Colin Stephenson: Kyle Lewis' decision to stay at Adelphi paying off as Panthers reach NCAA Division II title game
Kyle Lewis of Adelphi readies for a shot on net in the first quarter of a NCAA Division II men's lacrosse semifinal against Molloy on Sunday in Garden City. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Kyle Lewis was leaving, and who could blame him?
A first-team Division II All-American as a junior in 2025, he’d scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give Adelphi its second consecutive national championship, and he’d accomplished everything he could at this level. Division I seemed the next logical challenge. So the Franklin Square native entered the transfer portal, sorted through his offers, and decided to transfer to Penn State.
But he changed his mind. He came back.
“It was when I ultimately committed to Penn State, and saying goodbye to (the team) was probably one of the worst feelings I had in my life, because of how much they did for me,’’ Lewis said when asked what made him stay put. “I think that's what made me realize that I can't leave. And I'm glad that I stayed.’’
By staying, Lewis now has a chance to make history. He and his teammates are going back to the national championship game for the third straight year, after they crushed Molloy, 19-4, in an all-Long Island semifinal matchup Sunday at Motamed Field on the Adelphi campus in Garden City. The Panthers, who are 19-0, will be facing Tampa (21-1) in a rematch of last year’s championship game. Tampa reached the final via a 13-7 revenge victory over Anderson (S.C.) University Sunday.
If Adelphi wins, it would be the school’s 10th men’s lacrosse national championship, and would become the first team to win three straight Division II national titles. Six teams have won two straight, with Adelphi the only one to have accomplished that feat three times. It won back-to-back in 1998-99, and won in 1981 and 1993 when the NCAA did not have a Division II championship from 1982 to 1992.
The point is, this is a special place, with an unmatched tradition of winning, in men’s lacrosse.
That’s why goalie Christian Tomei transferred in this year.
“I wanted to win, and there's no other place in the world that does it like here,’’ said Tomei, who is 25 and on his fifth school. “I knew I would be able to win with these guys, and that's all I really want. And not just win, but do it with a bunch of guys that care and be a part of a great culture.’’
Tomei made 10 saves Sunday, including a special one that was SportsCenter Top 10-worthy, and may have changed the game. With Adelphi leading 3-0 in the first quarter, Molloy had a golden chance to get back in the game with 5:54 left in the period, when a skip pass to Jaden Simick found the freshman from Canada wide open at the back post. Tomei was out of position and falling down, and Simick had the whole net to shoot at. But Tomei, while on the ground, threw up his stick, one-handed, and the ball nestled in the big webbing.
“I saw the pass going across, and I knew it wasn't gonna be able to get there, my body or anything, and it was just, kind of a ‘hope’ thing,’’ Tomei said. “I just stuck my stick out and he just threw it right in there.’’
That save seemed to take the steam out of Molloy (16-4), which had lost to Adelphi in the regular season, 10-9, in a game where Tomei was sick and didn’t play. Molloy had every reason to believe it would be competitive in this one, but after that save, it seemed like the Lions were never the same.
“I look back a year ago, we played Adelphi in the quarterfinals, and their goalie, Dylan Renner, at that point, did the same thing against us in the first quarter,’’ Molloy coach Bill Dunn said. “So unless you get to these real strong goaltenders early… we start pressing, (and) it starts getting into our head, we can't put the ball past the goalie.’’
Lewis, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Waterdogs of the Premier Lacrosse League and will be playing professional lacrosse this summer, and Tomei are seniors and won’t be back next year, but Adelphi will still be loaded.
Leading scorer Braden Donnellen, who had seven assists Sunday, and leading goal scorer Michael Durnin, who had five goals, are both juniors, as are Canadian defenders Ries Bower and Carter Linkletter, who had the first two goals of the game Sunday. Faceoff man Will Greaves, who was 15 of 20 Sunday, is a sophomore.
And there’s always the transfer portal. Adelphi, whose nine national titles are the most in Division II, will do well there, too.
Because if you’re a high-quality lacrosse player looking to win, this is the place to be.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
