Men's Lacrosse

Bryant & UAlbany Advance in #AEMLAX Semifinals

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant let an early lead slip away but got it done in overtime, while UAlbany advanced thanks to a dominant second-half defensive effort in the America East men’s lacrosse semifinals on Thursday night at Beirne Stadium.
 
The top-seeded Bulldogs led 8-5 in the third, but No. 4 Binghamton came back to take a 9-8 lead before Bryant forced OT late. The Bulldogs pulled out the victory in their first possession of OT to advance to their 2nd title game in the last three years.
 
No. 3 UAlbany trailed No. 2 UMBC 3-0 in the first and 6-3 in the second quarter, but outscored the Retrievers 6-1 over the final 31 minutes of action to secure the win and continue their quest for a second straight #AEMLAX championship.
 
No. 1 Bryant and No. 3 UAlbany will battle for the 2025 #AEMLAX Title on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. The winner will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 

#AEMLAX Semifinal Recaps
No. 1 Bryant 10, No. 4 Binghamton 9 (OT)
  • The host Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening five minutes with goals by Jack Lonsinger and Brian Russell. Russell added a second tally for a 3-0 lead with 4:40 left in the period.
  • Liam Ferris ended the run and Binghamton pulled the Bearcats with one, 3-2, one minute into the second.
  • Leading 5-3, Dawson Rielly scored twice in a 96-second span to push the lead to 7-3, but Binghamton’s Riley Jenkins scored at the halftime buzzer.
  • Bryant led 8-5 with five minutes left in the third, but four straight goals by Binghamton over the next 15 minutes gave them a 9-8 lead.
  • Lonsinger evened it up with a 4:14 left and neither team scored again in regulation.
  • Bryant won the first face-off of overtime and Russel put the game away with a great individual effort.
  • Russell finished the game with four goals while Scott Einarson made 13 saves in net. Liam Ferris had two goals and two assists in a losing effort.
 

No. 3 UAlbany 9, No. 2 UMBC 7
  • The opening five minutes was all UMBC, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. UAlbany responded over final ten minutes of the period to close the gap to 3-2.
  • Both teams traded goals in the first two minutes of the second, before UMBC goals by Galloway and Tang made it 6-3 with 3:47 left in the quarter.
  • UAlbany countered with two goals in the final 30 seconds of the period to trail just 6-5 at the half.
  • The Great Danes tied it up 6-6 at 11:15, but Connor McMahon kept them off the board the rest of the period.
  • Jordan Holloway put UMBC back in front 7-6 at 10:44, but Ben Wimmer tallied back-to-back goals to give UAlbany an 8-7 lead with 5:49 left. The Great Danes added one more insurance goal for the 9-7 final.
  • Silas Richmond had a game-high five points while Brady Smith made nine saves in the win. Connor McMahon finished with 14 saves in the loss for UMBC.
 
Visit Championship Central for complete streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
 
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast. 
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