LOWELL, Mass.—The UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (1-7, 1-1 America East) opens its four-game homestand with a game against conference foe the University at Albany (2-5, 1-1 AE) on Saturday, April 2, at Cushing Field. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The River Hawks enter the weekend with their eyes on another win after picking up an 8-7 victory against NJIT last weekend on the road. Freshman Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.) paced the squad with his fourth hat trick of the season. Sophomore Conor Foley (Walpole, Mass.) knocked in two goals to keep his nine-game scoring streak alive against the Highlanders. In the cage, sophomore Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) made six saves to help secure the first win of the year for UMass Lowell as well as the first win of his career. On defense, sophomore Ethan Zupko (Livonia, Mich.) registered a career-best two caused turnovers.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
Three River Hawks have emerged as scoring leaders this season. Graduate student Domenic Giachello (Somers, Conn.), Foley and Davis all boast double-digit goals so far this season, with Foley leading the pack with a career-best 20 on top of his seven assists. Behind Foley, Giachello continues to be a major contributor on attack for UMass Lowell with 10 goals and six assists thus far. Poised for a career-best season, Davis has registered a career-high 13 goals and two assists for 15 points.
 
On defense, freshmen Ryan Quinlan (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and Alex Chairs (Ellicott City, Md.) lead the team with eight caused turnovers in eight games. Behind the rookie duo, senior Eric Flynn (Bedford, N.H.) boasts five caused turnovers and 27 ground balls. In the cage, Mancino has emerged as the River Hawks' go-to starter after logging several impressive showings leading up to his first career win last weekend.
 
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
Coming off a win against Stony Brook, the Great Danes hope to keep their win streak alive this weekend. In seven games, Graydon Hogg and Camden Hay sit atop the scoresheet for UAlbany has the team's two offensive weapons. Hogg's 18 points off a team-best 12 points and six assists leads the squad with Hay just behind him with 13 points off 10 goals and three assists. On defense, Jake Piseno has caused a team-leading 15 caused turnovers to help keep the Great Danes in the mix. Between the pipes, Tommy Heller owns six starts and in seven games, a 14.24 GAA and a .429 save percentage.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win against UAlbany would mark a program first for UMass Lowell. The Great Danes have kept the River Hawks at a distance with a 7-0 all-time record dating back to 2015.
 
EXTRA-MAN OPPORTUNITIES
The River Hawks sit in a tie for 14th in the national standings in extra-man opportunities with 13 man-up goals in eight games. Foley leads the team with six EMO goals while graduate student Kyle Laforge (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and junior Brian Wiles (Longmeadow, Mass.) sit behind him with two each.