LOWELL, Mass.—A fourth-quarter comeback by the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (1-4, 1-3 America East), fell short against the New Jersey Institute of Technology (1-5, 1-3 AE), dropping a 14-10 decision Saturday afternoon at Cushing Field.
 
"I thought it was a good game. I thought their goalie played outstanding. He's probaby the best goalie we've faced so far this year. He was really tough," said Head Coach Ed Stephenson. "I was really pleased to have Davis back. He really gave us a boost. He's been out the last couple of games, so it was great to have him back in the lineup."
 
A trio of River Hawks registered three points, with senior Jake Lining (Rochester, Mich.) and freshman Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass) scoring a team-high two goals each in the conference clash. With his pair of tallies, Lining matched his season-high previously set against Merrimack to open the season and put a career-high five shots on goal. Joining Lining and Davis with a three-point showing, sophomore Nick Harvath (Whitmore Lakes, Mich.) posted a team-high two assists alongside his game-opening goal.
 
Freshman Jack Bird (Buffalo, N.Y.) went 11-for-18 at the X in just his second appearance for the River Hawks. Bird also picked up a team- and career-high five groundballs against the Highlanders.
 
After seven scoreless minutes to open play, NJIT broke the scoring drought to put up their first of the day at the 7:39 mark. A quick feed by senior Domenic Giachello (Somers, Conn.) opened up the scoring lane for Harvath minutes later, firing in a shot to the bottom corner to lock the teams at 1-1.
 
After the Highlanders reclaimed the advantage with less than five left in the first, Lining put one past the goalie from the doorstep to level the score at 2-2 with just :20 left on the clock.
 
Giachello kept the UMass Lowell momentum going in the second frame, claiming the 3-2 lead for the River Hawks off a pass from X by Lining. Picking up a groundball off a blocked shot, graduate student Dylan Rhatigan (Holbrook, N.Y.) later sniped the corner as time expired on the shot clock to add another tally to the scoreboard for the River Hawks. Shifting momentum, the Highlanders closed out the quarter scoring five unanswered to gain a 7-4 lead heading into the break.
 
NJIT added another three goals to its run to move to 10-4, before sophomore Conor Foley (Walpole, Mass.) stifled their streak with his first of the day. After a rebuttal from the Highlanders, Davis found the back of the cage with just seconds on the clock to cut down the NJIT lead to 11-6 heading into the final 15.
 
UMass Lowell picked up its offensive intensity late in the game, kicking off the fourth with a three-goal run sparked by an unassisted shot from Lining. A man-up opportunity for the River Hawks kept the scoring success alive as junior Sean Parker (Flemington, N.J.) fired one past the goalie off the low-angle shot, before senior Kyle Laforge (Tyngsboro, Mass.) capped off the trio of goals with his own off the look from Harvath.
 
Lining netted his second of the day with just 42 seconds on the clock to cut down the Highlanders lead to just three, but a late NJIT tally sealed the score at 14-10 in favor of the visitors.

Sophomore Max Christides (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and freshman Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) split time in the cage for the River Hawks today, amassing eight saves. 
 
"If we played the game like we did in the fourth quarter, we're a different team and that would've been a much different game," remarked Stephenson. "We've just got to find a way to play with that intensity and urgency that we do in the fourth. I think if we can do that for 60 minutes, we'd be a different team."
 
The River Hawks are back on the road next weekend, traveling to the Empire State on April 3 to take on UAlbany. Faceoff is set for 3 p.m.