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Men's Lacrosse
Garrett Murphy vs. HC
16
Winner HC HC 1-1
9
UMass Lowell UMLM 0-1
Winner
HC HC
1-1
16
Final
9
UMass Lowell UMLM
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
HC HC 5 6 2 3 16
UMass Lowell UMLM 3 2 2 2 9

Next Game:

at Massachusetts

2/17/2024 | 3PM

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Full Schedule
Feb. 17 (Sat) / 3PM
at Massachusetts
History

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

River Hawks Fall to Holy Cross, 16-9, in Season Opener

LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) tallied two goals and an assist, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-1) fell to the Holy Cross Crusaders (1-1), 16-9, in the 2024 season opener on Saturday morning.

"A lot of credit to Holy Cross," said Head Coach Drew Kelleher. "I thought they played like a team with a game under their belt. Watching their game against Providence, I thought the later part of that game they played really good lacrosse, and they brought that here to Lowell today and did a good job of making us uncomfortable. We're excited to have the first one behind us and hopefully take a step forward."

Murphy, who was one of seven goal-scorers for the River Hawks, also contributed with three ground balls. Freshman Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) had an impressive debut, finishing with two goals, while junior Khairi Sears (Columbus, Ohio) added two assists to finish with two points. Faceoff specialist senior Jack Bird (Buffalo, N.Y.) had a historic day at the X, setting a program record with 24 faceoff wins in 26 attempts. In net, graduate student Mark Pav (South Setauket, N.Y.) made his first appearance as a River Hawk, making 12 saves in 60 minutes of action.

Although the River Hawks won the opening faceoff, the Crusaders controlled possession early, scoring the first two goals of the match to own a 2-0 advantage with 10:56 on the clock. The UMass Lowell defense accepted the challenge, locking down and holding the opposition scoreless for seven minutes. Meanwhile, the offense began to find its rhythm as freshman Owen Fitzgerald (Calverton, N.Y.) sprinted from midfield to the net before firing a strike for his first career goal. Nearly 30 seconds later, Murphy added one of his own, leveling the score, 2-2, at 6:38. The River Hawks added one more off the stick of Frigon, but Holy Cross added three more to own a 5-3 lead after one.

UMass Lowell came out aggressively to start the second quarter, with Bird winning the faceoff to set up a goal from freshman James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) only 20 seconds in. The Crusaders responded with a vengeance, ripping off six straight goals to jump in front, 10-4, with five minutes remaining. Looking to cut into the deficit before halftime, junior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) found the back of the net, but the visitors retaliated once more to make it 11-5 at the break.

It didn't take long for the River Hawks to strike in the second half, as less than a minute in freshman Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) netted his first collegiate goal. With momentum on their side, the hosts' defense fought off multiple scoring attempts from Holy Cross before a penalty put the River Hawks in a man-up situation. UMass Lowell capitalized on the opportunity immediately, as Sears dished a pass to Frigon, who fired off his second goal and made it a four-score game with 9:30 on the clock. The Crusaders, however, increased their defensive pressure, keeping the River Hawks off the board for the remainder of the period while adding two of their own to own a 13-7 lead after three.

Looking to make a comeback in the final quarter, Murphy tallied his second goal of the match with 12:11 on the clock to cut the margin to five. Holy Cross didn't allow the game to become closer, though, outscoring the River Hawks 3-1 the rest of the way to seal the 16-9 final.

Next up, the River Hawks will hit the road to take on Massachusetts in the Kennedy Cup Challenge on Saturday, February 17. Faceoff is set for 3 p.m. at Garber Field.
 
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Players Mentioned

Riley Lawhorn

#11 Riley Lawhorn

M
6' 1"
Junior
Garrett Murphy

#20 Garrett Murphy

M
5' 10"
Senior
Jack Bird

#91 Jack Bird

FO
6' 0"
Senior
Mark Pav

#1 Mark Pav

G
6' 1"
Graduate Student
Johnny Soi

#44 Johnny Soi

M
5' 10"
Freshman
Owen Fitzgerald

#55 Owen Fitzgerald

D/LSM
6' 1"
Freshman
James Donnelly

#8 James Donnelly

A
5' 9"
Freshman
Colby Frigon

#22 Colby Frigon

A/M
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Riley Lawhorn

#11 Riley Lawhorn

6' 1"
Junior
M
Garrett Murphy

#20 Garrett Murphy

5' 10"
Senior
M
Jack Bird

#91 Jack Bird

6' 0"
Senior
FO
Mark Pav

#1 Mark Pav

6' 1"
Graduate Student
G
Johnny Soi

#44 Johnny Soi

5' 10"
Freshman
M
Owen Fitzgerald

#55 Owen Fitzgerald

6' 1"
Freshman
D/LSM
James Donnelly

#8 James Donnelly

5' 9"
Freshman
A
Colby Frigon

#22 Colby Frigon

5' 9"
Freshman
A/M