LOWELL, Mass. – Following the conference opener on Friday afternoon, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (3-4) faces a quick turnaround as they welcome the #11 Massachusetts Minutemen (6-1) to town on Tuesday, March 18, for an in-state battle.

LAST TIME OUT
Graduate student Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) tallied a career-high five goals, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (3-4, 0-1 AE) dropped its conference opener against the Binghamton Bearcats (2-4, 1-0 AE), 14-12, on Friday afternoon. Murphy, who added an assist for a personal-best six points, was one eight River Hawks with at least a point and one of six with a goal. Behind him, freshman Griffin Sumwalt (Aquebogue, N.Y.) added two goals and an assist, while sophomore Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) chipped in two goals of his own. Freshmen Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Alex Lafreniere (Chelmsford, Mass.) each tallied two points off a goal and an assist, while senior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.) rounded out the goal scorers with one of his own. In net, freshman AJ True (Manchester, N.H.) made nine saves in the start.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Burke leads the offense, totaling 12 goals and nine assists, to rank first on the team with 21 points. Behind him, Lawhorn paces the squad with 14 goals, alongside one assist for 15 points, with Murphy tied with him at 15 points off nine goals and six assists. On defense, freshman Jack Jimenez (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) sits first on the leaderboard for the River Hawks with six caused turnovers,  sophomore Owen Fitzgerald (Calverton, N.Y.) totals five, and sophomore Hayden Almeida (North Kingstown, R.I.) and freshman Miles Kempski (West Chester, Pa.) rank third with four. Sophomore Justin Alexander (Franklin, Mass.), who leads the team with 89 faceoff wins on 143 attempts, also has a team-best 46 ground balls collected. In net, True tallies 82 saves through his first seven 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 seven games, the newest River Hawks have combined for 45 points off 28 goals and 17 assists, 19 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 .622 win percentage, good for tenth 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 MASSACHUSETTS
The Minutemen come into Tuesday's game on a six-game winning streak after falling in their season opener to then-ranked #13 Army. The Massachusetts offense is led by senior Trace Hogan, who leads his team in goals (17), assists (14), and points (31). Tying Hogan with 17 goals, Robbie Granara also adds six assists for 23 points, the second most on the team. On the defensive end, Matthew Petitto tallies the most caused turnovers on his team with nine, while Owen Salanger has served as the primary goalkeeper, starting six of seven games while making 80 saves and allowing 47 goals for a .630 save percentage.
 
MATCHUP HISTORY
Tuesday marks the eighth matchup between the two teams, with Massachusetts owning a 7-0 record. Last season, the River Hawks took the battle to the Minutemen, who at the time were receiving votes, pulling within one score in the final minutes, before falling, 10-7.