LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-9, 0-4 AE) take a short trip for a battle with the Merrimack Warriors (4-7, 2-2 AE) on Friday, April 12 at 5:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) posted a season-high three-point game, and freshman Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) picked up a pair of points as the UMass Lowell lacrosse team (0-9, 0-4 AE) fell to the UMBC Retrievers (4-4, 3-1 AE), 21-5, on Saturday afternoon. As Lawhorn and Soi extended their scoring streaks to two games and four games, respectively, the River Hawks also received output from sophomore Jackson Dean (Deer Park, Wash.) and freshman Jayden Consigli (Franklin, Mass.), as both chipped in with a goal. A goaltending tandem of sophomore Luke Renaud (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and freshman Carter O'Brien (Concord, Mass.) split time between the pipes, each making eight saves in what was O'Brien's collegiate debut.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Thirteen River Hawks find themselves in the points column after nine games, with junior Khairi Sears (Columbus, Ohio) leading the way with 12 points with Murphy and freshman James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) right behind with 11 points. Murphy, who is tied with Lawhorn for a team-best 11 goals, also adds 14 ground balls. Senior Jack Bird (Buffalo, N.Y.) has had a strong start to the season at the X, posting a .516 faceoff win percentage, while also leading the squad with 51 ground balls. Defensively, junior Alexander Chairs (Ellicott City, Md.) leads his squad with seven caused turnovers, including two against Binghamton. In net, all four goalkeepers have seen time, with graduate student Mark Pav (South Setauket, N.Y.) and Renaud splitting the starts. Pav posts a team-high 61 saves, Renaud leads the squad with a .486 save percentage, while O'Brien made his first debut against UMBC.
 
AMERICA EAST HONORS
Following their impressive performances in the season opener against Holy Cross on February 10, Bird was named the America East Faceoff Specialist of the Week, while Frigon took home America East Rookie of the Week honors. Two weeks later, Donnelly was tabbed the America East Rookie of the Week after finding the back of the net twice and adding an assist against Siena.
 
SCOUTING MERRIMACK
The Warriors welcome the River Hawks to town following a 15-14 on the road against NJIT. Merrimack's offense is led by attack Jack Rooney who totals 25 assists, ranking seventh in the conference in assists per game. Pacing the team in goals, both Kasey Mongillo and Jack Kolbe tally 21 goals, with Mongillo also adding 13 ground balls. Defensively, Sam Walsh sits first on the team with 25 ground balls and Joe Conley holds the top mark with 14 caused turnovers. The Warriors have had four goaltenders see time between the pipes, with Henry Vogt playing the majority with 476 minutes logged. In that time, Vogt has allowed 108 goals and made 107 saves for a .498 save percentage.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell and Merrimack have faced off four times, with the Warriors holding a 3-1 edge. Last season, the two teams battled it out at Cushing Field, and although the River Hawks almost made a comeback in the fourth, the Warriors were able to hold them off for a 13-10 win.