VMI Takes Down League Leader LIU on the Road

Facing co-Northeast Conference leader Long Island University and its top-rated offense in the league, the VMI lacrosse team never backed down en route to a big 10-8 upset victory over the Sharks on their home turf in Brookville, New York, April 12, 2026.

With the win, the Keydets improve to 5-6 on the season and 2-3 in NEC play, while the Sharks lost their first conference game of the year, falling to 9-2 overall and 4-1 in league action.

The VMI defense held stout for much of the latter half of the contest, not allowing the Sharks to score from midway through the second period down by a 5-2 score until midway through the third period to go into halftime down by just one, 5-4. The Sharks did not score again until the 8:46 mark of the third quarter to go back up, 6-5. VMI held its ground again in the fourth period to allow just one Shark goal in the final stanza—which did not occur until 1:27 left in the contest—while outscoring LIU by a 4-1 margin to earn the come-from-behind road victory.

Adam Norris ’26, VMI goalie,  played an exceptional game with 11 saves in the win while Tyler Gresh, LIU keeper, allowed nine goals with only two saves before he was pulled with 10:57 remaining in the game.

Jack Rogers ’26, Keydet faceoff specialist, won 15 of 22 faceoff opportunities during the game to give VMI a giant victory in the possession battle, especially throughout the second half. One of the top faceoff players in the league, LIU’s Shaun Hill, was limited to six faceoff wins in 16 attempts.

With VMI trailing 7-6 going into the fourth period, Will Gormsen ’26, attackman, scored consecutive goals for the Keydets to put VMI on top for the first time at 8-7 with 12:46 remaining in the contest. VMI’s Beau Durkin ’28 put the Keydets up by two at the 10:57 mark, then added an insurance with 43 seconds on the clock to seal the win for the Keydets, their second conference win of the season to stay in contention for an NEC playoff spot.

Taylor Mendoza, VMI Head Lacrosse Coach

“We had so many guys step up and play great games today. I was incredibly proud of how our team banded together and earned a great team win over a great opponent.”

Key Stats

• The Keydets trailed four separate times during the game, which also featured three ties.
• VMI outscored the Sharks by a 4-1 margin in the final period.
• Gormsen, Durkin, and Ethan Ostrowski ’29 led the Keydets with two goals apiece, while Jack Duncan-Bloom ’27, Cole Jones ’26, Tyler Hicks ’28, and Dayton Bagwell ’27 each had one.
• VMI went a perfect 21-21 on clearing attempts, while LIU went a perfect 20-20.
• VMI won the groundball battle by a 27-21 margin.
• Both teams came up empty on EMOs as VMI went 0-2 while LIU went 0-4.
• Aidan Zuhoski led the Sharks with three goals on the day.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.