Tampa Punches Ticket to NCAA Semifinal for Second Consecutive Season
May 13, 2026

Tampa Punches Ticket to NCAA Semifinal for Second Consecutive Season

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TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's lacrosse team punched its ticket to the NCAA Semifinals on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Lewis University, 12–9, at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex. With the victory, the Spartans improve to 20-1 overall.
 
How It Happened
Tampa came out aggressive from the opening faceoff and struck first less than two minutes into the contest as Aaron Cho dodged through the middle and buried an unassisted finish at the 13:05 mark. Lewis quickly responded just 28 seconds later when Kohl Wesner answered with an unassisted goal of his own to even the score.
The Flyers continued to pressure offensively throughout the opening quarter and grabbed their first lead after Liam Forsyth found the back of the net midway through the frame. Lewis extended the advantage to 3–1 with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter as Wesner scored his second goal of the afternoon following another strong offensive possession.
Tampa settled in late in the first quarter and responded with a pair of momentum-shifting goals in the closing minutes. Eric Burbank delivered a pass to Zack Friend cutting toward the crease, and Friend finished with just over a minute remaining to cut the deficit to one. Then, with only 12 seconds left in the quarter, Grant Green rifled home an unassisted strike to even the score at 3–3 heading into the second quarter.
 
The Spartans carried that momentum into the second frame and immediately took control offensively. Just 43 seconds into the quarter, Friend struck again after Aaron Cho found him in front to give Tampa its first lead since the opening minutes. Lewis answered moments later on a goal from Malikye Good, but the Spartans capitalized on an extra-man opportunity shortly after as Tommy Ortega finished off a feed from Green to regain the lead at 5–4.
The two teams traded possessions for much of the middle portion of the quarter before Lewis evened things again at 5–5 behind Carter Korzenski. Tampa responded emphatically with its best offensive stretch of the afternoon, scoring three unanswered goals over the final five minutes of the half.
Green ignited the run with an unassisted finish from the left side before Matthew Vara connected with Eric Burbank on a transition opportunity to push the lead to two. Ortega added another late score after forcing a turnover and finishing the possession himself, giving Tampa an 8–5 halftime advantage.
 
Tampa's defense tightened up to begin the third quarter while the Spartans dominated possession at the faceoff X behind MP Thomas. Jackson Bashaw opened the second-half scoring less than a minute into the period after Rex Kesselring found him cutting inside for a quick finish. Just over a minute later, Vara threaded a pass to Friend, who completed his hat trick to stretch Tampa's lead to 10–5.
Lewis refused to go away quietly and mounted a late push in the third quarter. Camden Rappis finished off an assist from Paul Ruskoski with just over three minutes remaining before Wesner scored again only four seconds later following the ensuing faceoff to quickly trim the deficit to 10–7 entering the fourth quarter.
 
The Spartans answered the Lewis rally early in the final frame with another timely goal. Friend drew the defense before dishing a pass to Vara, who finished from close range to restore Tampa's four-goal advantage. Lewis continued to battle and cut the deficit back to three on an unassisted goal from Ruskoski midway through the quarter, but Tampa continued to control possession and limit quality scoring chances defensively.
With under three minutes to play, Burbank found Bashaw on the crease for a crucial insurance goal that extended the Spartans' lead back to four and shifted momentum firmly back in Tampa's favor. Lewis added one final goal in the closing minutes, but the Spartans closed out the remaining time to secure the 12–9 NCAA Quarterfinal victory and advance to the national semifinals.
 
Spartan Performances
  • Zack Friend led the offensive attack with three goals and one assist.
  • Tommy Ortega and Grant Green each added two goals, while Jackson Bashaw also scored twice.
  • Matthew Vara recorded one goal and two assists, while Eric Burbank added one goal and two assists.
  • Aaron Cho contributed one goal and one assist in the victory.
  • MP Thomas dominated at the faceoff X, winning 17-of-22 faceoffs as Tampa finished 19-of-25 overall.
  • The Spartans controlled the ground ball battle, 34–23, and outshot Lewis 51–33.
  • Westin Schmidt earned the victory in goal with 13 saves.
Up Next
The Spartans advance to the NCAA Semifinals and will continue their postseason run this weekend. Tampa will play Anderson for a spot in the NCAA Championship on Sunda, May 17 at 1:00 p.m. at Naimoli.