PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Led by Chris Waterbury's team-high four goals the fourth-seeded Panthers of Plymouth State University handed the fifth-seeded Beacons a 17-11 loss in the quarterfinal round of the Little East Conference Tournament Tuesday afternoon.

THE BASICS

#5 UMass Boston 11, #4 Plymouth State University 17

UMass Boston (8-9)
Plymouth State University (8-9)

HOW IT HAPPENED

After a back-and-forth opening quarter in which the two teams were even at three goals a-piece, the host Panthers rattled-off six goals in the second stanza, while limiting UMB to two take a 9-5 lead into the break. 

Plymouth State would then edge the Beacons over the final two quarters outscoring them 8-6 to clinch the tournament victory.  With the win UMB's season comes to a close, while the Panthers advance to the semi-final round where they will face top-seeded Keene State College on Thursday.

Ned Parker (Stafford, Va.) netted two of the Beacons three goals in the opening frame, with his second coming with just one second left on the clock.  Conor Lenfest (Waltham, Mass.), who led the contest with five points (3g, 2a) netted both UMB goals in the second quarter.

Parker would find the back of the cage one more time to earn his first postseason hat trick, while Clay Arnold (Syracuse, N.Y.), Jack Dillon (Barrington, R.I.), Joe Mauceri (Scituate, Mass.), and Josh Holmes (Weymouth, Mass.) each registered a goal over the final 30 minutes.

UMB struggled to possess the ball through the first two frames as they combined for 22 of their 32 turnovers.  The Panthers also struggled in the first-round match-up as they were charged with 27 TO's.

Between the pipes Alex Fawcett (Londonderry, N.H.) made six stops, before the break.  Sophomore Alex Surette (Melrose, Mass.) took over in the third and combined for five saves over the final two quarters. 

Zel Kerkel earned the win for the Panthers, as he made 13 saves on 24 shots.

Matt Murphy (Watertown, Mass.) led UMB's defense with three caused turnovers, while Dillon collected nine ground balls.  Tom Redmond (Scituate, Mass.) finished 15-for-27 on face-off attempts and had five GB's.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Tuesday's contest marked the seventh postseason meeting between the Beacons and Plymouth State
• All-time the Beacons lead the conference tournament series 5-2
• The tournament win for the Panthers marked their first since 2013 when they earned a 17-11 win
• The Beacons held a 45-42 advantage in total shots and 49-35 advantage in ground balls.
• UMB was 11-for-22 on clear attempts, and finished 2-for-7 on man-up attempts
• Tuesday's contest marked the final in the career of Dillon, and Clay and Kroy Arnold (Syracuse, N.Y.)