BOSTON, Mass. – Third-seeded Plymouth State University outscored second-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston by a 7-1 margin in the opening quarter on the way to a 16-11 win over the Beacons in the semifinal round of the Little East Conference Men's Lacrosse Tournament at James Cotter Field on Thursday afternoon.
Senior
Crosby Fay (Waterville Valley, N.H.) scored the first of his four goals two minutes in and PSU would add another three tallies before the Beacons got on the scoreboard. Senior
Nolan Burke (Worcester, Mass.) answered back less than two minutes later to spark a 3-0 spurt as PSU closed out the frame with a 7-1 lead.
Plymouth State continued to roll as the lead grew to double digits, 15-5, midway through the third quarter. UMass Boston scored the game's last five goals to make the final score closer than the game actually was.
Senior
Owen McNichols (Manchester, N.H.) made a season-high 17 saves to set new program records for wins in a season (14) and career (31).
Plymouth State improves to 14-4, tying the program mark for wins in a season. The Panthers play for the LEC Tournament Championship for the third time in school history (2008, 2019), looking for its first title.
PSU will square off against the winner of tonight's other semifinal contest featuring top-seeded WestConn and fourth-seeded Keene State. The highest remaining seed will host the championship game on Saturday (May 4).
UMass Boston ends the year with a 13-5 record.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 16, UMass Boston 11
- Plymouth State (14-4)
- UMass Boston (13-5)
How it Happened:
- Fay opened the scoring two minutes into the game for an early lead.
- Junior Ryan Collins (Attleboro, Mass.) continued his hot streak to double the lead with 8:41 left in the first, and Fay made it 3-0 just 22 seconds later.
- Graduate student Alex Hawkom (Manchester, N.H.) got into the scoring column, but the Beacons broke through to make it 4-1 with seven minutes left.
- Burke sparked a 3-0 spurt to close out the frame, with freshman Kevin Cougler (Dover, N.H.) and junior Ryan Jones (Tolland, Conn.) also finding the back of the cage.
- Senior Marc Hirshom (Walpole, Mass.) scored his first of the season in the opening minute of the second for an 8-1 lead.
- UMass Boston attempted to battle back, scoring three times around another Hawkom tally, and pull within 9-4, but Collins and freshman Aiden Renner (Phillipsburg, N.J.) both scored in the final 20 seconds of the half for an 11-4 advantage at the break.
- Collins and Jones notched goals in the first three minutes of the third. The hosts got one back, but Fay responded with back-to-back scores as the lead ballooned to double digits, 15-5.
- After a UMB goal, Hawkom answered back to make it 16-6 with roughly four minutes left in the third.
- The Beacons tried to mount a comeback with a late score in the third and two more in the first five minutes of the fourth to cut the lead to 16-9. UMB would add two more tallies in the last 90 seconds to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Fay finished with four goals and four ground balls. He leads the team with 48 tallies on the season.
- Hawkom poured in a game-high five points on three goals and two assists, while Collins scored three times and added a helper. Collins has eight goals and two assists in the LEC Tournament.
- McNichols' 17 saves were a season high and just shy of his personal best of 20.
- Renner went 15-6 on faceoffs and led all players with 13 ground balls, while helping the offense with a goal and an assist.
- Hirshom led the defense with a pair of caused turnovers and three ground balls.
- Plymouth State went 25-for-26 in clear attempts and scooped up 44 ground balls.
- The Panthers won 21-of-29 faceoffs.
- PSU had lost the last six meetings between the two teams, which included last year's semifinal matchup.
Up Next:
- Third-seeded Plymouth State will square off against the winner of top-seeded WestConn and fourth-seeded Keene State in Saturday's (May 4) championship game. The Panthers are seeking their first LEC title.
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