HAMPTON, Va. (Jan. 30, 2026) … The Hampton Pirates men's lacrosse team is set to begin its 10th season Saturday, when they travel to Mercer to take on the Bears. This game will mark the third straight season the two sides will meet in game one of the season. The Bears won last year's matchup 23-3 at Armstrong Stadium. 

ABOUT HAMPTON
The 2026 season will see the Pirates under new direction as Vincent Culpepper begins his inaugural season at the helm. Hampton returns 22 players from a year ago, while adding 23 newcomers. Reed Shaw returns for his sophomore year after netting 10 goals a season ago, while senior Canyon Steverson is back from 2025 where he scored nine goals of his own. 

ABOUT MERCER
The Bears finished the 2025 season 2-11 with wins over Hampton and Queens. Mercer returns Dillon Bush, who scored a team high 39 goals last season, while Will Zylstra is back following a 16 goal season. In 2025, the Bears had five players register 10+ goals on the season. 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN…AND AGAIN…

The month of March brings four road contests for the Pirates as they travel to Mercyhurst (Mar. 7), Fairfield (Mar. 14), Queens (Mar. 21) and Monmouth (Mar. 28). The four game road trip is the longest swing for the program since the 2020 season. 

UP NEXT:
Hampton returns to action Tues. Feb. 3, when they travel to Baltimore, Md. to take on NJIT at Johns Hopkins University.