The Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team fell to No. 10 Richmond in an Atlantic 10 semifinal game, losing 14-4 in Philadelphia on Thursday. With the crushing loss, the 2025 season comes to an end for the Gorillas (9-6, 2-3 A-10).
The top-seeded Spiders’ (12-3, 5-0 A-10) offense came out hot and never looked back. Max Merklinger started off the game’s scoring with a goal just over two minutes into the game which was quickly followed by Gavin Creo beating UMass goalie Owen Salanger twice. With under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Richmond already held a 7-0 lead. The seven-goal opening frame was the highest scoring quarter for the Spiders in over a month, last matched by a nine-goal second quarter against St. Bonaventure on March 29.
Caelin Lewis opened the Gorillas’ scoring by firing a shot off the post that trickled into the net, which was set up by a big defensive stop led by Blaise New. UMass wrapped up the opening quarter with momentum after successfully killing a man-up opportunity for Richmond.
Creo and Leo Caine led their team with two goals each, as they anchored the Spiders’ balanced scoring attack. Of the 14 goals the top seed scored, 12 different players put the ball in the back of the net. Among those 12, two were Merklinger and Aidan O’Neil, who both recently won A-10 Midfielder of the Year and A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, respectively. Both players finished with three points each.
The Gorillas’ offense struggled all game against Richmond’s defense, as the team’s four goals represented a season low. UMass’ top goal scorers Trace Hogan and Robbie Granara ended their seasons on sour notes, with neither beating the goalie. For Granara, it was his first game all season being held scoreless while it was just Hogan’s third. The Gorillas also struggled on faceoffs with TJ Casey and Brendan Coyle — who entered the game with a 53 percent and 39 percent win percentage respectively — combining to go just 6-of-20.
After letting up seven goals in the first quarter, A-10 All-Rookie team member Salanger was replaced by Ryan Mazzariello. The redshirt sophomore had played just over eight minutes all season but shone for a struggling UMass team, racking up a career-high four saves in the first half alone. The New York native finished with 10 saves on 17 shots for an impressive 58.8 save percentage against the conference’s most lethal offense.
Entering his sixth game of the season, Lewis had scored just seven goals on the campaign for the Gorillas. The senior put up a hat trick in the last game of the season, matching his career high. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound midfielder used his larger frame to fire a top-right, man-up goal in the second quarter. The Washington native’s third and final score came in the third quarter and featured him muscling past numerous Spider defenders to beat the Richmond goalie. Other than Lewis, Zack Waxman put a ball in the back of the net for the sophomore’s first goal of the season and second of his career. The Sharon native’s goal came off a behind-the-net pass from Aiden Drunsic.
The Spiders reach their third consecutive conference championship as they remain undefeated against A-10 opponents. Richmond defeated second-seeded High Point in the A-10 finals, knocked off No. 8 North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and will now face No. 1 Cornell on Saturday, May 17 at noon.
Maxwell Solomon can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Maxwell697909.
