Box Score (.PDF)

SCRANTON, Pa. – The UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team came up short to the Virginia Military Institute, 11-10, in the finale of their inaugural Division I season.

"The boys played hard today and we just came up short," said Head Coach Ed Stephenson. "I'm proud of our effort. We created a lot of quality opportunities but weren't able to capitalize."

After surrendering three straight goals to open the game, UMass Lowell would answer with goals from freshman Zack Schwartz (Huntington, N.Y.) and junior Kyle Strong (Groton, Mass.) late in the first quarter. The River Hawks would battle back and outscore the Keydets in the second quarter with goals from Strong, freshman Jon Phillips (Delta, B.C.) and freshman Keenan Koswin (Winnipeg, Manitoba) to make it 6-5 VMI at halftime.

The Keydets would start off the third quarter with a goal to make it a 7-5 game, but the River Hawks answered with three straight goals to give them the lead for the first time in the game. Phillips added the first two goals with freshman Matthew Balter (West Sand Lake, N.Y.) notching the go-ahead goal early on in the fourth quarter.

Some back-and-forth scoring caused the lead to change three times in the fourth quarter. After Strong added his third tally of the game to give the River Hawks the lead with 10:25 remaining in the game, the Keydets would add another three straight goals to give them an 11-9 lead in the late stages of the game. The River Hawks would not go down easily, as sophomore Nicholas Pino (North Andover, Mass.) added a goal with just 21 seconds left in regulation. Unfortunately for the River Hawks, there was not enough time remaining to battle back, and UMass Lowell came up short 11-10.

Phillips led the River Hawks in scoring with five points (3g,2a) in the game, while Koswin (1g,2a) and Strong (3g) both turned in great performances with three points each. Freshman Bain Schroeder (Ellicott City, Md.) played a big defensive role for the River Hawks, picking up nine ground balls in the loss. Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Desmarais (Atkinson, N.H.) started his second game of the season, registering 14 saves on the day. Mike DeBlasio was the big difference-maker for the Keydets, registering five goals in the win over the River Hawks. 

The Virginia Military Institute led the game in shots at 40-31, and ground balls 46-44. The Keydets also had the edge in faceoffs, winning 21 out of 25 attempts. Colby Lalicker took all 25 faceoffs for VMI. 

Jon Phillips led the River Hawks in scoring for their inaugural DI season, capping off the year with 28 points (14g,14a). UMass Lowell ends the year with a 1-13 record (0-6 in America East).