The Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team extended its losing streak to three games with a heartbreaking 11-10 loss to Brown.
The Minutemen (4-4) failed to score during an excruciating 13-minute stretch in the second half, allowing the Bears (1-6) to retain their narrow advantage. UMass fell just one goal short, as has been the case in all four of its losses this season.
For every UMass defensive stand, Brown answered with one of its own. The everlasting stalemate held the score at 9-8 in favor of the Bears.
Freshman attacker Charles Kurtz broke the dry spell for UMass early in the fourth quarter, ripping a shot into the top left corner that served as a collective sigh of relief for the team. Grant Breyo wound up and fired home a second goal in quick succession less than two minutes later to snatch the Minutemen’s first lead of the afternoon.
FOGO Caleb Hammett thought he scored his third goal of the campaign on the ensuing faceoff, but Brown head coach Mike Daly had other ideas. Daly requested a stick check of Hammett’s goal-scoring twig. Following a thorough investigation of the stick, a delayed flag was thrown and the goal was wiped off the scoreboard.
Daly’s complaint played a massive role in Brown’s victory by preventing UMass from its first multi-goal lead of the matchup. The Bears used the momentum to equalize the score just one minute after the stick mishap, before beating goalie Matt Knote with the eventual winner with under five minutes to play.
The Minutemen’s early struggles were rooted in unsuccessful clear attempts. Brown applied suffocating pressure on the UMass defense after each loss of possession, forcing a game-high six turnovers in the first period.
UMass found no solution for the press, serving up extra possessions for the Bears on a silver platter. The Minutemen finished the game with an uncharacteristic 14-for-20 count in the clears category.
Yellow flags littered Stevenson-Pincince Field for the entirety of the game, showcasing the sheer physicality of the contest. Brown committed seven total penalties amounting to six minutes, while UMass added six penalties for four minutes.
The Minutemen have struggled to capitalize on extra-man opportunities throughout the year, and Friday was no different. Breyo’s second-quarter snipe marked the only extra-man goal of the game for UMass, leaving Brown completely unscathed on the other six chances. Missed opportunities remain the story of the Minutemen’s trend of one-goal losses.
Shane O’Leary stepped up for UMass offensively when it desperately needed a spark. He notched a hat trick, including a perfectly timed goal at the conclusion of the opening frame. O’Leary caught a pass from Dillon Arrant with the clock nearing its expiration, proceeding to quickly bounce a shot off the turf and in with just two-tenths of a second remaining.
Knote continued his stellar season between the pipes on Friday. His seven first-period saves kept UMass in a game that could have gotten out of hand, based on the stats. Knote’s performance anchored the defense in a game where the bounces just did not seem to favor his squad.
A rowdy crowd of 717 ultimately watched the Bears celebrate their very first win of the 2024 season. The 13 combined penalties along with the tight nature of the contest provided a high-intensity environment on a chilly Providence afternoon.
UMass begins Atlantic 10 conference play on Saturday, March 30 with a road trip to take on Hobart. Faceoff from Geneva, N.Y. is set for 12 p.m.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected].
