After two lopsided conference losses, the Massachusetts men’s lacrosse team secured its first Atlantic 10 victory of the campaign against St. Bonaventure, winning 9-7. The Minutemen (8-3, 1-2 A-10) traveled to New York and picked up their first road win since Feb. 25, when UMass took down Brown.
Cole Kucinski and Blake Maracle’s goals evened up the scoring for the Bonnies (4-6, 0-2 A-10) at four apiece towards the end of the second period, seemingly giving them momentum entering halftime. Yet, the Minutemen weren’t done scoring.
Aiden Drunsic battled through his defender for his fourth goal of the season, giving UMass the lead with under three minutes left in the half. Then, following a timeout that head coach Kyle Smith called, Charles Kurtz ripped a shot, finding the top left pocket of the goal and extending the Minutemen’s lead right before halftime.
UMass kept that same energy entering the third period. Tyler Clayton found an open Thomas Bagnall in transition for a third consecutive goal within the first minute of the second half. Bagnall’s score is the first man-down goal of the season for the Minutemen.
The fourth quarter gave UMass a scare despite entering the period up 8-4. First, Jaxon Dillon fought past his defender and got on the board for St. Bonaventure. Sixty-eight seconds later, Chris Lawrence buried a low-driven shot that beat the Minuteman keeper. Then, the Bonnies’ goalie made back-to-back saves, which allowed defenseman Benny Carter to carry the ball up the field and score his first goal of the season, immediately followed by a spirited celebration with the bench.
Unfortunately for St. Bonaventure, the momentous period stalled for the final eight minutes. With about three minutes remaining, Jack Turowsky fed Robbie Granara in close to the net, as the Minutemen’s leading goal scorer collected his first point of the game with a goal. Netminder Owen Salanger made two crucial saves – one with under three minutes remaining and another in the final 20 seconds.
The game started off with Onenioteko:wa Maracle scoring a bounce shot two minutes in. All four of the Bonnies’ wins this season have come when they scored first.
Also in the opening period, Turowsky matched Onenioteko:wa’s score with one of his own after putting the ball through the goalie’s legs on a breakaway. Bagnall gave UMass its first lead of the game by wrapping around the net for a goal. Yet, the lead wouldn’t last, as Patrick Shanahan beat Salanger for a Bonnies score after a UMass goal was called off.
The Minutemen excelled on the power play, preventing all three man-up chances by St. Bonaventure and scoring one of their own. UMass went 1-for-2, with Turowsky scoring the man-up goal in the third. UMass boasts the conference’s best power-play offense, scoring on 13 of 31 chances. Additionally, Bagnall finished a goal during a man-down situation, the only player not on No. 18 Saint Joseph’s to do so in the conference this season.
Bagnall led the game with a hat trick. Unfortunately, the standout freshman got injured in the third quarter after two Bonnies defenders delivered a hard hit. He did not return to the field.
This win is the first against a conference foe for UMass after losses to High Point and Richmond in the past two games. St. Bonaventure remains winless as a program against the Minutemen.
Next up, UMass will face another A-10 opponent in the Hawks. The game will be on Saturday, April 4, at 3 p.m. on Garber Field. The Minutemen will recognize their seniors for Senior Day. The matchup will be available to watch on ESPN+
Maxwell Solomon can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Maxwell697909.
