Men's lacrosse conference play crossed the midway mark on Saturday and saw Albany, Hartford and UMBC all win in different ways on the road to inch closer to clinching berths in the 2013 Men's Lacrosse Championship, which will be held at Stony Brook on May 2 and 4.
Albany exploded for 21 goals in its 21-11 win over Vermont, while defense powered Hartford to a 11-3 win at Binghamton and UMBC posted a thrilling 13-12 comeback win at Stony Brook.
Albany 21, at Vermont 11 -- Box Score
Lyle and Ty Thompson combined for 10 goals and three assists to lead 12th-ranked Albany (9-3, 3-0 AE) to a 21-11 win at Vermont (3-9, 0-3 AE) Saturday.
The Great Danes, who have won five straight games and eight of their last nine, outscored the Catamounts 16-6 in the second half after the game was tied 5-5 at halftime. Lyle Thompson, the nation's leading scorer, had five goals and two assists to pace Albany while Graham Horvath's four scores and assist led Vermont.
Hartford 11, at Binghamton 3 -- Box Score
Eight unanswered goals paired with a stellar defensive effort pushed Hartford (6-5, 2-1 AE) to an 11-3 win at Binghamton (5-6, 1-2 AE) Saturday.
The Hawks, who have won four of their last five, ripped off eight-straight scores from the early stages of the second quarter to the beginning of the fourth, holding the Bearcats scoreless for a 36:04 stretch. Hartford goalkeeper Frank Piechota had a career day, making 17 of 20 shots he faced. Kevin O'Shea had three goals to lead Hartford while Matt Springer had two for Binghamton and recoreded his 100th career point.
UMBC 13, at Stony Brook 12 -- Box Score
Freshman Pat Young broke a 12-all tie by scoring with 2:39 remaining to lead UMBC (5-6, 2-1 AE) to a critical 13-12 win at Stony Brook (6-6, 1-2 AE) Saturday.
The Retrievers scored nine of the game's last 14 goals and scored three of the game's last four to seal their second league win of the year and third in the their last four overall. Nine different UMBC players scored, led by four with two goals, including Young. Jeff Tundo had three scores to pace Stony Brook.