CORTLAND, NY (607NewsNow) — A deep NCAA run once again became the standard for SUNY Cortland men’s lacrosse in 2025.
As the team enters its home opener on Saturday, March 7th with a 2-1 record, the Red Dragons are working overcome big changes in their lineup. After a 19–3 season, a dominating 7–0 SUNYAC title run, and an NCAA Division III quarterfinal appearance that ended against third-ranked RIT, the Red Dragons graduated 22 seniors.
The team lost two of its captains and stars, including USILA All-America Honorable Mention midfielder Sam Rothman, who led the team in goals in each of the past two seasons. Also gone is captain Alex Thrasher, a defensive midfielder and the program’s first selection to a USILA All-America First Team since 2011. Thrasher anchored Cortland’s midfield defense, excelling at faceoffs and ground balls.
Looking at the teammates he left behind, Thrasher is confident the Red Dragons can remain at a high level without him.
“When you play and spend as a team as much as we did, we all rubbed off on each other,” Thrasher said. “Did they lose a lot of great players? Yes. But do they now know what it takes to get into tournament play? Absolutely.”
Additionally, the Red Dragons must replace their USILA All-America Honorable Mention goalkeeper, Travis Wagner, who posted a 58% save percentage. Wagner’s play in high-pressure situations keyed their postseason run last year.
With so much veteran production moving on, the question of what comes next looms large. To reload the roster, the coaching staff, led by head coach Lelan Rogers, increased the number of prospect camps held in the offseason. Rogers was the head coach the last two seasons, and worked in the same role back in 2001-05.
Despite the changes, Cortland does retain a strong foundation. USILA Second Team All-American attacker Sean Kavanagh, who finished second on the team in scoring behind Rothman, is back. Rising senior defender Dino Bowen, a USILA All-America Honorable Mention selection, also returns to anchor the defense.
Kavanagh said that despite the loss of “big name guys” the team is confident they can make another NCAA run. “As long as we continue to play tough and as a team, then we’re going to be right back in the tournament and go even deeper this spring,” Kavanagh said.
Sophomore defensemen James Sullivan is a newly-named captain this year. Sullivan said the coaches stress accountability, so the younger players are ready to step into increased roles.
“We’ve got a lot of studs on the roster, so our team emphasis is to think in the now and go about the season day by day with the guys we have on the roster currently,” Sullivan said.
The Red Dragons opened their season on the road, starting with a win an emphatic win over eighth-ranked RPI. In their second game, Cortland lost 12-13 to 11th-ranked St. Lawrence, giving up the winning goal with 11 second left. They rebounded with an emphatic 24-7 win at Brockport. In their March 2 poll, USA Lacrosse has Cortland ranked 19th in Division III.
The Red Dragons open their home campaign at Grady Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds.
Matthew Gatto is a SUNY Cortland sophomore who is pursuing a BS in Strength and Conditioning for Human Performance. He worked on this article in his current Sports Journalism class, which is taught by Paul Arras, a professor in the Communication and Media Studies Department.
