LOWELL, Mass. – Coming off a bye week, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (2-5, 0-1 AE) returns home for the first time in over a month to host the UAlbany Great Danes (4-4, 2-0) on Saturday, March 28. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Cushing Field.

LAST TIME OUT
Junior Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) scored two goals as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team fell to the Brown University Bears, 13-6, in last week's Tuesday non-conference contest. In addition to Soi's pair of goals, sophomores Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Alex Lafreniere (Chelmsford, Mass.) both tallied a goal and an assist. Freshman Ryan Proctor (Uxbridge, Ontario) and sophomore Griffin Sumwalt (Aquebogue, N.Y.) also added their names to the scoresheet for the River Hawks with a goal each, while junior Nolan Marshall (Oakville, Ontario) added an assist.  

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through seven games, Lafreniere leads the team with 15 goals and 20 points, while Burke sits second with 12 goals and six assists for 18 points. Redshirt sophomore James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario), meanwhile, sits tied with Burke with a squad-leading six assists. Behind them, junior Colby Frigon (Providence, R.I.) and Soi each total 10 points, with three other River Hawks recording at least five points. At the X, junior Justin Alexander (Franklin, Mass.) owns a .667 (104-156) win percentage, while collecting a team-high 60 ground balls. Defensively, junior Jackson Schlicker (Portland, Ore.) adds seven caused turnovers and seven ground balls, and in net junior Carter O'Brien (Concord, Mass.), junior Scott Kosakowski (Westport, Ct.), and sophomore AJ True (Manchester, N.H.) have all split time, with True leading the way with 37 saves in four starts.
 
RECORDING RECORDS
In the team's second game of the year against Mercyhurst, Donnelly put on a show, totaling five goals and three assists, both career-highs, to set a new DI single-game program record with eight points. He also made sure to come up clutch for the River Hawks, scoring twice in the final four minutes, including once with six seconds remaining, to send the game to overtime, setting up the thrilling, 14-13 double overtime finish.
 
OVERTIME MADNESS
The River Hawks put their resilience to the test early in the season, rallying from a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter against Mercyhurst to send the battle to overtime. The defense stood strong in extra time, not allowing a single shot, to push the game to a second extra period, where Frigon went on to score the game-winner for UMass Lowell with 1:35 remaining. The win marked the first overtime victory for the River Hawks since taking down conference foe UMBC, 13-12, in overtime during the 2019 season.

SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
UAlbany enters this weekend's contest with a 4-4 record overall, riding a two-game win streak with victories over conference opponents Bryant and UMBC. Leading the way for the Great Danes' offense is Silas Richmond, who totals 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points, all three ranking first in the America East. Defensively, three UAlbany players total at least 12 caused turnovers, while Max Neeson leads the way with 15, alongside 13 ground balls. In net, Brady Smith has started all eight games for the Great Danes, making 71 saves while allowing 86 goals, good for a .452 save percentage.

MATCHUP HISTORY
Saturday marks the 12^th matchup between the two sides all-time, with the Great Danes earning the victory in each contest so far.