LOWELL, Mass. – Coming off a loss to one of the top teams in the country, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (3-3, 0-0 AE) returns home for the first time in a month when they host the Binghamton Bearcats (1-4, 0-0 AE) on Friday, March 14, to open America East play.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) tallied two assists, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (3-3) fell to the #17 Fairfield Stags (7-0), 19-5, on Saturday afternoon. Although Frigon led the team with two points, five River Hawks were right behind him with a point each. Graduate student Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) opened the scoring for his squad, while senior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.), sophomore Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) and freshman Griffin Sumwalt (Aquebogue, N.Y.) each chipped in one. Rounding things out, sophomore Mitch Lanthaler (Mars, Pa.) scored the first goal of his career.  In net, freshman AJ True (Manchester, N.H.) and sophomore Carter O'Brien (Concord, Mass.) split time with each goalie making four saves.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Freshman Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.) leads the offense, totaling 11 goals and eight assists, ranking first on the team with 19 points. Behind him, Lawhorn paces the squad with 13 goals, alongside one assist for 14 points, while sophomores Jayden Consigli (Franklin, Mass.) and Soi sit right behind him with 12 points each. On defense, sophomore Owen Fitzgerald (Calverton, N.Y.) and freshman Jack Jimenez (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) sit first on the leaderboard for the River Hawks with five caused turnovers, while sophomore Hayden Almeida (North Kingstown, R.I.) and freshman Miles Kempski (West Chester, Pa.) are one behind with four. Sophomore Justin Alexander (Franklin, Mass.), who leads the team with 77 faceoff wins on 119 attempts, also has a team-best 40 ground balls collected. In net, True tallies 72 saves for a .514 save percentage through his first six career games.
 
INSTANT IMPACT
The newest faces to Lowell have left their mark right away on the program. Eight newcomers have made at least one start this season, with True and Burke starting in every game. Through five games, the newest River Hawks have combined for 38 points off 24 goals and 14 assists, 18 caused turnovers, with True taking the spot as the starting goalkeeper.
 
FACEOFF DOMINATION
In his first season as the primary faceoff specialist, Alexander has dominated at the X, posting a .647 win percentage, good for sixth in the country and second in the conference. Although he won a career-high 16 faceoffs at Wagner, his best performance of the season came in the win against Mercyhurst, when he went 14-17, good for an .824 win percentage, on his way to a personal-best 12 ground balls collected.
 
AMERICA EAST HONORS
After tying his career high with 17 saves against Queens, True was named the America East Rookie of the Week, his second weekly award of the season after earning Goalkeeper of the Week earlier in the season. In Week Two, Burke was named the America East Rookie of the Week, while Almeida was tabbed the conference's Defensive Player of the Week. It was the second time this season the River Hawks earned two weekly awards, with Lawhorn earning Offensive Player of the Week and True snagging Goalkeeper of the Week honors in Week One.
 
SCOUTING BINGHAMTON
The Bearcats enter Friday's match coming off their first win of the season, a 12-10 victory over Stony Brook. One of two players with double-digit points, Liam Ferris leads the offense in goals (10), assists (5), and points (15). Not far behind him, sophomore Andrew Girolamo sits seconds with 12 points off nine goals and three assists. Pacing the defense Nolan Sharkey totals a team-best seven caused turnovers, and in net Connor Winters totals 51 saves, good for a .490 save percentage, in five starts.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
Saturday marks the ninth time in ten years the River Hawks have faced the Bearcats, with Binghamton holding the all-time series advantage, 7-2. Last year, the Bearcats earned a 15-6 victory at home, with UMass Lowell last earning a win in the series in 2022.