2026 DIV II NCAA MEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP

May 24, 2026

Gordon Purdie

Kyle Lewis

Ries Bower

Scott Stadium

Adelphi Panthers

Finals Media Conference

Tampa 12, Adelphi 11

THE MODERATOR: We'll take an opening statement for Coach Purdie. We'll get started with Coach's opening statement.

GORDON PURDIE: Thank you. Memorial Day weekend. What an awesome weekend to play lacrosse and honor those who have fought for this country. Really great opportunity for us to be still playing lacrosse, but especially want to highlight what this weekend means.

That said, real disappointed in the outcome, but really proud of all of our players. It took a whole university to get us here to a spot to compete for another National Championship, and despite the loss, I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss these seniors who have really done so much for us.

They've worked their tails off behind closed doors, done all the things that we've asked them to do, and I will forever remember those guys and all they've done for the program.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. Now we'll take questions for the players.

Q. Kyle and Ries, if you can just contrast the overtime period and maybe the fourth quarter from this year to last year, just the change of emotions obviously.

KYLE LEWIS: Obviously it's crazy how it kind of worked out. It was the same exact ending as last year. We score with a minute left and they call it back. That happened and last year. And then it goes into OT.

And at the end of the day, the ball rolled their way. They got the good shot. They have a talented offense; so do we. They were the ones to get the shot.

So it's obviously devastating because of how far this group has came and how close we were, but you gotta give props to Tampa. It was an even game and just didn't end up in our favor.

REIS BOWER: Yeah, and just like Kyle said, respect to Tampa. It was a hell of a battle on both sides of the ball and like he said, compared to last year it was the exact same outcome. Just the ball didn't bounce our way. You get OT and a bunch of emotions are flowing through you, through the whole team, and it's like, what's going to happen next.

But happened to bounce their way this time, but we'll be back.

Q. For Ries and Kyle both, obviously you guys were looking for a third straight title today. Every year is different. Every team is different. What are you guys going to remember about this season in particular and this group?

KYLE LEWIS: I think be that feeling we just had to feel about five minutes ago. We talked about how no one on our team ever got to feel that. We went to two national championships; won them both.

I can say at least for Ries and the junior captains they're going to take that feeling and carry it into the team next year, because it's not a great feeling and it just fuels the fire to get back there and bring home a third National Championship.

RIES BOWER: Again, just to reiterate, the loss is definitely the one that stings the most. On the flip side of that, the culture the seniors have created over the years, and like it's our job now to carry that on throughout the following years.

So that's exactly what we're going to do. We're just going to keep putting in the work. We just have to put in extra work now next year.

Q. Guys, both of you, if you can just kind of walk us through the ebbs and the flows of the game through your eyes from giving up the first goal 40 seconds in to jumping out to the 5-1 lead and how you felt the teeter-totter go back and forth.

KYLE LEWIS: Yeah. That's something that we expected. We talk about how there's going to be peaks and valleys through the game, and we just have to get through them. Sometimes it's going to go your way; sometimes it's not.

And we battled through adversity, took it to overtime, and unfortunately in overtime there's no bouncing back from a goal. So props to Tampa for ending that the way they did.

RIES BOWER: One more run than us there. I mean yeah, like Kyle said, just props to them once again. But, no, just get runs and they happened to have one more than us.

Q. It seems like a few guys were over your teammates were hobbling and hurting towards the sideline in that second half. Can you just speak to the perseverance for you guys to force OT.

RIES BOWER: Yeah, no, we knew we would have to roll with some punches and battle some adversity, whatever that happened to be, and this game just happened to be a bunch of the guys were just cramping throughout the game.

There's not much you can really do for that. We prepared as much as we could, stay hydrated, drink your pickle juice throughout the game and during the games.

It's unfortunate the events that happened to some of those guys where they're cramping. They give it their all. At the end of the day, that's all we ask for our guys, just give it 100 percent of single time you go out there, and that's what they did.

Q. Kyle, this is the last game in college for you. It's always interest to read people, and you suffer from probably the toughest loss in your career and there you are standing on the sideline rolling autograph balls to kids and rolling arm guards to kids. What walk me through what it has meant to you to be a college lacrosse player at this level, and what it's like to have those people want those things?

KYLE LEWIS: Yeah, it's meant the world for me. Just the entire experience I've had at delve. I'm grateful for it all. As we're standing at the end there looking at Tampa holding up the trophy obviously it's devastating but I think back to what we've accomplished these past four years and personally the support I've had from Coach Purdie and everyone at Adelphi. There's really nothing to be said. We've had an amazing career here, our seniors, and I'm proud of these guys.

Yeah, we came a long way and it's something to be happy about.

MODERATOR: Questions for coach.

Q. Just the same kind of question kind of contrasting last year to this year, how it all finished. How crazy is it to you how identical it ended up being?

