The Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team’s defense carried the Minutemen to victory during their three-game winning streak last month. But facing another defensively minded team in Towson last Saturday, UMass’ offensive woes were taken advantage of in a streak-ending 6-3 defeat.
Now looking to reestablish momentum in conference play, UMass (3-6, 1-1 CAA) faces Fairfield (6-4, 1-0 CAA), which poses similar threats to what the Minutemen saw against the Tigers’ elite defense last weekend.
The Stags head into Saturday’s matchup at McGuirk Stadium riding a four-game winning streak after overcoming initial struggles. During its successful stretch, Fairfield allowed 5.5 goals per game, including a four-goal performance against then-No. 20 Villanova.
“They’re on a hot streak right now,” UMass attacker Nick Mariano said. “Their goalie is playing good and their defense is playing even better. We just have to take it one possession at a time and try to finish on our opportunities.”
After sitting the majority of the Stags’ first seven games, sophomore goalie Tyler Behring has started in Fairfield’s last three wins and has posted a .760 save percentage.
For a Minutemen team struggling to score goals of late – UMass was held to under 10 goals in its last two games – coach Greg Cannella said Behring’s emergence may prove troublesome.
“They play some zone but they’ve held teams down scoring-wise,” Cannella said. “We’re going to have to find a way to score goals.”
Cannella said the key to doing so will be taking advantage of more offensive opportunities through aggressive but smarter shot selections.
“We have to be a little more aggressive and have to be able to finish the ball when we get chances,” Cannella said. “You can’t depend on your defense to hold teams down and keep you in the game. You have to score.”
Mariano added that limiting turnovers has been a central focus in preparation for Fairfield’s aggressive defense. He pointed at the Minutemen’s 13 turnovers in the loss to Towson as a concern.
“We were forcing it and trying to do too much and that’s not how we usually play,” Mariano said. “It gave (Towson) more possessions, especially for a team that really slows it down for their game plan. We gave them the ball back more than we should have.”
In addition to maintaining possession, gaining control of the ball in hustle situations will prove crucial, according to senior midfielder Ryan Izzo.
“Those are the little things that you kind of focus on that can either win or lose you the game,” Izzo said. “Focusing on ground balls, making sure you’re making the right pass, the smart pass, stuff like that throughout the game is key, especially in the fourth quarter when you’re getting tired.”
Cannella said winning the possession battle will also help take pressure off of UMass’ defense, which faces a strong group of Stags attackers.
Senior Tristan Sperry leads the way for Fairfield with 33 points this season while Charlie Schnider (27), Colin McLinden (25) and T.J. Neubauer (23) round out the Stags’ top scoring threats.
But Mariano said he’s confident the Minutemen’s defensive corps can continue its recent success, in which it hasn’t allowed more than nine goals in each of UMass’ last four matchups.
Mariano added that if the game is another two-way defensive battle, this style will favor the Minutemen.
“If we can keep it close, I think we can pull it out,” Mariano said. “We’re a grinding team right now.”
Saturday’s game starts at 1 p.m.
Anthony Chiusano can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
