Box Score LITTLE EAST CONFERENCE BRACKET
DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Fourth-seeded UMass Dartmouth rode 16 saves from junior goalkeeper Matt LaFond (Bridgewater, Mass.), including a stop in the closing seconds of the game to preserve a 12-11 victory over No. 5 seed UMass Boston in the Little East Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Corsairs, now 8-9 on the season, usher out the current playing surface at Cressy Field, which will be replaced during the summer months. UMass Dartmouth advances to meet top-seeded Keene State on the road on Thursday in the semifinals, while UMass Boston closes the 2016 season at 12-6.
Sophomore DJ Miller (Ashland, Mass.) led a total team effort, scoring three times for the Corsairs. Senior Tyler Prentice (Chelmsford, Mass.) put in two goals, while seven other Corsairs tallied scores and five notched assists on the contest.
UMass Boston senior Calvin Lee (Hopkinton, Mass.) led all players with four goals and added the Beacons' lone assist. Three others, including Conor Smith (Kingston, Mass.), Michael Lund (Cohasset, Mass.) and Matthew Duggan (Weymouth, Mass.) scored twice.
The Corsairs came out firing to start, potting five goals in the first quarter including the first three. Prentice put in the game's first goal at 6:13, and less than two minutes later, seniors Steve Merrick (Methuen, Mass.) and Zach Drolette (Burlington, Vt.) had put the hosts up 3-0.
Lee and sophomore Jack Dillon (Barrington, R.I.) broke up the Corsair goal streak with back-to-back scores, but sophomore Jordan Torres (New Bedford, Mass.) and Miller closed out the quarter, lifting UMass Dartmouth to a 5-2 lead after 15 minutes of play.
Only three goals were recorded in the second quarter, but UMass Boston registered the final two tallies of the half to head into the break down just 6-4.
The remainder of the night would be a back-and-forth tradeoff, but the Beacons were never quite able to tie the game as UMass Dartmouth had a response for every offensive. After Smith and Duggan brought the score to 9-8 with nine minutes remaining, Miller and freshman Jimmy Hirtle (Tewksbury, Mass.) scored within 40 seconds of each other to give the Corsairs another three-goal advantage.
The visitors gathered themselves quickly, putting in the next two in quick fashion on the sticks of Smith and Lund. After a two-minute scoreless streak, senior Bo Prozinski (Ashland, Mass.) fired off the biggest score of the night on a quick Andrew Johnson (Hopkinton, Mass.) assist, edging the score to 12-10. With 30 seconds left, the Beacons controlled a crucial faceoff and received another Lee goal, but in the closing seconds, Lafond covered up a bouncing ball to prevent the tie.
Beacon senior Craig Frehill (Norwell, Mass.) made several remarkable stops on the game, totaling 10 for the contest. UMass Boston narrowly held a 48-42 advantage on shots for the outing.
UMass Dartmouth looks to avenge a 19-10 home loss to the Owls from April 23, with Thursday's game time to be announced. The Corsairs seek the program's first victory over Keene State since the 2004 season and the first playoff win since 2002.
