Art Kell and Anthony Biscardi each recorded hat tricks on Saturday afternoon as the No. 7 Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team handled Brown, 12-7, in Providence, R.I.
UMass (4-0) jumped out to a 6-1 lead midway through the third quarter and goalkeeper Tim McCormack took care of the rest, tallying a season-high 15 saves as the Minutemen cruised to a 12-7 victory. The win marks the team’s third-straight road win to start the season.
Kell had his best performance of the season with his three goals and two assists. Meanwhile, Will Manny netted a pair along with four other scorers. Coming into the game, Manny was tied for first in the NCAA with four goals per game and second with 6.67 points per game.
It didn’t take long for UMass to take control. Colin Fleming got the Minutemen on the board with less than two minutes shaved off the clock. Just 46 seconds later, Anthony Biscardi made it a 2-0 advantage with his first score of the contest.
It was a 2-1 game entering the second quarter; a frame the Bears dominated in every facet outside of the scoreboard. Brown fired 13 shots in the quarter to UMass’ five, but the Bears couldn’t get past McCormack.
The Bears had a golden opportunity to tie the game after Manny and Bobby Tyler committed slashing and pushing penalties, respectively, at the 12:30 mark in the second. Despite a 30-second two-man advantage, Brown couldn’t finish its three shots, as McCormack denied the only attempt on goal during the penalty.
The Minutemen made the most of their chances in the frame, as Kell and Biscardi made it a 4-1 affair heading into halftime. That’s as close as it would get for the remainder of play.
Biscardi and Kyle Smith extended the lead with nine minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the third to build a 6-1 cushion, but Brown didn’t go away easily. Parker Brown and Sam Hurster reeled off consecutive goals for the Bears, but Steve D’Amario netted his second goal of the season to end the run.
UMass dominated the fourth despite being outshot 15-6. Manny and Kell each scored twice as the Minutemen attack was too much for the Brown defense to contain.
Tom Celentani, Jake Smith and Greg Anderson anchored another stingy defensive performance, limiting the number of quality chances for the Bears. Despite Brown firing an eye-popping 42 shots, only 22 were on goal.
The UMass defensive unit has excelled so far this season, keeping the opposition under 10 goals in each affair.
On the other side, UMass capitalized on its 29 shots, putting 23 on net en route to its second 12-goal output of the season to match its season high. The Minutemen also scored a dozen against Army on Feb. 10.
Brown led the charge for the Bears with four goals, including his team’s final three scores. Three others finished with a single goal.
UMass has a quick turnaround this week as it welcomes Albany to Garber Field on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Great Danes handed the Minutemen their first loss of the season last year, 9-8, in Albany, N.Y., on March 8, 2011.
Stephen Sellner can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Sellner.
