Box Score DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Junior Tyler Prentice (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored three goals, including the eventual game-winner, with 7:37 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to a 10-9 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University this evening in a Little East Conference men's lacrosse contest at Cressy Field.
The Corsairs won for the third consecutive time to raise their overall record to 6-7, including a 2-2 mark within the conference circuit. The Warriors dropped their second straight contest to slip to 4-6 and 2-2 against Little East Conference opponents. UMass Dartmouth registered just its second win against Eastern Connecticut in program history, matching the feat of the 2011 squad that defeated the Warriors by an identical score on April 19th of that year in Dartmouth.
Prentice paced the Corsair attack with his first hat trick of the season. Senior Connor Gaffney (Andover, Mass.) and freshman DJ Miller (Ashland, Mass.) also each penned three points into their ledgers on two goals and an assist, while senior Riley Baxter (Groton, Mass.) found the back of the net twice. Junior Bo Prozinski (Ashland, Mass.) tallied a goal and scooped up a team-best six groundballs.
Sophomore Matt Lafond (Bridgewater, Mass.) was under heavy pressure all night as the visitors reached double digits in shot attempts in each quarter. The sophomore goalie made four of his 13 saves in the third quarter to help the Corsairs extend their lead to 8-5.
In a back and forth affair, neither team led by more than one marker in the opening 30 minutes of action. UMass Dartmouth held four separate, one-goal advantages, the last on Miller's extra-man tally with 1:49 remaining in the second quarter to give the Corsairs a 5-4 halftime lead.
UMass Dartmouth made its greatest push of the evening in the third quarter, scoring three of its four markers. Baxter and Gaffney scored four minutes apart, but Eastern Connecticut netted a man-down goal with 6:16 left on the clock. The hosts then closed out the frame with Prentice's second goal of the contest with 87 ticks remaining on the scoreboard to increase the advantage to 8-5.
The Corsairs took their largest lead of the night when Miller notched his second marker of the contest two minutes, five seconds into the final stanza. The Warriors then responded with two consecutive goals to trim their deficit to 9-7 with 8:24 to play. Forty-seven seconds later, Prentice capped the hosts' scoring by tucking his third marker inside the near post. However, Eastern Connecticut would not go down quietly, as junior Liam Murphy (Dover, N.H.) netted back-to-back goals to draw back to within the original halftime margin.
UMass Dartmouth was whistled for a 30-second infraction with 1:43 remaining in regulation, giving the Warriors their fourth extra-man opportunity of the contest. Lafond preserved the lead by denying an attempt from senior Zach Thresher (Somers, Conn.) 15 seconds into the penalty. Sophomore Patrick Lucas (Brookfield, Mass.) avoided the Warriors' ride to successfully gain possession in the visitors territory, allowing for the Corsairs to utilize their final timeout.
Eastern Connecticut regained possession with 23 seconds, and called timeout 14 seconds later. The Warriors final shot of the evening sailed wide left to give the hosts the crucial conference victory.
Freshman Dane Heckmann (Brookfield, Conn.) and Murphy each registered three points to lead the visitors in scoring. Sophomore Jesse Schulze (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.) dominated the X, winning 13-for-23 restarts and collecting a game-high eight groundballs. Junior Blake Smaldone (Hamilton, Mass.) made nine saves in 60 minutes of action.
Eastern Connecticut held a 51-34 advantage in shots and a 37-35 lead in groundballs. Both teams had two unsuccessful clearing attempts, while each club committed 21 turnovers.
UMass Dartmouth will action at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, when the Corsairs travel to Western Connecticut State University (3-9, 1-2 LEC).
