The No. 9 Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team continues its successful start to the season with Brown on Saturday afternoon at Garber Field.
The Minutemen (3-0) don’t look to dwell on last Saturday’s impressive 11-9 handling of No. 14 Ohio State, as the Bears (1-0) will give them all they can handle.
“They play with a hunger,” said UMass coach Greg Cannella. “They’re athletic so they … allow their athletes to use their athleticism out there on the field. It’s really a great way to play. We try to do the same thing here.”
Brown had no problem defeating Quinnipiac in its first game of the 2011 season, cruising to a 14-3 decision. The Bears jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back.
Brown’s size, craftiness and athleticism on the offensive end make them a tough unit to contain. Senior Andrew Feinberg and junior Parker Brown are the top two scorers for the Bears, as each netted four goals last Saturday.
Feinberg cashed in on four scores against UMass in last year’s matchup, which indicated to Cannella that the senior “can score with anybody in the country.”
Brown is coming off his seven-point performance against Quinnipiac, which earned him the Ivy League Player of the Week award.
The Minutemen look for another solid performance from goalkeeper Tim McCormack, along with the defensive unit of Jake Smith, Tom Celentani and company, to contain the aggressive Brown attack.
Last weekend’s win over OSU propelled UMass to its highest ranking since its No. 7 ranking last season on April 5. Cannella hopes the Minutemen’s recent victory will pay dividends for his team moving forward.
“Anytime you play a top-notch opponent and not only are you able to compete with them but compete at a high level, you gain some confidence,” said Cannella.
The turnovers were a concern for Cannella last weekend, as the Maroon and White committed 16 on the afternoon.
“You just [got to] ask your guys to have a greater sense of urgency on each play,” said Cannella. “In practice, you can turn the ball over and [there are] no consequences. In a game, [there are] … great consequences and against a team like Brown, they’ll put it to us if we turn it over that many times.”
The Minutemen attack will be firing on Brown goalkeeper Matt Chriss, who ranked third in the Ivy League last season with 10.30 saves per contest, including a season-high 15 against high-powered No. 19 Duke. The Lutherville, Md. native accumulated 14 saves against QU last Saturday in his first outing of the season.
Chriss has the luxury of being coached by former Virginia goalkeeper, Kip Turner, who has solidified his game and made him a more consistent player.
Anchoring the defensive squad will be Peter Fallon who led the Bears with 36 groundballs a year ago and received second-team All-Ivy League honors.
UMass will try to continue to maintain a balanced attack against Brown, which it showcased against OSU last weekend with Anthony Biscardi, Colin Fleming, Art Kell and Connor Mooney each scoring a pair.
“Hopefully we continue to have that kind of contribution from those guys and even a couple more guys that can help us,” said Cannella.
The two teams met last season on March 23, with the Minutemen emerging victorious, 11-10. Kell, Biscardi and then-freshman standout Will Manny each scored a pair of goals for the Maroon and White, while McCormack tallied a career-high 17 saves.
With a slew of quality opponents this early in the season, Cannella has noticed an increased tempo from his team during the week of preparation.
“There’s a sense of urgency in practice and a sense that you have to be ready or else you [will] get stomped on,” said Cannella.
Saturday will mark the Minutemen’s third home game of the season and is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Stephen Sellner can be reached at [email protected].
