LOWELL, Mass. - The UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-11, 0-6 AE) will wrap up their season on the road on Saturday, April 27, when they battle the NJIT Highlanders (7-6, 0-6 AE)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Junior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) tallied three goals, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (0-11, 0-6 AE) fell to the Vermont Catamounts (5-7, 3-2 AE) to close out the 2024 home slate on Senior Day. Lawhorn, who led the squad in goals, also added an assist for a team-high four points. Behind him, senior Justin Longo (Kingston, N.Y.) and freshman Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) each tallied two goals. Freshman Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) chipped in with a goal and an assist, while junior Khairi Sears (Columbus, Ohio) rounded out the point scorers with a goal. In net, graduate student Mark Pav (South Setauket, N.Y.) made 11 saves in 53 minutes, while senior Anthony Mancino (Holbrook, N.Y.) finished the game with a save.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Fourteen River Hawks find themselves in the points column with one game to play, with Sears and Lawhorn leading the way with 15 points and senior Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) right behind with 14 points. Murphy, who is tied for the lead with 12 goals, also adds 17 ground balls, ranking fourth on the squad. Senior Jack Bird (Buffalo, N.Y.) has had a strong season at the X, posting a .504 faceoff win percentage while leading his team with 64 ground balls. Defensively, junior Alexander Chairs (Ellicott City, Md.) leads his squad with nine caused turnovers, including two against Binghamton and Vermont. In net, all four goalkeepers have seen time, with graduate student Mark Pav (South Setauket, N.Y.) and sophomore Luke Renaud (Skaneateles, N.Y.) splitting the starts. Pav has posted a team-high 89 saves, Renaud leads the squad with a .486 save percentage, Mancino closed out Senior Day with an incredible save, and freshman Carter O'Brien (Concord, Mass.) debuted 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 NJIT
The Highlanders welcome the River Hawks to town amidst a six-game losing streak, most recently falling to UMBC 13-6. Their offense is led by attack Garrett Muscatella, who totals 27 goals and 16 assists for 43 points. Behind him, Arthur Miller sits second on the team with 25 goals alongside eight assists. The defensive unit is headlined by Hank Bethel, who leads his squad with 29 caused turnovers and sits third with 29 ground balls, while Billy Kroeger ranks as the third-best faceoff specialist in the conference, posting a .593 win percentage. Between the pipes, Liam Brown has started every game, making 171 saves in 775 minutes, good for a .539 save percentage. 
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
UMass Lowell and NJIT have faced off seven times, with the River Hawks holding a 5-2 record in those games. Last year, the two teams battled it out in the regular season finale. UMass Lowell held a 10-8 lead in the fourth, but two goals by the visitors sent the game into overtime. Just over three minutes into the extra time, NJIT found the back of the net to seal the victory.