BOSTON, Mass. – Third-seeded Plymouth State University cut a four-goal deficit in half in the fourth quarter, but second-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston held on to top the Panthers, 11-9, in the semifinals of the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Lacrosse Tournament at James Cotter Field on Thursday night.
Things stayed tight through much of the first half, until the Beacons used back-to-back goals midway through the second to take a 7-4 lead. UMass Boston scored the first goal of the second half to create a four-goal cushion, but seniors
Crosby Fay (Thornton, N.H.) and
Ryan Collins (Attleboro, Mass.) answered to make it 8-6.
The hosts closed the third quarter with another two goals for a 10-6 lead heading to the fourth. Fay and senior
Ryan Jones (Tolland, Conn.) scored early in the frame to pull within 10-8, but the Beacons responded three minutes later. Sophomore
Aiden Renner (Phillipsburg, N.J.) again cut the deficit to two, 11-9, with three minutes left to play, but PSU was unable to get any closer as the Beacons held on to advance to the championship game.
Plymouth State finishes the year with an 11-5 mark, winning 10-plus games for the third straight season – the first such streak in program history. UMass Boston (14-4) visits top-seeded WestConn for the LEC crown on Saturday (May 3).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 9, UMass Boston 11
- Plymouth State (11-5)
- UMass Boston (14-4)
How it Happened:
- UMass Boston opened the scoring just over a minute in, but Collins responded just 43 seconds later.
- The teams traded goals midway through the first quarter, with Renner erasing a 2-1 deficit.
- The Beacons retook the lead, 3-2, with just over three minutes left in the first.
- Fay's first of the night tied the game at 3-3, but the Beacons answered with two straight goals.
- Collins scored a man-up goal to cut it to 5-4, but the hosts tallied back-to-back goals to close the half with a 7-4 advantage.
- UMass Boston scored early in the third to extend the lead to 8-4.
- Fay and Collins notched consecutive goals midway through the frame to cut the deficit in half.
- The Beacons countered with two more to carry a 10-6 lead into the fourth.
- Fay and Jones responded with goals in the first three-plus minutes of the fourth to pull within 10-8.
- UMass Boston slowed the momentum with a goal at the nine-minute mark.
- Renner again made it a two-goal game, 11-9, with just over three minutes remaining, and Plymouth State controlled the ensuing faceoff – but the UMass Boston defense held firm to secure the win.
By the Numbers:
- Fay finished with three goals and two ground balls. He ends his career second in program history with 211 goals and third in career points (234).
- Collins also scored three times and added three ground balls.
- Renner won 10-of-17 faceoffs, scooped up a game-high 10 ground balls, and added two goals and an assist.
- Seven different Panthers recorded a caused turnover.
- Senior Ethan Schena (Methuen, Mass.) capped an outstanding season with 17 saves. He finishes the year with a league-best .616 save percentage, ranked second in the LEC in goals against average (7.83), and third in saves per game (11.31). He recorded nine games with double-digit saves.
- UMass Boston held a narrow 28-26 advantage in shots on goal.
- PSU finished 1-for-2 in man-up situations, while limiting the Beacons to 1-for-5.
- The game was a rematch of last year's semifinal, in which the Panthers knocked off UMass Boston en route to the program's first LEC Tournament title.
– 30 –
