The Emmanuel College men's lacrosse team opened its 2026 campaign and conference play in dramatic fashion Wednesday afternoon, outlasting host Lasell University 8-7 in overtime to improve to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play.

The Saints built a commanding 6-1 lead through two and a half quarters before Lasell mounted a fierce comeback to tie the game at seven heading into the extra period. But Emmanuel refused to blink — sophomore Samuel Yan found the back of the net 2:41 into overtime to seal the Saints' hard-fought opening victory.

Emmanuel wasted no time imposing its will in the opening quarter. Cooper Mehlhorn got the Saints on the board first at 11:58, finishing unassisted for the game's opening goal. Emmanuel took full advantage of an early penalty against Lasell's Nick Halesworth, with Cole Cloney converting a man-up opportunity at 9:53 to push the lead to 2-0. Ethan Madura capped the first-quarter burst with another man-up goal off a Mehlhorn assist in the final seconds, giving Emmanuel a 3-0 lead through one.

The Saints kept their foot on the gas in the second quarter. Cloney scored back-to-back unassisted goals at 14:14 and 5:43, and Madura added his second of the half to push the advantage to 6-1. Lasell managed a late goal in the period to trim the deficit to 6-2, but Emmanuel remained firmly in control at halftime.

The third quarter belonged entirely to the Lasers, as Lasell outscored Emmanuel 3-0 to pull within one. Nate Campbell and Jack Condon each found the net, with Campbell converting a man-up goal at 4:53 to make it a 6-5 game heading to the fourth. Emmanuel's offense went quiet in the period, managing just eight shots with no goals, while Lasell's new goalkeeper Dominick Ciarelli — who entered to start the second half — proved difficult to crack.

The momentum continued to swing in the fourth. Colin LeBaron knotted the game at six just two minutes into the quarter, and despite Ethan Madura restoring a one-goal Emmanuel advantage at 10:07, Condon answered for the Lasers with a man-up tally at 4:32 to tie the score at seven and force overtime.

Emmanuel won the opening overtime faceoff and immediately went to work. After a Mehlhorn shot was turned away by Ciarelli in the opening minute, the Saints kept the pressure on. With 1:19 remaining in the overtime period, Samuel Yan delivered the game-winner — sliding home an unassisted goal to give Emmanuel the 8-7 victory and send the Saints home with a crucial conference win.

Madura led the Saints offensively with three goals, while Cloney matched him with three goals of his own. Mehlhorn chipped in a goal and two assists, and Yan supplied the dramatic overtime clincher for his lone tally of the afternoon.

In goal, Colby Enos was steady throughout 62:41 of action, stopping 11 of 18 shots on goal and coming up with several critical saves during Lasell's third- and fourth-quarter run to keep the Saints in position to win.

Emmanuel was out shot 44-36, outpaced on ground balls 28-26, and only won 6 of 19 faceoffs, but the Saints were efficient when it counted most, going 2-for-8 on extra-man opportunities and had clear rate of 17-for-21 (81%) that helped them sustain offensive possessions in key moments.

The Saints return to action on Friday as they head to New Jersey for the Leanos Cup, hosted at Drew University. Emmanuel will challenge the host team on Friday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. and the result of that game will determine time and opponent for Saturday's contest.