University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Harvard
UMass Picks Up First Win, Beating Harvard 11-10
March 10, 2007 | Men's Lacrosse
March 10, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Off to its first 0-2 start since 1977, UMass would not be denied on Saturday as the Minutemen picked up their first win of the season, beating Harvard 11-10, in a battle of 2006 NCAA Tournament teams. Sophomore Jim Connolly tied his career-high with five goals. Senior Brian Jacovina scored his first two goals of the season including the game-winner with 2:43 left in regulation. He finished with three points adding an assist.
Senior Andrew Recchione scored twice and added an assist in the win. Senior Brett Garber and freshman Bobby Hayes scored UMass' other goals.
UMass held off a late surge by Harvard to move to 1-2 on the season while the Crimson fall to 0-3. Harvard scored a goal with just five seconds left to cut the lead to 11-10 but the Minutemen withstood the final seconds for the victory as UMass has won 34 games in a row when scoring 11 goals.
UMass took a 10-7 lead to open the fourth quarter as Recchione scored his second of the game on a high rip shot with 12:37 left in regulation. Harvard rallied with the next two goals as Brian Mahler scored his fourth of the game and Evan Calvert scored to cut it to 10-9 with 9:43 left in regulation.
The Minutemen had to kill off a two-minute penalty called as Calvert scored. But UMass did not allow a goal as they were 7-for-7 in man-down chances in the game.
Brian Danvers made a key forced turnover on Max Motschwiller with 3:35 left to set up UMass' game-winner by Jacovina with 2:43 left in the game.
UMass had its best offensive game of the season, nearly doubling its season scoring total (12) in one afternoon. The Minutemen tallied six first-half goals -- equalling their total for each of the first two games of the season -- as Connolly put on a show in the first 30 minutes.
He scored UMass' first three goals of the game and four of the first five to give UMass a 5-4 lead with 4:19 left in the first. Garber made is 6-4 with 1:30 left in the first half before Harvard's Carle Stenmark scored with 0:01.1 left in the first half to make it 6-5 heading into intermission.
UMass took control early in the second as the Minutemen scored the first three of the half on tallies by Jacovina, Hayes and Connolly's fifth of the game to make it 9-5 UMass with 10:26 left in the period.
UMass goalie Doc Schneider made 11 saves in the game. He made a show-stopping save with 6:25 left in the second quarter as he stopped a rebound shot by Conor O'Brien with a leaping corral after an initial save just seconds earlier.
UMass' defense was stout with Sean Krygier, Danvers, David Von Voigt and Dan Whipple leading the way. Redshirt freshman Jordan Hendry saw his most playing time and even posted his first career point as she assisted Garber's goal which made it 6-4 on a fastbreak late in the first half.
The Minutemen head to undefeated and No. 5 Albany on Tuesday. The Great Danes have won the last three meetings (all by one goal) with UMass. Face-off is at 3:30 p.m.
