Friday v. LIU: Live Stats | Watch
 
LOWELL, Mass.—Back at home on Cushing Field, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-3) hosts Long Island University (0-4) this Friday, March 3, for a noon showdown in the Mill City. The midday tilt will be streamed on AE.tv.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the River Hawks took a trip to Loudonville, N.Y., to faceoff against the Siena Saints. Making his first appearance of the 2023 slate, senior Nick Harvath led the scoring charge with four points off two goals and two assists. Just behind Harvath, freshman Ben Roberts extended his point streak to three straight with a career-best three points off one goal and two assists. Roberts was joined by junior Garrett Murphy, who added another three points to his stellar start after notching another two goals and dishing out a helper. Sean Parker and Jake Davis teamed up for four goals after each sneaking two goals. Davis now owns a nine-game point-scoring streak stretching back to the 2022 season. Rounding out the scoresheet, Riley Lawhorn, Khairi Sears and Devin German all picked up a goal. German's third-period goal marked the first of his career. Additionally, the faceoff specialist picked up a season-best eight groundballs last weekend to lead the team and won ten faceoffs. Defensively, freshman Luke Renaud has continued his impressive stand in the cage for the River Hawks. Renaud logged double-digit saves for his third consecutive game, adding another 13 to his credit last weekend.  
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through three games, Garrett Murphy continued to lead the squad with eight points off five goals and three assists. Behind Murphy, two River Hawks—Jake Davis and Ben Roberts—are tied for third in points with five so far this year. Davis' four goals are good for second on the team alongside Sean Parker, whose four points have come exclusively from goals. With his three goals, Roberts leads all freshmen in goals (3), assists (2) and points (5). Fellow rookie Jackson Dean sits not far from Roberts' total with three points this season thanks to a pair of goals and one helper. At the X, Devin German has emerged as the River Hawks' primary faceoff specialist, winning 21 of his 48 attempts for a .438 faceoff win percentage. German also leads the team in ground balls with 12 so far this year. On defense, Ryan Quinlan and Henry De Tolla sit in the top spot with three caused turnovers apiece in their three appearances. The duo also ranks third and fourth, respectively, in ground ball pickups with 13 combined. In the cage, Luke Renaud has played three complete games for UMass Lowell. With 39 saves on 134 shots faced, Renaud owns a .448 win save percentage and a 16 GAA to start his rookie campaign.
 
SCOUTING THE SHARKS
Winless in their first four, the Sharks come to the Mill City searching for their first victory of the season this Friday. Sean Boll leads the Sharks in scoring with six goals and four assists for a team-best 10 points. Boll also sits atop the leaderboard across all three scoring categories thus far. Behind him, Tom von Bargen is next up with six points thanks to five goals and one helper. Freshman defenseman Tyler Davide has been an asset for LIU with a team-high five in his three appearances. He also paces the team in ground ball pickups with 11 so far. The Sharks have relied on Emerson Tyler, Shaun Hill and Anthony DiMatteo at the X, with all three sharing time. With 14 wins in his 22 attempts, Hill owns the best win percentage on the squad with a .636 success rate. Junior Sean Gillman has stepped up in goal for the Sharks after coming in relief for Sean Richard in LIU's season opener. Since then, Gillman has averaged a 10.41 GAA and a .500 save percentage after making 35 stops on 122 shots faced.
 
SHOOTERS GONNA SHOOT
Though the River Hawks are still chasing their first win of the season, the shots have been landing for UMass Lowell. Through three games, the River Hawks are tied for seventh in the country with Saint Joseph's in shot percentage. With 27 goals on 77 shots, the River Hawks own a .351 shot percentage through three games.
 
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Sharks would mark the first win of the season for the River Hawks and the first under Head Coach Drew Kelleher.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
This Friday's game between the Sharks and the River Hawks is the first in program history.
 
UP NEXT
The River Hawks kick off their two-game road trip next Wednesday, March 8, with a trip down to the Sunshine State to face off against Jacksonville at 4 p.m.