Wednesday at Stony Brook: Live Stats | Watch
Saturday vs. Jacksonville: Live Stats | Watch

LOWELL, Mass.—With five games under their belt, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-5) prepares for a stacked week of competition with two tilts in four days. First, the River Hawks travel to Stony Brook for their conference opener against the Seawolves (4-2) on Wednesday, March 16, at 4 p.m. before returning to Cushing Field on Saturday, March 19 to host No. 12/13 Jacksonville at 11:30 a.m.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
Despite several close contests in their non-conference slate, the River Hawks remain on the hunt for their first victory of the 2022 campaign. Last weekend, the team battled rainy conditions to face a 14-10 setback at home against the visiting Sacred Heart Pioneers. Junior Conor Foley (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) remain major offensive catalysts for the River Hawks in their first five games. Foley leads the team in all three scoring categories with 14 goals and seven assists for 21 points. The high-scoring duo has registered six total hat tricks this season alone with each attackman putting up three.
 
On defense, freshmen Ryan Quinlan (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and Alex Chairs (Ellicott City, Md.) have established themselves as promising young talent on the River Hawks roster. Quinlan owns a team-best seven caused turnovers in his five appearances, collecting 13 ground balls along the way. In his four starts, Chairs has amassed 13 ground balls and caused four turnovers so far. The pair of rookie defenders bolster an already impressive lineup headed up by senior Eric Flynn (Bedford, N.H.) and junior Cody Stevens (Windham, N.H.) who each have forced four turnovers and combined for 19 ground balls.
 
The River Hawks continue to split time between all three goaltenders to start the year. Last weekend, sophomore Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) saw first-half action against the Pioneers, making four total saves. Freshman Calvin Desmarais (Dracut, Mass.) stepped in at the half, making seven saves while allowing just five goals.
 
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
Stony Brook enters the midweek matchup on a two-game losing streak, coming off close loses to ranked opponents then No. 4 Rutgers (17-16) and then-No. 16 Brown (10-7). In their six games, the Seawolves have outscored their opponents 81-69. Although the team has struggled to limit turnovers, Stony Brooks' .602 faceoff percentage has given the Seawolves a considerable upper hand over their opponents when it comes to securing possession after goals. The team's .850 clear percentage ranks just below that of their opponents but heading into the conference clash, the Seawolves will own the advantage in transition over the River Hawks. Both squads match up on the extra-man, however, with the Seawolves netting 11 so far this year to the River Hawks' 10.
 
Five different Seawolves scorers own double-digit point totals so far this year, with Dylan Pallonetti pacing the squad with 26 points off 16 goals and 10 assists in his six starts. Primary faceoff specialist Renz Conlon boasts a .662 success rate at the faceoff x in six games as well as a team-high 55 ground balls collected. In the cage, Anthony Palma has been the go-to starter for Stony Brook, starting and playing all six games so far. His 4-2 record is supported by an 11.50 GAA and a .517 save percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
The Dolphins enter the weekend nationally ranked in three major polls – Inside Lacrosse (#12), US Lacrosse Magazine (13) and the USILA Coaches Poll (#16). Success on the road has been a trend for Jacksonville this season, picking up wins over then No. 2 Duke (14-12), then-No. 14 Denver (11-9), Air Force (15-9) and most recently Bellarmine (16-2). Their sole road loss came at the start of the year off an 11-8 decision against then-No. 16 Johns Hopkins.
 
The Dolphins' offense has favored the high-scoring approach, putting up 109 goals to their opponent's 81. Limiting their shots on goal is key for the River Hawks, as Jacksonville has amassed a .719 shot on goal percentage so far this year. UMass Lowell's success on the extra-man outweighs that of the Dolphins, which could prove to be an advantage for the home team.
 
Key attackers Max Waldbaum and Jacob Greiner pace the crew in scoring this season. Greiner's team-high 29 goals with his five assists give him 34 points so far this year, while Waldbaum's 25 goals and 12 assists put him at the top of the scoreboard with 37 points. All three goaltenders for the Dolphins have seen action this season, but Luke Millican has emerged as the primary starter for Jacksonville. In his eight starts, Millican owns a 6-2 record, a 9.63 GAA and a .568 save percentage.
 
EXTRA-MAN ADVANTAGE
With 10 extra-man goals, the River Hawks head into the weekend tied for 14th in the nation in the statistical category. Foley leads the team with four extra-man goals, followed by graduate student Kyle Laforge (Tyngsboro, Mass.) with two. Four other River Hawks—graduate student Domenic Giachello (Somers, Conn.), juniors Brian Wiles (Longmeadow, Mass) and Nick Harvath (Whitmore Lake, Mich.) and Davis each have one extra-man tally apiece.
 
A WIN AGAINST THE SEAWOLVES WOULD…
With a win against the Seawolves, the River Hawks would snap Stony Brooks' 6-0 unbeaten streak. Since their first matchup in 2015, UMass Lowell has yet to take down the conference foe.
 
A WIN AGAINST THE DOLPHINS WOULD…
A win against the Dolphins would move the River Hawks to a 2-0 record over the southern-based program. The first victory over Jacksonville came during the 2016 season when UMass Lowell knocked in 12 goals to take down the Dolphins in a 12-9 decision.