ALBANY, N.Y.—The UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (1-5, 1-4 America East) faced a tough 17-6 road loss Saturday afternoon, dropping the decision to No. 20 Albany (5-2, 3-2 AE) at John F. Fallon field.
 
Senior Jake Lining (Rochester, Mich.) registered a team-high two goals in the conference tilt to keep his now six-game scoring streak alive, while freshman Niall Cremin (Northborough, Mass.) dealt out a team and career-high two assists against Albany.
 
On defense, freshman Tanner Soudan (Fairport, N.Y.) and graduate Cameron Richard (Derry, N.H.) were critical players for the River Hawks this afternoon, with Soudan picking up a team-high six ground balls alongside Lining and Richard forcing two turnovers.
 
The Great Danes kept the River Hawks off the scoreboard through the first frame, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead with the help of two early tallies from Graydon Hogg. Despite the four-goal deficit, UMass Lowell maintained a slight edge in both shots and faceoffs, going 9-8 and 3-2, respectively.
 
Heavy defense on both sides of the field kept the teams scoreless to open the second quarter, until junior Sean Parker (Flemington, N.J.) snuck one past Albany's Liam Donnelly on a bounce to get the River Hawks on the board with 7:23 left in the first half.
 
A three-goal burst from the Great Danes stretched their margin to 7-1, but a clutch feed from Cremin to senior Lining added a second tally to UMass Lowell's score with just a minute left in the first half. But, a River Hawk turnover and a make-it-take-it goal from the Great Danes with seconds left sent UMass Lowell to the locker room down 9-2 at the half.
 
Despite an early goal from Lining and a man-up tally from sophomore Conor Foley (Walpole, Mass.) off the look from senior Domenic Giachello (Somers, Conn.), Albany kept the scoring pressure on the River Hawks in the third, scoring seven to keep a 16-4 lead heading into the final 15.
 
Chipping away at the Great Danes lead, sophomore Nick Harvath (Whitemore Lake, Mich.) put one up early for the River Hawks in the fouth, cutting the Albany lead down to 16-5 with 12:02 left on the clock. With just under four left, graduate student Dylan Rhatigan (Holbrook, N.Y.) scored for the River Hawks off the pass from Cremin, but a final tally from Albany dealt the 17-6 loss to UMass Lowell on the road.
 
In the cage, sophomore Max Christides (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) took the loss for the River Hawks, playing 45 minutes and making 11 saves against the ranked Great Danes. Freshman Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) saw action in the contest, taking over for Christides in the final frame and making three stops.

The River Hawks return to Cushing Field on Saturday, April 10, hosting No. 13 Vermont in a nighttime clash. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.