Men's Lacrosse Returns to Action at St. Joseph's-Maine

STANDISH, Maine - The Elms College Men's Lacrosse team traveled to Saint Joseph's College of Maine for a conference game to begin the 2026 season on Saturday afternoon for their return to the field since 2024.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 4 | Saint Joseph's College of Maine 26
Records: Blazers 0-1, 0-1 (GNAC) | Monks 2-1, 2-0 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The season opener would begin with Saint Joseph's scoring ten goals in the first quarter. During the quarter, senior goalkeeper Caleb Smith (Suffield, Conn.) would record four saves. The first shot for Elms would come from graduate student attack Devano Clarke (Barnstable, Mass.), followed by three additional shots from senior midfielder Jacob Cancel (Northampton, Mass.) and sophomore attack Colter McComas (Hampden, Mass.). In the second quarter, the Blazers would come out quick when Clarke would find the back of the net for the first goal of the season, after receiving a pass from McComas. Smith would continue to keep his efforts up after stopping six more shots in the quarter, but the Monks would add six more goals to their lead. The Elms offense would add a shot by junior midfielder Elijah Dailey (Springfield, Mass.), before McComas would connect a pass to Clarke for his second goal of the season. The Blazers would then go into the halftime break with one last shot by Clarke, but SJC would keep their 16-2 lead.

The third quarter would start with Elms winning the first two faceoffs, with the Monks scoring a goal in the opening minute, but the Blazers would add a goal when McComas would sneak the ball past the goalkeeper. Saint Joseph's would add five more goals in the quarter, but Smith would continue his best to keep the ball out of the net, making three saves in the third quarter. In the quarter, Elms would see a shot from senior attack Connor Tobin (Northampton, Mass.), but the Monks would keep their lead 22-2. The fourth and final quarter would see SJC capitalize further, scoring two early goals. Throughout the quarter, the Blazers would see shots by Cancel, Tobin, and Clarke, until graduate student midfielder Taahir Busaidy (Houston, Texas) would score his first goal, after receiving a pass from McComas. Elms would add one final shot by McComas and Smith would make four saves in the quarter, but the Monks would walk away with the conference victory 26-4.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Smith would make 17 saves of the 43 shots he faced.

• Clarke would record two goals, with five shots and a caused turnover.

• McComas would make three assists and score a goal, with four shots and a ground ball.

• Busaidy would score a goal, with a shot, a ground ball, and a caused turnover.

• Cancel would add four ground balls, with two shots and a caused turnover.

• Zapata would make two ground balls, cause a turnover, and would win a faceoff.

• Dailey would take a shot, with a ground ball and would win two faceoffs.

• Tobin would record a ground ball, take two shots, and a caused turnover.

UP NEXT: The Elms College Men's Lacrosse team will return to action hosting Abertus Magnus College for their home opener on Saturday, March 7th at 3 pm.

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