The Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team needed every goal it could get in a razor close win against Brown on Saturday at Garber Field.

Mason Bregman led UMass (5-3) in goals, recording a hat-trick and dishing out one assist in the 10-9 win over Brown (3-4, 0-1 Ivy). Bregman started the game at attack alongside Gabriel Procyk and Carter Castillo, earning the first start of his career.

“[Bregman’s] been playing very well, playing with more confidence,” head coach Greg Cannella said of Bregman’s recent play. “It’s always great to see guys put points up when you’re rooting for them, and they do play with confidence and they give effort in practice week by week.”

After being redshirted  his freshman year, Bregman seldom played last season, appearing in four games. This year, Bregman has appeared in every game for the Minutemen and has been on a roll as of late, recording goals in three of the past four games.

“He’s worked for it, it’s been a long haul for him. He redshirted freshman year in 2021, last year he played some runs but didn’t get a lot. We encouraged him to stay patient, and hopefully it continues to pay off for him,” Cannella said.

The struggles for UMass on the offensive end of the ball so far  have led to changes in the starting lineup throughout the season. The Minutemen started the year with an attack group of Dillon Arrant, Procyk, and Castillo. In the game against Brown, UMass gave Bregman the starting nod.

“It felt awesome, it felt really good,” Bregman said of his first career start. “The coaches believe in me and I think that’s an amazing thing.”

The Minutemen’s best stretches of offense came in the first and third quarters, with Bregman playing a big role in both. In the first, after trailing 3-0 to start the game, UMass went on a 5-0 run to close the quarter and led 5-3 after the first.

In the third, UMass outscored Brown 4-2. In both quarters, Bregman got involved, scoring one goal in the first quarter, and scoring two consecutive goals in the third quarter.

Both of Bregman’s goals in the third came off passes from his teammates as he was standing behind the goal. In the third quarter to complete his hat-trick, Bregman made a spectacular diving finish into the top left corner of the goal after a pass from Shane O’Leary.

FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK MASON BREGMAN!!#GorillaLacrosse🦍 X #Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/OWEIkb0rbv

— UMass Men's Lacrosse (@UMassMLacrosse) March 25, 2023

“Just leaning on my guys, I got a couple good feeds from other guys, and really it was all the other guys, I’m glad they could rely on me to make plays,” Bregman said.

Bregman also got involved in  playmaking for the Minutemen, throwing a dime to  Procyk who finished an incredible goal late in the third quarter to give the Minutemen a 10-6 lead.

Bregman’s eight shots was a career high, exceeding his previous high of three shots that he recorded against UMass Lowell and Rutgers earlier this season. His three goals and four total points were also career highs.

UMass will return to action next on Saturday, April 1, at home against High Point. Face-off is set for 12 p.m.

Marco Lopez can be reached at [email protected].