Defense Seals Men’s Lacrosse Win Over Fairfield, 12-8

GAME INFORMATION
Massachusetts 12, Fairfield 8
Records: Massachusetts (5-6, 2-1 CAA) • Fairfield (3-9, 0-3)
Location: Garber Field; Amherst, Mass.
Attendance: 483

HIGHLIGHTS

Jeff Trainor posted a career best five points (two goals, three assists) with a personal high four groundballs.

Tyler Bogart netted his fourth hat trick of the season with three goals on only five shots. He leads the team with 23 goals and has multiple in eight of 11 appearances, with three or more in four of the most recent seven games.

Four more Minutemen had at least two points in Buddy Carr (one goal, two assists), Dan Muller (one goal, two assists), Jesse Leung (two goals) and Ben Spencer (one goal, one assist).

The Minutemen blanked Fairfield during the third quarter, which allowed the offense to turn a 7-4 advantage into a 9-4 lead entering the fourth.

D.J. Smith finished with 13 saves, including two in the first, three in the second and four each during the third and fourth quarters.

Isaac Paparo, who matched up on defense with Fairfield leading scorer and CAA Preseason Player of the Year Colin Burke, earned four groundballs, three caused turnovers and a goal on his only shot. Paparo, and the rest of the UMass defense, limited Burke to a goal on 12 shots and one assist.

Long-stick midfielder Shane Rinkus scooped up a career high seven groundballs, the most by a Minuteman this season. Rinkus collected his groundballs through a combination of strong play as the primary faceoff LSM and additional time spent on defense.

Freshman Jesse Leung scored twice on three shots, which doubled his goals scored total for the season. Leung entered with one goal previously, earned during the CAA-opening win over Delaware.

The game was the first of two UMass CAA contests broadcast live on the Lax Sports Network (LSN). The additional LSN game will be Fri., April 29 against Drexel at 5 p.m., also at home on Garber Field.

FIRST QUARTER
Massachusetts sprung a 4-1 lead through 15 minutes via four different scorers as Tyler Bogart, Dan Muller, Dom St. Laurent and Jeff Trainor each put in one goal.

The Minutemen already led 2-0 with less than five minutes to play in the frame, but Dylan Beckwith cut the advantage in half with Fairfield's initial strike. Bogart immediately bumped the lead back to two though, as he converted from near the left post only nine seconds later. St. Laurent made it 4-1 only 81 seconds later.

SECOND QUARTER
Fairfield drew back within two when Joe Rodrigues opened the second quarter with his 12th goal of the year at the 12 minute, one second mark. The Minutemen continued their trend of scoring back-to-back tallies and increased the lead to 6-2 with 10:27 to play in the opening half.

Buddy Carr potted his 12th of the year only 36 seconds after Rodrigues' tally on an underhand, turnaround shot. Fairfield was hit with a one-minute penalty on Carr's scoring play and Ben Spencer capitalized with his sixth man-up goal – and eighth overall – with 10:27 to go.

The Stags rallied with two consecutive scores to move back within a pair of tying, but Bogart made it a 7-4 lead at halftime with his second of the day. Muller dished his first of two assists on the play.

THIRD QUARTER
The third quarter belonged to the Massachusetts defense, which stymied Fairfield's offense throughout the stanza. Fairfield was able to maintain possession – with only one turnover in the quarter – but D.J. Smith turned aside all four of the Stags' on-target attempts.

Bogart and Trainor padded the lead to 9-4 with the lone goals in the frame.

FOURTH QUARTER
After Jake Knostman moved Fairfield back within 9-5 early in the fourth, but Isaac Paparo's transition long-pole goal and Jesse Leung's first of two tallies in the quarter bumped the advantage to 11-5 with only 6:51 to go. After back-to-back Dave Fleming conversions, Leung found the back of the net again for his first collegiate multi-goal game. Rodrigues completed scoring with 52 seconds left.

UP NEXT
The Minutemen face their stiffest competition of the year and complete their final Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) road game with a trip to No. 2 nationally ranked Hofstra (10-0, 2-0 CAA) on Sat., April 22 at 1 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the team throughout the season on Twitter (@UMassMLacrosse) and Instagram (@UMassMLAX).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Tyler Bogart

Jeff Trainor

Jesse Leung

Ben Spencer

Players Mentioned

Tyler Bogart

Buddy Carr

Jesse Leung

Dan Muller

Isaac Paparo

Shane Rinkus

D.J. Smith

Ben Spencer

Dom St. Laurent

Jeff Trainor

Players Mentioned

Tyler Bogart

Buddy Carr

Jesse Leung

Dan Muller

Isaac Paparo

Shane Rinkus

D.J. Smith

Ben Spencer

Dom St. Laurent

Jeff Trainor

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics