No. 14 Men’s Lacrosse Defeats No. 18 Loyola Maryland to Secure Patriot League Championship

Sunday, May 3

West Point, N.Y.

12 p.m.

Army West Point

13-3, 6-2

Loyola Maryland

10-6, 6-2

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Loyola Maryland	2	2	1	2	7
Army West Point	6	4	3	1	14

No. 14 Men’s Lacrosse Defeats No. 18 Loyola Maryland to Secure Patriot League Championship

May 03, 2026 | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The No. 14-ranked Army West Point men's lacrosse team (13-3, 6-2 Patriot League) won the Patriot League championship on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Michie Stadium as the Black Knights defeated the No. 18-ranked Loyola Greyhounds (10-6, 6-2 Patriot League) 14-7 in the title game.

The win marks Army's 14th Patriot League title and just the second time the Black Knights have secured the championship win on their home field since 2004 to clinch their trip to the 2026 NCAA DI Men's Lacrosse Tournament.

Brayden Foutain tied his career-high for goals in a single game with five as the sophomore attackman scored four goals in the first quarter of action.

Hill Plunkett picked up five points on five assists to mark the most assists by an Army player in a single game this season.

Evan Plunkett tallied five points on one goal and four assists to bring his career points total to 186 points, bringing him tied as the eighth-highest all-time point scorer in Army program history.

Senior goalkeeper Sean Byrne delivered 11 saves and allowed only five goals in his 56:24 of play.

Army's win marks the 12th time the Black Knights have earned Patriot League Regular Season Champions recognition and won the Patriot League Championship in the same season.

HOW IT HAPPENED
A chilly Sunday afternoon at Michie Stadium set the stage for the highly anticipated championship game between the two top-seeded teams in the Patriot League.

The Black Knights set a fast pace early in the matchup, scoring their first goal of the afternoon just three and a half minutes into the contest.

Sophomore attackman Hill Plunkett found Gunnar Fellows up close to the Greyhounds' goal, where the senior buried it in the back of the net for his 33rd goal of the season.

The visitors were quick to respond, however, scoring their first goal of the afternoon just 59 seconds later to tie things up at one apiece.

Army's offense got right back on the attack and pressured Loyola's defense less than two minutes later, as senior attackman Evan Plunkett fed a pass while on the run to Brayden Fountain who had a shot lined up and fired it in the top left corner past the Greyhounds' goalkeeper to reclaim a one-goal lead for the Black Knights.

Just 73 seconds later Fountain scored his second goal of the day, as the sophomore charged in front of the crease and fired a shot across his body to score his second goal of the game and bring the score to 3-1.

Loyola fought to slow Army's quick pace, burying their second goal of the game two minutes later to keep the score close.

After a save from senior goalkeeper Sean Byrne, Army flipped the field to recapture the momentum of the game as Ben Calabrese buried a shot off the assist by Tyler Clark to reclaim a two-goal advantage.

With under three minutes left in the first quarter, Fountain snuck a low shot into the bottom right corner of Loyola's goal, securing his third first-half hat trick this season and his 100th career point.

Hill Plunkett found Fountain 38 seconds later, as the sophomore attackman jumped and fired an overhand shot for his fourth first quarter goal, giving Army a 6-2 mark that held through the remainder of the first quarter.

Coming out of the break, the Greyhounds renewed their aggression to get back in the game.

With a minute and 24 seconds expired off the clock in the second frame, Loyola netted their third goal of the contest and began to chip into the Black Knights' four-goal lead.

The Greyhounds' attack did not stop there as Loyola scored again just under six minutes into the quarter to bring the game to a 6-4 mark.

In an effort to retake control of the game in front of its home crowd, Army displayed its toughness after the offensive pressure from Loyola with an unassisted goal from Evan Plunkett just under three minutes later, his 23rd goal of the season.

With just five minutes left in the opening half, Cal Lambert joined in on the scoring, burying a shot on the run after another assist from Hill Plunkett to help Army retake a four-goal lead.

Fellows netted his second goal of the day 75 seconds later off Hill Plunkett's fifth assist of the game – the most by an Army player this season.

With the clock ticking down in the first half, Lambert picked up his second goal of the game after he showcased his quick reflexes.

After an interrupted pass from Evan Plunkett, Lambert picked up the loose ground ball, spun around and fired a shot immediately to give the Black Knights a 10-4 lead that held through the final seconds of the frame.

The second half of the championship matchup saw both teams trade possessions until just before the six minute mark had passed when Lambert connected on a shot from the left side of the crease to record the second hat trick of the day for the Black Knights.

The Black Knights kept their foot on the gas and continued their scoring spree as Fellows took advantage of a scramble on the side of the goal and found the back of the Loyola net with the assist from Mike Harney to secure the third hat trick of the day for Army.

The Greyhounds scored their fifth goal of the afternoon just 51 seconds later to put a stop to Army's 6-0 scoring run.

Fountain's offensive outburst continued as he scored his fifth goal of the afternoon, tying his career high for goals in a single game and giving the Black Knights an eight-goal lead heading into the final period.

In the final frame of the championship matchup, the defenses for both teams locked in on their opponents to keep each other off the board for the first six minutes of play.

Army capitalized on a man-up opportunity after a tripping penalty against the Greyhounds and scored its 14th goal of the game from the crosse of Lambert once again for his fourth goal of the game.

Through the next five minutes of play, the Greyhounds fought to get back in the game and increased the pressure on the Black Knights.

Byrne delivered two saves and held Loyola scoreless before Army put senior goalkeeper Evan Richardson in goal for the final three minutes and 36 seconds of action.

Loyola's attack continued to press against Army's defense through the final three and a half minutes of the matchup.

Richardson delivered two saves for the Black Knights before the Greyhounds snuck two goals into the back of the net to bring the score to 14-7, but the Black Knights' dominant performance held their advantage through the final whistle to secure the 2026 Patriot League Championship victory.

For their efforts against Lehigh and Loyola, Sean Byrne, Evan Plunkett, Cal Lambert, and Brayden Fountain earned recognition to the 2026 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team with Tournament MVP honors for Lambert.

BLACK KNIGHT BULLET POINTS

Army secured its 14th Patriot League Championship in program history.
The win marks the Black Knights' 13th win of the season, tying the program record for wins in a single season. Army also recorded 13 wins in 2019 and 2023.
Hill Plunkett's five assists were the most by an Army player in a single game this season.
Brayden Fountain tied for a career-high five goals, securing his 100th career point with his third goal of the afternoon. The performance marks the third time this season Fountain has completed a hat trick in the first 30 minutes of action.
Army's 10-goal first half marked the most goals scored by the Black Knights in the first half this season.
Patriot League Tournament MVP Cal Lambert recorded a career-high four goals against the Greyhounds to help Army to its seven-goal lead.
Senior goalkeeper Sean Byrne tallied 11 saves during his time in goal for the Black Knights, his 14th game this season with at least 10 saves.

2026 Patriot League Men's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Cal Lambert, Army West Point, Sr., M – Tournament MVP
Sean Byrne, Army West Point, Sr., GK
Brayden Fountain, Army West Point, So., A
Evan Plunkett, Army West Point, Sr., M
Kenan Everhart, Loyola Maryland, Jr., A
Mason Cook, Loyola Maryland, So., A
Max Watkinson, Loyola Maryland, Sr., GK
Jack Carrabine, Colgate, Jr., D
Patty Eldredge, Colgate, Sr., M
Luke Breslin, Lehigh, So., A
Kasey Heath, Lehigh, Jr., GK

UP NEXT
The Black Knights clinched their spot in the 2026 NCAA DI Men's Lacrosse Tournament with the win. Army will learn its opponent and matchup destination during the 2026 NCAA DI Men's Lacrosse Selection Show, set for 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 3 on ESPNU.