LOWELL, Mass.—Battling rainy conditions at Cushing Field, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-2) dropped an 11-3 decision to the Massachusetts Minutemen (2-0) Friday afternoon to open the home slate.
 
"I thought it was a good battle. I thought UMass was a heck of a team. I was really proud of how our guys took a step forward from last week. I thought we competed. I thought we battled. Obviously, we have a lot we have to get better at, but I was really encouraged by the step forward today," commented Head Coach Drew Kelleher following the game.
 
Junior Jake Davis (Franklin, Mass.), sophomore Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) and freshman Ben Roberts (Tenafly, N.J.) all found the back of the cage against Massachusetts with a goal each. Freshman Dean Jackson (Deer Park, Wash.) dished out the lone assist of the afternoon, connecting with Davis on the opening tally. Graduate student Zach D'Amico (Wrentham, Mass.) led the net-front defensive efforts with a team-high two caused turnovers.
 
Earning his second start in the cage, freshman Luke Renaud (Skaneateles, N.Y.) made a career-best 18 saves and collected a team-high four ground balls in the loss.
 
"I'm really proud of [Luke] today. He deserved to have a good game. We're really proud of him and thankful he made all those stops," said Kelleher.
 
With a feed from Dean at X, Davis whipped around the crease and made a diving shot that snuck past Massachusetts' Matt Knote to spark UMass Lowell's offense just 57 seconds into the action. Though Renaud held steady on several doorstep shots, Massachusetts managed to crack the defense with a pair of back-to-back tallies to end the first with a 2-1 edge over the River Hawks.
 
Massachusetts kept the momentum to open the second quarter, extending their lead to 4-1 with 6:54 on the clock in the first half. Roberts ended the half on a high for the River Hawks, however, crashing through Massachusetts' defense to cut the lead down to 4-2 heading into the break.
 
Despite five saves by Renaud in the third, the Minutemen controlled the tune with four unanswered in fifteen minutes to run out to an 8-2 advantage. UMass Lowell fought its way into the zone several times searching for twine but could not find an opening as they marched into the fourth quarter.
 
Lawhorn energized the offense to kick off the final frame. Sitting high outside the arch, junior Curtis Redd (Amherst, N.H.) passed the ball out to Lawhorn, who waited along the wing. Cutting into the center, Lawhorn ripped a shot on target and hit the back of the cage to make it an 8-3 game with 14:03 remaining. Three unanswered for the Minutemen to close out the quarter held off the River Hawks long enough to solidify the non-conference loss for UMass Lowell.
 
The River Hawks return to action next Saturday, Feb. 25, on the road against Siena. Faceoff is set for 11 a.m.