Players Mentioned
Team Stats
MCMLAX
UMLM
Shots
37
47
Turnovers
17
13
Caused Turnovers
4
11
Faceoffs Won
12
14
Extra-Man Opps
2
8
Ground Balls
23
36
Game Leaders
River Hawks Open Season With Thrilling, 14-9 Victory Over Merrimack
2/7/2025 5:56:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
LOWELL, Mass. – Senior Riley Lawhorn scored a career-high five goals, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (1-0) earned a thrilling, 14-9 victory over the Merrimack Warriors (0-2) on Friday afternoon.
"I'm really happy to see my guys see the fruits of their labor from the past eight months or so," said head coach Drew Kelleher. "These guys have worked really, really hard, and they deserve it. My assistant coaches deserve it, they have been amazing since I got here, and we've had to go through a lot of adversity. To get the first one, hopefully, it's the first of many."
Lawhorn was one of six River Hawks to find the back of the net in the match. Behind him, freshman Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.) tallied three goals and an assist, while sophomore Jayden Consigli (Franklin, Mass.) also added four points on two goals and two assists. Freshman Alex Lafreniere (Chelmsford, Mass.) chipped in with the first two goals of his career, and sophomores James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) and Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) each added one. Making his first appearance with the start in net, freshman AJ True (Manchester, N.H.) allowed only nine goals while making 15 saves, good for a .625 save percentage.
Although Merrimack got the scoring started just over a minute into the match, the River Hawks responded with a vengeance, tallying four straight in less than three minutes, highlighted by first-career goals from Lafreniere and Burke. The Warriors struck again at 5:56 to make it a 4-2 score, but UMass Lowell locked down on defense, holding the opposition scoreless for the remainder of the period while Burke and Lafreniere each scored again, giving their squad the 6-2 advantage after one.
The second quarter proved to be a defensive battle, as neither side was able to find the back of the net for nearly seven minutes. However, with 8:06 on the clock, sophomore Soi broke the scoring drought, launching a shot past the keeper to give his team a five-goal advantage. After holding the visitors scoreless for over 15 minutes of action, they finally got back on the board in the final minutes of the second, cutting the River Hawks' lead to 7-3 heading into the break.
UMass Lowell came out of halftime firing, adding two more off the sticks of Lawhorn and Burke to extend their lead to 9-3 with just under 11 minutes on the clock. Despite Merrimack adding one a few seconds later, the River Hawks answered right back with another goal from Lawhorn. The Warriors, however, added three straight before Consigli tallied his second of the afternoon, making it an 11-7 game heading into the final period.
Picking up right where they left off, the River Hawks dominated the first minutes of the final period, as Lawhorn struck twice, followed by a man-up goal from Donnelly, to give the squad a commanding, 14-7 lead with just over ten minutes to play. The Warriors attempted to battle back, scoring twice in the final minutes, but UMass Lowell refused to budge further, sealing the 14-9 victory.
Next up, the River Hawks hit the road for the first time this season when they head down the road to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders on Tuesday, February 11. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Kuzniewski Field.
"I'm really happy to see my guys see the fruits of their labor from the past eight months or so," said head coach Drew Kelleher. "These guys have worked really, really hard, and they deserve it. My assistant coaches deserve it, they have been amazing since I got here, and we've had to go through a lot of adversity. To get the first one, hopefully, it's the first of many."
Lawhorn was one of six River Hawks to find the back of the net in the match. Behind him, freshman Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.) tallied three goals and an assist, while sophomore Jayden Consigli (Franklin, Mass.) also added four points on two goals and two assists. Freshman Alex Lafreniere (Chelmsford, Mass.) chipped in with the first two goals of his career, and sophomores James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) and Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) each added one. Making his first appearance with the start in net, freshman AJ True (Manchester, N.H.) allowed only nine goals while making 15 saves, good for a .625 save percentage.
Although Merrimack got the scoring started just over a minute into the match, the River Hawks responded with a vengeance, tallying four straight in less than three minutes, highlighted by first-career goals from Lafreniere and Burke. The Warriors struck again at 5:56 to make it a 4-2 score, but UMass Lowell locked down on defense, holding the opposition scoreless for the remainder of the period while Burke and Lafreniere each scored again, giving their squad the 6-2 advantage after one.
The second quarter proved to be a defensive battle, as neither side was able to find the back of the net for nearly seven minutes. However, with 8:06 on the clock, sophomore Soi broke the scoring drought, launching a shot past the keeper to give his team a five-goal advantage. After holding the visitors scoreless for over 15 minutes of action, they finally got back on the board in the final minutes of the second, cutting the River Hawks' lead to 7-3 heading into the break.
UMass Lowell came out of halftime firing, adding two more off the sticks of Lawhorn and Burke to extend their lead to 9-3 with just under 11 minutes on the clock. Despite Merrimack adding one a few seconds later, the River Hawks answered right back with another goal from Lawhorn. The Warriors, however, added three straight before Consigli tallied his second of the afternoon, making it an 11-7 game heading into the final period.
Picking up right where they left off, the River Hawks dominated the first minutes of the final period, as Lawhorn struck twice, followed by a man-up goal from Donnelly, to give the squad a commanding, 14-7 lead with just over ten minutes to play. The Warriors attempted to battle back, scoring twice in the final minutes, but UMass Lowell refused to budge further, sealing the 14-9 victory.
Next up, the River Hawks hit the road for the first time this season when they head down the road to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders on Tuesday, February 11. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Kuzniewski Field.
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