LOWELL, Mass. – Hitting the road for the first time in nearly a month, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (2-7, 0-3 AE) heads to New Jersey to take on the NJIT Highlanders (4-7, 1-2 AE) on Saturday, April 11. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Lubetkin Field at Mal Simon Stadium in Newark, N.J.

LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Ryan Proctor (Uxbridge, Ontario) recorded a multi-goal game for the first time in his career, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team fell to the UMBC Retrievers, 18-4, on Saturday afternoon at Cushing Field. Proctor, who scored two goals, was one of four River Hawks to record a point in the contest. Sophomore Griffin Sumwalt (Aquebogue, N.Y.) also added two goals and a ground ball, while sophomore Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and junior Jayden Consigli (Franklin, Mass.) each added an assist. In net, sophomore AJ True (Manchester, N.H.) made seven saves in the first half, while junior Scott Kosakowski (Westport, Ct.) tallied five saves in the second half.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through nine games, Burke paces the squad with 22 points, while sophomore Alex Lafreniere (Chelmsford, Mass.) sits second with 21 points and a team-high 16 goals. Redshirt sophomore James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario), meanwhile, who has the second most assist with seven, adds eight goals to sit third on the team with 15 points. Behind them, Sumwalt, Proctor and junior Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) each add 11 points. At the X, junior Justin Alexander (Franklin, Mass.) ranks second in the America East and sixth in the nation with a .647 (123-190) win percentage, while collecting a conference-leading 74 ground balls. Defensively, junior Jackson Schlicker (Portland, Ore.) adds nine caused turnovers and nine ground balls. 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 six starts and 49 saves.
 
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, allowing no shots, pushing 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 NJIT
Entering Saturday's contest with a 4-7 record, the Highlanders have dropped their last two games to Vermont and Bryant, both on the road. Leading the way for the team offensively is Blake Piscitiello, whose 49 points off 27 goals and 22 assists rank second in the conference. On defense, Emmerick Dopona and Sullivan O'Brien both total double-digit caused turnovers, totaling 18 and 13, respectively. On the faceoff, Michael Gaffney totals a .401 (79-197) win percentage, and in net, Cameron Kurdyla has started all 11 games, making 153 saves with 132 goals allowed, good for a .537 save percentage.

MATCHUP HISTORY
Saturday marks the 10^th time the two sides have squared off, with UMass Lowell holding a 6-3 advantage all-time. Last year, the River Hawks earned a thrilling, 10-8 victory at home over the Highlanders.