GRANVILLE, Ohio – The preseason No. 20 Denison University men's lacrosse team opened its season with an 11–7 loss against No. 4 Rochester Institute of Technology inside Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Denison and RIT traded punches in a fast-paced opening 15 minutes, with the Big Red answering every Tigers run to knot the score at 3–3 after one. Goals from Zach Warren, Drew Merschel, and Macky Peck, including Peck's late equalizer in the final minute, kept Denison level despite RIT striking first and adding a man-down tally late in the quarter. RIT began to create separation in the second, stringing together four straight goals and outshooting Denison during a decisive mid-quarter stretch to build a 7–3 advantage. Macky Peck snapped the run with a late finish in the final 30 seconds, but the Tigers carried a 7–4 lead into halftime.
Denison opened the half with renewed energy, getting an early strike from Zach Warren and a man-up goal from Kevin Berutich to trim the deficit to two but The Tigers answered with a key goal midway through the frame and leaned on its defense and goaltending to hold the Big Red to just two scores, sending Denison into the fourth trailing 8–6. RIT pulled away early in the final frame, scoring three unanswered goals to stretch the margin to five and seize control of the contest. The Big Red continued to generate chances and capped the night with a man-up goal from Luca Sanders late, but the Tigers' late surge sealed an 11–7 decision in the 2026 home opener.
