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Men's Lacrosse
MLAX vs UMass Header
10
Winner UMASS UMASS 7-1
9
UMass Lowell UMLM 3-5
Winner
UMASS UMASS
7-1
10
Final
9
UMass Lowell UMLM
3-5
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
UMASS UMASS 2 4 2 2 10
UMass Lowell UMLM 3 1 3 2 9

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Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

River Hawks Take #17 Massachusetts Down to the Wire in 10-9 Setback

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LOWELL, Mass. – Graduate student Garrett Murphy (Billerica, Mass.) tallied three goals, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (3-5) took the #17 Massachusetts Minutemen (7-1) down to the wire, but fell in the final minutes, 10-9, on Tuesday afternoon.

"Our guys are bought in and are so ready to get that big moment," said Head Coach Drew Kelleher. "I'm really proud of them. UMass is 7-1 for a reason. They're really well-coached, they're tough, they're disciplined, and so are we. I'm really proud of the guys to have the feeling we had ten days ago against Fairfield to where we are now, I'm just so proud of their effort, and I know they want to get over the hump."

Trailing 9-8 midway through the fourth quarter, the River Hawks played exceptional defense, highlighted by a save by O'Brien and a caused turnover by freshman Jack Jimenez (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), to keep the opposition off the board for over nine minutes. Meanwhile, with the shot clock winding down and 2:16 remaining in the game, Murphy raced towards the net before firing a shot past the keeper to knot the game up at 9-9. Moments later, Massachusetts struck to regain the lead, and despite UMass Lowell nearly evening the score with a shot by senior Riley Lawhorn (Amherst, N.H.), the Minutemen held on, sealing the 10-9 decision.

Murphy, who also collected two ground balls in the match, was one of seven River Hawks to tally a point. Lawhorn finished with a goal and an assist, with sophomore Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) adding two goals. Sophomores Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) and Justin Alexander (Franklin, Mass.), and freshman Griffin Sumwalt (Aquebogue, N.Y.) all chipped in a goal, while sophomore James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) added an assist. In net, sophomore Carter O'Brien (Concord, Mass.) earned his first career start, making 13 saves in just under 60 minutes of action.

The River Hawks came out firing, taking less than three minutes to find the first tally of the game thanks to a goal by Murphy. Quickly extending the lead, Soi snuck past his defender before unleashing a rocket past the keeper, making it a two-goal lead with 11:14 on the clock. UMass Lowell continued to stand tall on defense, not allowing a goal until the six-minute mark, but they fired back moments later, as Lawhorn struck to make it a 3-1 lead. In the final minutes of the quarter, Massachusetts added a second to cut the lead to one after one.

UMass Lowell picked up where they left off in the first, scoring their fourth goal of the game from the fourth different River Hawk at the 11:45 mark, this time coming off the stick of Frigon. The Minutemen found their footing though, holding the hosts scoreless the remainder of the period while adding four of their own to take a 6-4 lead into halftime.

Looking to even the score coming out of the break, the River Hawks went straight to work, with Sumwalt netting his first score of the day. Although the Minutemen countered with a goal less than 50 seconds later, the hosts retaliated instantly, as Alexander won the faceoff, raced down the field past a pair of defenders, before launching his shot into the back of the net for the first goal of his career. Four minutes later, with UMass Lowell still playing lockdown defense, Murphy tallied another goal, evening the score at 7-7 with just over seven minutes on the clock. A handful of saves by O'Brien kept the score the same, but the visitors finally struck with 1:43 remaining to own an 8-7 lead heading into the final period.

Despite the Minutemen's Trace Hogan adding a goal to make it a two-score difference four minutes into the final quarter, the River Hawks refused to back down, as Soi netted his score goal of the game with 8:09 to play, setting up the tight finish.

Next up, the River Hawks will have the weekend off, returning to action next Saturday, March 29, when they travel to New York to take on UAlbany. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at John Fallon Field.
 
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Players Mentioned

Riley Lawhorn

#11 Riley Lawhorn

M
6' 1"
Junior
Garrett Murphy

#20 Garrett Murphy

M
5' 10"
Senior
Johnny Soi

#44 Johnny Soi

M
5' 10"
Freshman
Carter O

#88 Carter O'Brien

G
6' 3"
Freshman
James Donnelly

#8 James Donnelly

A
5' 9"
Freshman
Justin Alexander

#27 Justin Alexander

FO
5' 7"
Freshman
Colby Frigon

#22 Colby Frigon

A/M
5' 9"
Freshman
Griffin Sumwalt

#6 Griffin Sumwalt

A
5' 9"
Freshman
Jack Jimenez

#43 Jack Jimenez

LSM
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Riley Lawhorn

#11 Riley Lawhorn

6' 1"
Junior
M
Garrett Murphy

#20 Garrett Murphy

5' 10"
Senior
M
Johnny Soi

#44 Johnny Soi

5' 10"
Freshman
M
Carter O

#88 Carter O'Brien

6' 3"
Freshman
G
James Donnelly

#8 James Donnelly

5' 9"
Freshman
A
Justin Alexander

#27 Justin Alexander

5' 7"
Freshman
FO
Colby Frigon

#22 Colby Frigon

5' 9"
Freshman
A/M
Griffin Sumwalt

#6 Griffin Sumwalt

5' 9"
Freshman
A
Jack Jimenez

#43 Jack Jimenez

5' 9"
Freshman
LSM