LOWELL, Mass.—Despite a six-point outing from sophomore Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.), the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (1-11, 1-4 America East) fell short in its comeback efforts in a 15-14 loss to Holy Cross (1-11, 0-7 Patriot) Wednesday night at Cushing Field.
 
"It was a great game. The guys really, from beginning to end on both teams, just fought really hard. It was a good contest both ways," said Head Coach Ed Stephenson. "We got down a little bit in the second half, came right back, chipped our way back in it, tied it. We had some good looks out there. It was a good game by all."
 
Davis' team-best four goals marked a career-high for the attackman. Adding a pair of helpers, the Massachusetts product finished with a new collegiate-best six points against the Crusaders. Freshman Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) and graduate student Domenic Giachello (Somers, Conn.) put up three points in the final home tilt, each notching two goals and one assist. Junior Colin Deso (Charlton, Mass.) struck twice in the closely contested battle to register his first goal and first multi-point game as a River Hawk.
 
Spearheading UMass Lowell's second-half offensive efforts, senior Liam McDonough (Groton, Mass.) won 16 of his 29 faceoff attempts to outmuscle the Crusaders. The faceoff specialist also finished with a team-high eight ground balls. In the cage, sophomore Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) finished the night with 10 saves.
 
"Jake [Davis] had a breakout game with six points. Liam [McDonough] just dominated the second half which helped us get back in it. We were down at the half and he chipped away to get us back in it," remarked Stephenson.  
 
Back-and-forth possession highlighted the first quarter as both teams battled for the lead. UMass Lowell took an initial two-goal margin off goals from Lawhorn and Davis, but the Crusaders leveled with a pair of their own just nine minutes in.
 
Davis retaliated to steal back the lead with 3:49 left in the frame, but Holy Cross stifled the momentum once again to lock the score at 3-3. Capitalizing on the energized offense, the Crusaders stuffed one last shot past Mancino to grab a one-goal advantage heading into the second quarter.
 
Although the River Hawks regained their footing to earn back the lead, the back-and-forth offense kept scoring even as both teams clung to the 6-6 mark. A late Crusaders run to cap the second tipped the game in favor of the visiting team and forced UMass Lowell into the break down 9-6.
 
An explosive third period shifted possession back to the River Hawks as they launched their comeback efforts. After an early unassisted tally from the Crusaders made it a four-goal game, UMass Lowell net three unanswered to creep back within one. Holy Cross paused the run with another unassisted shot, but a goal from junior Nick Harvath (Whitmore Lakes, Mich.) kept the River Hawks hot on the Crusaders' heels moving into the fourth quarter.
 
Holy Cross opened the final 15 with a goal to push out to a 12-10 score, but quick work by graduate students Kyle Laforge (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and Giachello successfully tied the game at 12-12 with 11:26 to play. Battling back, UMass Lowell clawed its way back following two Crusader attempts to claim the win. An equalizer from Davis with 5:14 remaining threatened extra minutes, but a final Holy Cross strike with 3:19 on the clock ultimately decided the result.
 
The River Hawks close out the regular season on the road against Binghamton on Saturday, April 30, at 7 p.m.