GORDON PURDIE: Honestly, and I've been on stage since then with JB Clarke, and I've watched how he's had to handle that situation, that timeout he called last year, and I was amazed at how positive he was, ready to face that.

And I think that sort of helped me as a head coach sort of deal with the fact that we just lost a game in overtime.

As a competitor and being around Adelphi lacrosse for 40 years, it's nothing I want for these guys than to have them win another championship. That said, as disappointed as I am, I know JB and I somewhat felt for him last year as to what he's had to deal with. You think that's somewhat helping me deal with my loss right now.

Q. The last question that I asked Kyle, what's it say about him, what's it say about the guys in your program that that's where his mind was at the end of that game and how much are you going to miss having him around?

GORDON PURDIE: Yeah. Kyle is a true ambassador for Adelphi University. He gave up $170,000 to go to Penn State and play there, and that's his dream, to literally go and play at the next level, when at that point he didn't know if he could get that opportunity to go pro.

And so for him to make that decision for 24-48 hours and then to come back to Adelphi just speaks of how much this family, this university, and everything he just shared with you means to him.

He is a poster boy for Adelphi. He's our leader. We're definitely going to miss him. I'm hoping he's going to be on the sideline as a mentor coach next year.

All that said, my sadness truly yearns for the seniors that are dealing with the fact that they don't get the chance to finish, to do something that nobody else has ever done before.

Q. Can you take us through the last look you guys got through overtime? What did you make of the look? With no backup you guys had that up to guys just wanting to make the play?

GORDON PURDIE: Yeah, the no backup, we were sort of hit with a couple of injuries throughout that and we probably had some personnel that we weren't quite used to. And so that changes the formation that we're normally in.

But that said, we had the play. We ran the play. We got the look that we thought we should get. I think they were anticipating it may be a little more than we thought.

There's a lot of things that are going to go through my mind for the next year to wish that we could have done something different.

But at the end of the day we put the ball the players' hands, and today we weren't quite able to put that ball over the finish line. And so I'll watch the replay and deal with that loss in the way I will deal with it, but my hope is it's just going to make us stronger and it's going to drive us more.

And I've said it before: You can learn more from a loss than a win sometimes. It's my hope that these juniors spent three years going to national championships are going to come back next year and win their fourth.

Q. Coach, you guys did get out to the 5-1 lead early. What do you think changed if anything that kind of allowed Tampa to stop your run there and get back in?

GORDON PURDIE: We didn't win face-offs in the second quarter. We had a couple of issues with penalties. We had some ground ball issues that we didn't pick up, and we only had five shots. So I think that they played a possession game and that sort of gave them a little bit of time to sort of draw on tiring out our defense. I think that they've sort of figured out real quickly that they were they were going to go on our short sticks, and we didn't quite have an answer for that at times.

So they're a great bunch of coaches there. A lot of respect to them.

And in that second quarter that they won, sort of that time where really to get that back I would probably wish that we could just settle the ball maybe a little bit more than we did. Why is this going so long?

Q. You told the guys before the game that they've done a lot to change where this program is at regardless of the outcome today. So with two national championships, with three appearances, what has this group done from where this program is at and where does it go from here?

GORDON PURDIE: I'm incredibly proud of these guys. I've spoke to them about setting up ladders to help the next crew just climb that little bit higher. What has that done. It's set the standard where the program needs to be.

I sort of take it back to when we were playing NCAA championships in Division I when I was there some 40 years ago and going to the playoffs and losing to Cornell and losing to Maryland. That's where this program was. And they've won nine; Tampa has won two. And the next closest is (indiscernible) with one.

So while we are leading with nine, we're never content. We want our tenth. We're going to work hard for our tenth. We're going to win our tenth. It's just a matter of time.

Honestly can't wait for the season to start next year, and I mean that. There's a lot of interest in the portal. My emails are out of control. We have a lot of people that want to come to Adelphi University, and it's going to be a matter of now figuring out exactly where we go from here.

I think we're only going to get better. We've got a load of players coming back with length and Ries and our goalie and our top 3 scorers, our face-off guy. We've got -- the future is bright at Adelphi University. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of the administration. The president, Michael Balboni has been a huge support. Four times this year and I haven't seen that in 40 years.

Q. Coach, can you take us through maybe the motions of who you told the guys when Michael's goal gets reviewed and you think be you're up 12-11 but?

GORDON PURDIE: Yeah, I was over there by Matt. They had an official and I knew it before it was announced. Those emotions were disappointment. But the game wasn't over. It was just another call, and in life you get things that happen and it's how you react as to what defines you as a person.

And I think these players have understood that. There's going to be things that happen in life that you don't like and it's what you do, how you react as a person that's going to define who you are.

And I think there wasn't any complaints. There was just on to the next one. Let's do what we do and let's do it the best we can.

But I did joke with Matt. Matt, am I going to -- are you going to regret making that call? And so he said it was clearly in the crease, and I trust Matt. He's a great official.