AQ Men’s Lacrosse starts the season off steady

By Grace Malec, Sports Editor

#24 Cory Holmes celebrates a goal for the Saints – Photo by Grace Malec

Thursday, Feb. 19 marked the start of a new season for Aquinas Men’s Lacrosse. After a hard-fought 2025 season, finishing with an 11-5 record, the Saints are hungry for more.

Aquinas hosted Columbia at Aquinas Athletic field. The matchup marked only the second time in history the Cougars and the Saints have met each other on the field, and the first time since 2022 the two teams would play.

The Saints remained steadfast in the game, scoring seven goals in the first quarter to keep up with the Cougars’ three. While the Cougars lost momentum, scoring one goal in the second quarter, two in the third and one in the fourth, the Saints remained hot, not losing their force.

Aquinas finished the game on top, with a final score of 21-7. TJ Murphy led the team in goals, finding the back of the net for the Saints five times in the game alone, with Oliver Modderman and Cory Holmes following shortly with three and Braeden Williams and Evan Doan scoring two.

“I think that these first two games really showed all the hard work we put in in the fall and winter leading up to them,” Modderman said. “I know the boys were excited to finally go against someone with a different colored jersey. I’m excited to start my final season strong with two big wins at home and also to have a talented and hard working group of guys around me to rely on.”

#15 Ben Cash does a backflip to celebrate a goal – Photo by Grace Malec

After a successful start to the season on Thursday, the Saints returned to action on Saturday, Feb. 21 to host the Patriots of the University of the Cumberlands.

Aquinas matched the Cumberlands’ energy in the first quarter, with both teams finding the back of the net three times. Aquinas built on their first quarter energy, coming back in the second to find the net four times and taking the lead. The Patriots entered the third with vengeance, scoring six goals over the Saints’ two. After losing their ground in the third quarter, the Saints came back with power into the fourth; scoring four goals and keeping the Patriots from scoring, ultimately taking the win.

“I couldn’t be more happy to start the season off with two wins at home,” Holmes said. “This means a lot to us. We have all been working so hard in the offseason and will continue to do so as we quickly jump into our season. I’ve been working very hard to get where I am today on the line up, but that doesn’t happen without the other 44 guys I get to share the field with. We battled through injuries and sickness but I was never worried about that. It’s the next man up situation and I think it’s safe to say we have depth that no other team does and it shows. Now we are on to the next.”

The win marked the Saints first upset win of the year, with the Cumberlands slated to win over Aquinas.

“If you take anything from the first two games, it’s that you can expect great things from the team,” Modderman said. “This year will be the year that the NAIA is going to learn not to overlook us.”

Murphy kept his high energy that he established in the first game of the season, finding the back of the net five more times for the Saints and again leading the team in goals scored for the match. Braeden Williams and Collin Wildman also found their names on the scoresheet often, both scoring three goals each.

Austin Hynote proved to be a force to be reckoned with for the Saints, leading the team to victory in both games and making big saves for the Saints.

With the strong start to the year, men’s lacrosse is looking to keep rolling and building on the strong foundation they have built. The team returns to the field as they hit the road for the first time this season as they play William Woods on Friday, March 6 and Missouri Baptist on Saturday, March 7.