VESTAL, NY–Junior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) scored a pair of goals as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-8, 0-3 AE) fell to the Binghamton Bearcats (4-5, 2-1 AE), 15-6, on Saturday afternoon.
 
With his two tallies on Saturday, Lawhorn has reached a career-high in goals with seven. The River Hawk offense was coupled by senior Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) and freshman Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.), who each extended their scoring streak to three games. Senior Justin Longo (Kingston, N.Y.) and freshman Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) also found twine for UMass Lowell. On the defensive end, junior Alexander Chairs (Ellicott City, Md.) caused three turnovers, sophomore Luke Renuad (Skaneateles, N.Y.) posted a season-high 17-save effort between the pipes.

"Credit to Binghamton who came out and capitalized in transition early in the game today," said Head Coach Drew Kelleher. "We have to find a way to start games better, and as a coaching staff we need to find a way to have the guys ready to play. I'm proud of the effort our guys are giving, and can see our group improving."
 
It was goals galore in the first quarter, as both teams exchanged six scores in the opening 3:09. Despite the Bearcats tallying the first three goals of the match, the River Hawks responded immediately with a run of their own, scoring two goals in just over a minute to make it a 4-2 game with 11:51 on the clock. Lawhorn put UMass Lowell on the board first, streaking down the right side for an overhead rocket past the Bearcat netminder. Soi followed it up with a goal of his own, catching a pass from Frigon before unleashing a shot to cut the lead to 4-2. After Binghamton fired off a trio of goals, Murphy cashed in his ninth of the season to make it 7-3 after one.
 
Renaud made a handful of saves in the first half of the second quarter, as the River Hawks defense allowed just two goals in the period to hold Binghamton to single digits. Meanwhile, UMass Lowell's offense stayed relentless, firing off a flurry of shots before Lawhorn scored his second of the game at 5:41, cutting to the middle of the field before dodging to his right for the step-down release. With two minutes left in the half, Renaud made another crucial save, keeping it a 9-4 game at the break.
 
Although the Bearcats struck 15 seconds into the half, UMass Lowell locked down on defense, holding the opposition scoreless for over eight minutes of action. However, with 6:15 on the clock, the hosts scored again, extending their lead to seven. The remainder of the period proved to be a defensive battle, as neither side found the back of the net to make it 11-4 heading into the fourth.
 
Binghamton started the fourth quarter strong, scoring two more in the first two minutes before Longo laced a left-handed shot to the bottom right corner to break the run. The Bearcats, however, added another pair of goals to stretch their lead to 15-5 before Frigon collected a pass from junior Khairi Sears (Columbus, Ohio) to net the contest's final goal, sealing the 15-6 final score.
 
The River Hawks return to action on Saturday, April 6, hosting UMBC for a noon faceoff at Cushing Field.