 pm on Red Dragon Field.
