UAlbany celebrates after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany celebrates after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany celebrates after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany celebrates after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany celebrates after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany fans celebrate after their team beat Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany coach Scott Marr celebrates after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany coach Scott Marr gets a water cooler dumped on him after beating Vermont in the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany senior Silas Richmond uses a pick set by teammate Jackson Palumb during the America East finals against Vermont on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany junior Ryan Doherty takes a shot in front of Vermont defender Jack Combs during the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany senior Silas Richmond winds up a shot in front of Vermont defender Jack Combs during the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany junior Ryan Doherty during the America East finals against Vermont on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany senior Silas Richmond takes a shot during the America East finals against Vermont on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany junior James Reid, left, and Austin Oppenheim gang up on Vermont junior Walter Zhao during the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany junior Jackson Palumb looks for an opening in front of Vermont defender Colin Bullock during the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany fans cheer for their team during the America East finals against Vermont on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany senior Silas Richmond winds up a shot in front of Vermont defender Jack Combs during the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany senior Silas Richmond winds up a shot in front of Vermont defender Jack Combs during the America East finals on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
UAlbany goalie Brady Smith looks for a teammate after making a save during the America East finals against Vermont on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Casey Stadium in Albany, NY. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Jim Franco/Times Union
ALBANY — The University at Albany men’s lacrosse program has won a remarkable 12 America East Conference championships during Scott Marr’s 26 seasons as head coach.
The 12th title came on Saturday with a 14-11 victory over Vermont in the title game before 1,054 fans at Casey Stadium. Marr said it might have been the most meaningful because it came against a very challenging opponent after a season of hardship.
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In December, Marr mourned the death of Siena coach Liam Gleason, Marr’s close friend, former player and assistant coach, who died in a fall at his home. Marr said a UAlbany player lost his father, and other players lost their best friends among “eight or nine deaths” associated with people in the program during the season.
“It seemed like every time we turned around, we were consoling somebody through a tragedy,” said Marr, on the verge of tears. “My team’s resilience and finding a way to win today, I thought this was the hardest championship we ever had to win.”
Tough Vermont didn’t make it easy, either, building a three-goal lead in the third quarter. However, the Great Danes (11-5) refused to give in and won their third consecutive league title.
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Junior attack Ryan Doherty, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, scored five goals and senior attack Silas Richmond added four goals.
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In what might have been his final home game, Richmond finished his career with a three-peat.
“Our senior class is super tight and we love each other so much and we didn’t want this to be our last game together,” Richmond said. “When we started bearing down in that third quarter and fourth quarter, it really got real for us. ‘We’ve got to go now, or this could be our last one.’ We weren’t really fighting to win a championship today, in my mind. We were fighting to stay together, that’s how I felt.”
UAlbany earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Great Danes will watch the selection show at 9:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU to find out their matchup.
UAlbany might host an opening-round game on Wednesday for the third straight year at Casey Stadium. If not, UAlbany will be on the road for a first-round game next Saturday or Sunday.
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Down 9-7, UAlbany seized control by scoring five unanswered goals, including Richmond’s backhand shot with 58 seconds left in the third period that put the Great Danes ahead for good at 10-9.
To open the fourth quarter, Doherty fought for a ground ball and went behind his back to beat Vermont goalie Ryan Daly, making it 11-9 with 14:53 to play.
“I feel like in plays like that, it’s really just sacrificing everything you can for all the guys around you,” Doherty said. “I know they would have done the exact same thing for me.”
UAlbany sophomore goalie Brady Smith made 13 saves. Senior faceoff specialist Austin Oppenheim and his wings won 13-of-26 faceoffs, primarily against Vermont’s Walter Zhao, who entered the game fourth in the country in faceoff winning percentage.
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“You can’t say enough,” Marr said. “It’s the only thing we really talked about from Thursday night into today, was how we were going to combat the faceoff. ‘Opp’ just stepped up.”
A turning point came when Zhao drew a one-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct with 12:21 left in the third period. UAlbany took advantage as Jackson Palumb and Richmond scored man-up goals in a 24-second span to cut Vermont’s lead to 8-7 with 11:23 remaining in the period.
Marr said Vermont (7-7) played “an outstanding game.” Despite that, the Great Danes rewarded Marr with another championship.
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“I’m truly blessed and grateful for every opportunity I have to be with these guys and just all my alums and everybody that’s associated with our program,” Marr said. “It’s a village, man. My village is huge.”
UAlbany’s Doherty, Richmond, Smith and midfielder James Reid were named to the all-tournament team.