ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The Oneonta men's lacrosse team travels to Cortland on Saturday, May 2, for a Red Dragon battle for the SUNYAC Championship starting at 1 pm. In a rematch of last season's conference final, Oneonta is competing for their first SUNYAC title, while Cortland is playing for their 30th conference banner.  

General admission tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for children ages 5-17, and free for children four and under and for SUNYAC students with valid ID. Ticket purchases are online ONLY. The ticket sales site can be found in the hyperlink labeled "Ticket Sales" down below. The link can also be found at the top of this article. 

TICKET SALES | LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | PROGRAM 

Oneonta advanced to the SUNYAC Championship after defeating Potsdam in the conference semifinals, 13-12, in overtime. In a continuous back-and-forth bout, Oneonta trailed 12-10 with under five minutes to play until senior Shakim Carr (Brooklyn, N.Y./John Dewey) and freshman Ryan Babikian (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) scored to tie the game with 35 seconds remaining and forced overtime. In overtime, junior Thomas Hnis (Smithtown, N.Y./Kings Park) scored the game-winning goal to move the Red Dragons on. Hnis, Babikian, and senior Jamie O'Neil (Bath, N.Y./Haverling) led the team with four points each.  

Cortland made it to the conference final after they beat Plattsburgh in the other semifinal contest, 36-3. Cortland had 19 different players score a goal with Nick Stoecker leading with six goals and three assists for nine points. Drew Williamee recorded eight points off five goals and three assists, while Mason Carroll and Stefan Swedlund each finished with five points.  

When these two teams faced each other in the regular season, Cortland defeated Oneonta, 20-7, at Red Dragon Field. Swedlund and Sean Kavanagh both recorded six points in the game for Cortland, and Stoecker added three goals and two assists for five points. Junior Aidan Boyle (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) led Oneonta with three goals for three points, while Hnis, O'Neil, and senior Daniel Macchiarella (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) each had a goal with an assist. 

Oneonta's breakdown is similar to the breakdown written in the Semifinal Preview 
Oneonta's offense is led by a one-two punch of O'Neil and Hnis. Hnis leads the SUNYAC in goals (68), man-up scores (11) and is second in the conference in points (91), while O'Neil leads the league in assists (53) and is third in points (87).

If opposing teams try to shut down the Red Dragon duo, Oneonta has several other options for offensive production, including Boyle and Babikian. In SUNYAC play, Boyle is tied for seventh in the league with 17 goals and eighth with 24 points, while Babikian is 16th in the conference with 11 goals. This season, Boyle is third on the team with 27 goals, 12 assists, and 39 points, and Babikian is fourth with 24 goals and 25 points. 

Macchiarella, Carr, junior Finn Morris (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach), and sophomores Riley Royals (New Hyde Park, NY/Herricks) and Cody Sharp (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) are also key contributors to the Red Dragons offense. Macchiarella has totaled 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points, recording at least one point in six of the past seven games. Morris recorded 19 points off 11 goals and eight assists this year, and he has registered at least a point in the past six games. Royals has scored a point in the past five of the last six games and enters the championship game with 13 goals and two assists for 15 points. Carr has recorded a point in eight of the last 10 games, totaling nine goals and six assists for 15 points this season. Sharp heads into the conference title game with 11 goals and an assist for 12 points this year.

Sophomore Mark Restivo (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) has manned the net for Oneonta this season. He is fifth in the SUNYAC with a .527 save percentage, totaling the second-most 192 saves with 33 ground balls. Sophomore Sean Grimes (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Croton Harmon) leads the team on faceoffs, winning 130 faceoffs for a .602 win percentage this season, and he has collected 65 ground balls. Junior Nathan Nurse (Brooklyn, N.Y./Uncommon Collegiate Charter) has won 99 faceoffs for a .481 faceoff percentage while picking up 49 ground balls. Senior Aidan Greene (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown West) co-leads Oneonta with 26 caused turnovers and has collected 52 ground balls, the second most on the team. Junior Ryan Lussier (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills Ballston Lake) is third on the team with 51 ground balls, has caused six turnovers and, offensively, Lussier has recorded four goals and an assist for five points.

Defensively, juniors Trey Fee (White Plains, NY/White Plains), Johnny Terrana (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown East), David Trahan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna), and sophomore Hunter Busch (Babylon, N.Y./Babylon) surround Restivo. Busch is tied with Greene with 26 caused turnovers and has gathered 23 ground balls. Terrana has caused 18 turnovers and scooped up 27 ground balls, while Trahan totaled 15 caused turnovers and 27 ground balls. Fee has caused a turnover in four of the past five games, forcing nine this season with 25 ground balls.

Cortland is led by Kavanagh, Stoecker, and Swedlund. Kavanagh leads the SUNYAC with 98 points, scoring 47 goals and 51 assists. Stoecker has totaled 55 goals and 29 assists for 84 points, while Swedlund recorded 55 goals and seven assists for 62 points. Cortland has two main faceoff specialists in Nicky Miltenberger and Chad Bowen. Miltenberger has won 174 faceoffs for a .722 win percentage, totaling a team-high 85 ground balls, while Bowen won 118 faceoffs for a .641 win percentage with 34 ground balls.

Cortland's primary goalie is Charlie Falowski. Falowski has saved 160 shots for a .573 save percentage with 30 ground balls. Cortland has seven guys that have caused at least 12 turnovers. Dino Bowen and James Sullivan co-lead with 20 caused turnovers, as Bowen has picked up 38 ground balls and Sullivan has 33 ground balls. A.J. Surian and Patrick O'Doherty both have forced 16 turnovers. Surian has totaled 33 ground balls and O'Doherty has collected 26 ground balls. Tucker Macknik has gathered 71 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers.

The Red Dragon rivals square off for the 2026 SUNYAC Championship tomorrow at Grady Field at the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex at 1 pm.