LOWELL, Mass. – With their first two conference games under their belts, the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team (2-6, 0-2 AE) finishes up the two-game homestand when they welcome the UMBC Retrievers (2-6, 1-2 AE) to town on Saturday, April 4. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Cushing Field.

LAST TIME OUT
Six different River Hawks scored at least one goal, as the UMass Lowell men's lacrosse team dropped a hard-fought battle to the UAlbany Great Danes, 13-7, in the team's first home conference contest of the season. Leading the way for the River Hawks was sophomore Danny Burke (Eden Prairie, Minn.), who finished with two goals and an assist for three points. Juniors Johnny Soi (Kerhonkson, N.Y.) and Justin Alexander (Franklin, Mass.), sophomores Alex Lafreniere (Chelmsford, Mass.) and Griffin Sumwalt (Aquebogue, N.Y.), and freshman Ryan Proctor (Uxbridge, Ontario) all contributed with a goal, while redshirt sophomore James Donnelly (Ottawa, Ontario) and sophomore Miles Kempski (West Chester, Pa.) both added an assist. Defensively, junior Jackson Schlicker (Portland, Ore.) added two ground balls and two caused turnovers.

LEADING THE FLOCK
Through eight games, Lafreniere paces the squad with 16 goals and 21 points, while Burke is tied for the team-lead with 21 points off 14 goals and seven assists. Donnelly, meanwhile, who is tied with Burke with seven assists to lead the squad, adds eight goals to sit third on the team with 15 points. 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.) ranks second in the America East and fifth in the nation with a .665 (117-176) win percentage, while collecting a conference-leading 73 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 five starts and 42 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 UMBC
Although the Retrievers enter this weekend's contest with a 2-6 record, they are coming off a 12-11 victory over conference rival Bryant this past weekend, scoring the game-winner with only 53 seconds remaining. Pacing the team on offense is Ryan Demato, whose 19 goals and 24 points lead the team. Right behind him, Connor Chick adds 17 points, while Jake Kucinski also adds 17 points with a team-best nine assists. On defense, senior Casey Pung adds 10 caused turnovers, ranking tenth in the conference. In net, Connor McMahon has played all 480 minutes, making 79 saves while allowing 87 goals, good for a .476 save percentage.

MATCHUP HISTORY
Saturday marks the 10^th time the two sides have squared off, with UMBC owning a 7-2 all-time advantage.