BOSTON, MA - UMass Boston Men's Lacrosse won their 20th consecutive Little East Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon, defeating Massachusetts Maritime Academy by a final score of 17-15 at James Cotter Field. The win was not without some drama as the Beacons rallied from multiple deficits in the fourth quarter to take the late lead.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 17, Massachusetts Maritime Academy 15

UMass Boston (8-4, 3-0 LEC)
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (4-5, 1-2 LEC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Mass. Maritime opened up the game's scoring with just under eight minutes to play in the first quarter. The opening goal was quickly followed by another two for the Buccaneers, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead.

A Connor Smith goal put the Beacons on the board, trailing 3-1. The lead would be pushed back to three with under a minute to play when the Buccaneers netted their fourth goal of the opening frame. The score was quickly matched by Luke Murphy with just 22 seconds remaining in the first.

The Maritime lead was quickly erased in the second quarter. A goal from Jacob Banks and a pair from Gavin Admirand put the Beacons in front 5-4. 

The Buccaneers retaliated, ripping off four unanswered goals to take an 8-5 lead over the Beacons. Banks' second goal of the day cut the deficit to 8-6 heading into the halftime break.

In the third quarter, UMass Boston called upon the 'Young Beacs', their core of impactful freshmen who have seen increased playing time of late. Freshmen Nolan Beauregard and Carson Meczywor combined with Admirand to put together a 4-0 run, reclaiming a narrow 10-8 lead.

The visiting Buccaneers continued to answer the call, putting together a 5-0 run to take a 13-10 lead just under a minute into the fourth quarter. 

With his team trailing 14-11 with ten minutes left to play, Smith, the reigning LEC Offensive Player of the Week took over the game. The attacker rattled off three straight goals, two of them unassisted, to tie the game at 14 with just over five minutes to play.

Another Maritime score gave the Buccaneers the lead for all of 28 seconds before Smith struck once again. His fifth goal of the afternoon knotted the contest at 15 apiece.

Courtesy of a Liam Bowler assist, Banks completed his third hat trick in four games, breaking the tie and giving the Beacons their first lead of the fourth quarter, 16-15.

Admirand would tack on an insurance goal, his fourth of the afternoon, to close out the game by a final score of 17-15.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Admirand and Smith rank first and second in the LEC with 47 and 39 goals on the season, respectively
• The Beacons scored on three of their five man-up opportunities
• Trevor Koppy's 16 saves were tied for his most in a win this season
• UMass Boston has not lost a game against a conference opponent since the 2019 Little East tournament semifinal against Plymouth State
• The Beacons have won their last two matchups against Mass. Maritime by a combined three goals, improving their record in the all-time series to 20-12

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will wrap up their three-game homestand on Tuesday, April 11 when they host the Huskies of Southern Maine at 7:30 pm.