Mount St. Mary’s Men’s Lacrosse 2026 Season Recap: Whitty, Atkinson and Wright Lead Mountaineers Through a Competitive MAAC Campaign
Mount St. Mary’s Men’s Lacrosse 2026 Season Recap: Whitty, Atkinson and Wright Lead Mountaineers Through a Competitive MAAC Campaign
The final record may show a 3-10 season, but Mount St. Mary’s men’s lacrosse was far more competitive than the standings suggest in 2026.
The Mountaineers battled through one of the toughest schedules in the MAAC, suffered multiple one-goal losses, developed several young stars, and showed significant improvement as the season progressed. While postseason aspirations ultimately fell short, Head Coach Andrew Scalley’s squad laid a foundation for future success behind standout seasons from Kevin Whitty, Brody Atkinson, Carter Quested, Bennett Wright and Nicolas Belmonte.
Several games were decided in the final minutes, and a handful of different bounces could have dramatically altered the Mount’s record. Instead, the Mountaineers finished 3-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play, but the season featured plenty of individual accomplishments and encouraging signs for the future of the program.
Season By The Numbers
- Record: 3-10
- MAAC Record: 2-6
- Goals Scored: 121
- Goals Allowed: 168
- Leading Scorer: Brody Atkinson (26 goals)
- Leading Point Producer: Kevin Whitty (45 points)
- Team Leader in Assists: Kevin Whitty (29)
- Starting Goalie: Bennett Wright
- All-Rookie Selection: Nicolas Belmonte
While the defense often found itself under pressure against some of the MAAC’s top offenses, the Mount continued to fight throughout the season and was rarely out of games.
Several contests came down to a single possession, showing just how close the Mountaineers were to a much different finish.
Season Opener: Furious Rally Falls Short Against LIU
LIU 14, Mount St. Mary’s 12
The season opened with one of the most exciting games on the Mount’s schedule.
After falling behind 10-5 entering the fourth quarter, Mount St. Mary’s nearly completed a remarkable comeback. The offense erupted for seven goals in the final period and eventually tied the game at 12 before LIU answered with two late scores.
Despite the loss, several offensive stars announced their arrival.
Kevin Whitty exploded for seven points, finishing with two goals and five assists. Chris Grimaldi added four goals, while Carter Quested and Collin Thomson each contributed multiple points.
The comeback effort showed the offensive potential that would be displayed throughout the season.
First Victory Arrives Against Queens
Mount St. Mary’s 13, Queens 10
The Mountaineers earned their first victory of the season in front of the home crowd in Emmitsburg.
After allowing five first-quarter goals, the Mount defense settled down and completely changed the game. The Mount outscored Queens 3-0 in the second quarter and controlled the pace for much of the afternoon.
Brody Atkinson recorded a hat trick while Grimaldi continued his strong start with three goals of his own.
The victory provided an early confidence boost and showed the team could overcome adversity.
Lafayette Dominates Possession Battle
Lafayette 19, Mount St. Mary’s 5
One week later, the Mount ran into a red-hot Lafayette team.
The Leopards controlled faceoffs, ground balls and shot opportunities from start to finish.
Atkinson scored twice while Nate Committee, Marcelo Carreiro and Owen Fasulka added goals.
The biggest story was possession.
Lafayette won 24 faceoffs and held a massive advantage in shots, making it difficult for the Mount offense to establish any rhythm.
Defensive Battle At UMBC
UMBC 7, Mount St. Mary’s 4
One of the most frustrating losses of the season came against fellow Maryland program UMBC.
The Mount led 4-3 entering the fourth quarter and appeared poised to secure a quality road victory.
Instead, UMBC scored four unanswered goals during the final period.
Bennett Wright was outstanding in goal, making 10 saves and keeping the Mount in the game throughout the afternoon.
Despite the defeat, the defensive effort demonstrated the growth of the Mountaineers’ back end.
Monmouth Hands Mount Another Tough Loss
Monmouth 14, Mount St. Mary’s 5
Monmouth’s defense stifled the Mount offense early, building an 8-0 lead before the Mountaineers could get on the scoreboard.
Atkinson continued his impressive scoring pace with a hat trick.
Kilduff and Thomson each added goals, while Wright recorded 14 saves against constant pressure.
MAAC Play Begins Against Marist
Marist 16, Mount St. Mary’s 9
Conference play opened with a difficult matchup against a talented Marist squad.
The Mount found itself trailing 9-0 at halftime before mounting a much stronger second-half effort.
Atkinson was sensational, scoring five goals.
Quested added three goals and Kilduff contributed another.
Meanwhile, Wright produced one of the finest performances of his season with 18 saves.
