BOSTON, Mass. – Battling 20-30 mph winds and temperatures in the single digits lacrosse managed to battle through the elements to earn a 3-2 non-conference win over Rivier University Wednesday evening at James Cotter Field.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 3, Rivier University 2

UMass Boston (3-2)
Rivier University (2-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Knotted at 2-2 for over 18 minutes, Mike Mulligan (Westford, Mass.) gave UMass Boston the go-ahead score with 8:39 remaining in regulation on a huge unassisted play.  Adam Cariveau (Hudson, Mass.) owned the Beacons second goal of the night, which evened the score at two goals apiece at the 13:22 mark of the third. 

Mulligan also scored the Beacons first goal of the night early in the second period to erase an early Rivier 1-0 lead.  William Ryan scored the second goal of the night for the Raiders to make it a 2-1 affair, which lasted for nearly 12 minutes until the Cariveau tying tally.

Truly the story of Wednesday's night contest, other than the tough playing conditions, was the match-up between the two team's goalies.  Matt Cloutman had an unbelievable game for the Raiders with an impressive 20 saves on 23 shots.  Freshman Alex Surette (Melrose, Mass.) was just as impressive with his nine saves, including a huge stop in the final minutes of the fourth to keep the Beacons lead intact.

Through the first 30 minutes of play Cloutman recorded a combined 12 stops, while also earning seven more in the third quarter. 

On the face-off "X", the Beacons finished 4-for-9, with Kroy Arnold (Syracuse, N.Y.) finished 2-for-2, while Matt Murphy (Watertown, Mass.) finished with other two wins.  The Beacons defense was anchored by Murphy and Derek DiPietrantonio (Watertown, Mass.) who each had four caused turnovers.  A total of four Beacons each recorded a game-high four ground balls in the win.

BY THE NUMBERS

• UMass Boston improves to 2-0 all-time against Rivier University
• Surette improved to 2-1 on the year, while Cloutman fell to 2-3
• The Beacons finished 12-for-15 on clear attempts in Wednesday's wins
• The Beacons outshot Rivier 44-27 and forced 22 Rivier turnovers

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will host Johnson & Wales University on Friday at 7:30 p.m.