After the Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team fell down 3-1 to UMass Lowell through the first 11 minutes of play, Mason Bregman was the key for the Minutemen to come back into the game, helping UMass to a 10-7 comeback win in its home opener.
The senior attacker scored twice in the final minutes of the first period to tie the game up at three apiece.
Bregman broke out last season scoring 15 goals and appearing in all 14 games. It was a jump from his four games played in the 2022 season, where he tallied a single goal. Bregman is now up to four goal contributions after two games this season, which ranks second on the team. He’s tied for the lead in goals with three.
Bregman first struck with 3:44 left in the first period. With a full 60 seconds on the shot clock John Krish received a pass around center field and worked to drive towards the net. Not seeing a great opportunity, Krish found Bregman behind the opposition net. UMass Lowell’s (0-2) Josh Adey pressured him as he received the ball.
Bregman’s hard cut to the right got him past Adey and drove towards the net. Just outside of the crease Bregman pump-faked once before sneaking a shot up and over the shoulder of River Hawks goalie Mark Pav.
To level the score at 3-3 with 1:15 left in the first quarter, Bregman did practically the same thing, receiving a pass from Anthony Sericolo behind the net and patiently maneuvering his way in front to place it past Pav high at the near post.
The redshirt junior gave his teammates and opponents credit, first referring to the River Hawks as a “good sliding team.”
“I thought we took some really good shots today, it was a great team win,” Bregman said.
Bregman himself was certainly not shy to shoot, taking a team-leading seven shots, level with Mike Tobin. His confidence carried through from the first game of the season where he netted once and shot four times, all on target, in a loss against No. 8 Army. Bregman ranks second on the team in shots with 11 this year.
Low temperatures at Garber field can make it difficult to stay locked in for the whole two hours. For players like Bregman who are playing most of the minutes for the Minutemen (1-1), outside motivation is always welcome.
“Our bench mob is amazing too,” Mason Bregman said. “That brings us a lot of energy as well so you can lean on those guys. It’s amazing.”
Bregman also spread the ball out to his teammates, dishing out an assist in the second period to take a 5-4 lead. Bregman’s centering attempt found the stick of freshman Matthew Cargiulo, who scored his second career goal for UMass.
In the end, Bregman’s three goal contributions kickstarted the comeback and made the difference as the hosts won by three in their first win of the year.
The Minutemen will face the Marist Red Foxes at home on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Face off is set for 3 p.m. at Garber Field.
Dylan Shalom can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X/Twitter @dylan_third. Myles Donato can be reached at [email protected].