Kilduff Breaks Out Against Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart 17, Mount St. Mary’s 9
One of the offensive highlights of the season belonged to Aidan Kilduff.
Kilduff scored four goals while Atkinson added another hat trick.
The Mount trailed just 7-6 at halftime and appeared ready to challenge one of the conference’s stronger teams.
However, Sacred Heart took control during the second half and eventually pulled away.
Heartbreak Against Merrimack
Merrimack 9, Mount St. Mary’s 8
This game perfectly summarized much of the Mount’s season.
The Mount played well enough to win.
Kilduff scored three goals.
Wright made 12 saves.
The defense held Merrimack to nine goals.
Yet the Mount fell one goal short.
Losses like this became a recurring theme throughout the year.
Crushing Collapse Against Iona
Iona 15, Mount St. Mary’s 14
Few losses hurt more than the defeat against Iona.
The Mount led 14-11 late in regulation and seemed headed toward a crucial conference victory.
Instead, Iona mounted a dramatic comeback and scored four consecutive goals, including the game winner in the closing seconds.
Atkinson, Whitty and Quested all produced huge offensive performances.
Belmonte dominated faceoffs.
Unfortunately, the final result overshadowed what had been one of the Mount’s best overall games.
Breakthrough Victory In Overtime
Mount St. Mary’s 10, Manhattan 9 (OT)
The turning point of the season finally arrived against Manhattan.
The Mount battled through sixty minutes before Kevin Whitty delivered the game-winning goal in overtime.
The defense forced turnovers throughout the afternoon.
The Mount finished with 49 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers.
Atkinson and Whitty led the offense while Wright once again delivered key saves when they mattered most.
Back-To-Back Conference Wins
Mount St. Mary’s 12, Canisius 10
Momentum carried into the following week.
The Mount earned its second consecutive MAAC victory by defeating Canisius on the road.
The offense generated balanced production, while the faceoff unit controlled possession throughout the game.
The victory represented one of the most complete performances of the season.
Wright Shines Against Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac 14, Mount St. Mary’s 8
Although the final score favored Quinnipiac, Bennett Wright turned in one of the best individual performances by any Mount player during the season.
Wright made 20 saves while facing nearly constant pressure.
The senior netminder repeatedly kept the Mount within striking distance despite the loss.
Senior Day Ends With Another Close Loss
Siena 14, Mount St. Mary’s 12
The season concluded with another competitive effort.
The Mount battled until the final whistle and nearly erased a late deficit.
Wright recorded another 20-save performance.
The offense generated 12 goals and showed the same resilience that characterized much of the season.
Unfortunately, the comeback fell short.
MSB Player Spotlights
Kevin Whitty — Offensive Catalyst
Every successful offense needs a quarterback.
For Mount St. Mary’s, that player was Kevin Whitty.
Whitty finished with:
- 16 Goals
- 29 Assists
- 45 Points
The ability to create scoring opportunities for teammates made Whitty the engine of the offense.
Several of the Mount’s biggest wins and closest losses featured Whitty at the center of nearly every offensive possession.
Brody Atkinson — The Goal Scorer
No player found the back of the net more frequently.
Atkinson finished with:
- 26 Goals
- 7 Assists
- 33 Points
Multiple hat tricks and several five-goal performances established Atkinson as one of the conference’s most dangerous finishers.
Carter Quested — Emerging Star
Quested became increasingly important throughout conference play.
The sophomore finished with:
- 17 Goals
- 7 Assists
- 24 Points
Many of his biggest performances came against MAAC opponents.
Bennett Wright — Team MVP Candidate
No player was asked to do more.
Night after night, Wright faced high shot volumes and elite shooters.
Final numbers included:
- 173 Saves
- .507 Save Percentage
- Multiple 20-Save Games
Without Wright’s performance in goal, the Mount’s record could have been significantly worse.
Nicolas Belmonte — Future Building Block
Belmonte emerged as one of the program’s most promising young players.
Strong faceoff performances throughout MAAC play helped earn conference All-Rookie honors and positioned Belmonte as a future cornerstone.
Final MSB Grade: C+
The record was disappointing, but the effort never wavered.
Mount St. Mary’s suffered several heartbreaking losses, developed multiple young stars, and received outstanding goaltending from Bennett Wright. The Mountaineers were far more competitive than their record indicates, and the growth shown by Whitty, Atkinson, Quested and Belmonte provides optimism heading into 2027.
Had just two or three one-goal games swung the other direction, this team could have been discussing a MAAC Tournament berth. Instead, the Mount finished 3-10, but the foundation for future success is clearly in place in Emmitsburg.
