The Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team was able to defeat Drexel on Saturday thanks to a huge performance from sophomore goalie Matt Knote.

In the previous two matchups between the two programs, Drexel (1-2, 1-2 Colonial Athletic Association) had gotten off to an early lead in the first half. However, today the opening window belonged to UMass (2-0, 2-0 CAA).

Goalie Matt Knote started off playing lights out. Knote recorded seven saves in just the first quarter alone. His 20 saves were a new career high.

“He was outstanding today in what he did,” UMass head coach Greg Canella said. “He held his ground, he stayed on his pipe, and he caught the ball a lot and that led us in transition which is great for our clear game.”

In a super physical matchup between the Minutemen and the Dragons, Knote’s performance set the tone in the first half. Knote recorded 13 saves in just the first half of play as UMass took a 5-to-2 lead into halftime.

“Thirteen in the first half and that’s why it was 5-to-2, it could have been 7-5 them or a lot more goals for Drexel,” Canella said. “He was very disciplined in his approach.”

Both teams were not shy to initiate contact as there were plenty of guys hitting the turf at Garber Field.

“Lot of big hits both ways, we got hit, they got hit, a lot of bodies hitting the ground,” Canella said. “Sometimes you get in games where the physical play really determines the outcome of the game and I think both teams kinda went for it in terms of physicality.”

Along with their goalie, the Minutemen played excellent defensively for much of the game. UMass denied Drexel of quality scoring opportunities as they forced nine turnovers on the defensive side of the ball.

“They were very consistent throughout and energetic on that side of the ball that is probably the reason why they played well,” Canella said. “That consistency is what brings you to a 5-2 and a 7-4 after three quarters that’s holding a team down, a really good offensive team down to four goals in three-quarters, that’s a really strong performance”

The physical play of the defense also contributed to their strong performance on Saturday. It also led to a couple of penalty calls on UMass as they were called for slashing, cross-checking and pushing penalties in the second half.

“We were pretty physical in certain situations in tight spaces on the defensive end that went in our favor.”

The Minutemen have a quick turnaround as they will take on the Great Danes in Albany on Tuesday.

“The quick turnarounds it’s more about your guys and how they handle it,” Canella said. “You don’t have a lot of time to prepare you can’t jam in everything to know what Albany does.”

UMass is set to travel to Albany on Tuesday to face-off against the Great Danes at 1 p.m.

Carson Depp can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @CarsonDepp.