Men's Lacrosse

#AEMLAX Week 8: UAlbany Sits Alone in First

BOSTON – UAlbany is the lone remaining unbeaten in conference play while Vermont moved up to second with an impressive victory over NJIT on Saturday.
 
Need to Know:
  • UAlbany jumped out to a 5-1 lead over UMass Lowell and never looked back on the way to a 13-7 road victory on Saturday led by five points from Silas Richmond.
  • UMBC led Bryant 9-6 late in the third and the Bulldogs pulled within one twice in the fourth but couldn’t tie it up as the Retrievers came away with the 12-11 victory. Ryan Demato had three goals and one assist in the win.
  • Vermont held NJIT scoreless for over 30 minutes between the first and third quarters on the way to a 15-4 home victory to improve to 2-1 in league play, while Binghamton fell 9-4 on the road to Delaware.
  • UMass Lowell ranks 2nd in the nation in face-off percentage at 64.9%, led by Justin Alexander who ranks fifth at 67.0%. Alexander is also third nationally in ground balls per game at 9.1.
  • Vermont’s Walter Zhao is 3rd in face-off percentage (67.5) and 5th in ground balls (8.3) while the Catamounts rank fourth as a team (62.4%). Goalkeeper Ryan Daley is 2nd nationally with a 7.24 GAA.
  • Silas Richmond ranks 5th in the nation in points per game (5.1) and 10th  in assists per game (2.3)
  • Binghamton’s Connor Winters is 7th nation in saves per game (13.67) while also ranking 4th  in save percentage (58.0).
  • NJIT’s Cameron Kurdyla is 3rd in the nation in saves per game (14.2).
 
Up Next:
  • UAlbany looks to stay unbeaten when they host Binghamton on Saturday.
  • NJIT travels to Bryant on Saturday in a key playoff battle while UMBC travels up to UMass Lowell.
  • Vermont hosts No. 7 Princeton on Saturday at 12 p.m.

#AEMLAX Weekly Award Winners – Mar. 30
Offensive Player of the Week
Max Frattaroli, Vermont – Jr., Attack, Tecumseh, Ontario
  • Scored five goals on 11 shots in a 14-5 win over NJIT.
  • Added one ground ball and scored on 63.6% percent of his shot attempts.
  • This is Frattaroli’s first #AEMLAX Player of the Week honor this season.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Eddie Schwasnick, Vermont – Jr., Defense, Oakdale, N.Y.
  • Recorded three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
  • Helped limit NJIT to just five goals and kept them scoreless for 30+ minutes between the 1st & 3rd quarters.
  • This is Schawnick’s first #AEMLAX Defensive Player of the Week honor this season.
 
Goalkeeper of the Week
Brady Smith, UAlbany – So., Goalkeeper, Bayport, N.Y.
  • Had 13 saves for a .650 save percentage with seven goals allowed in a win over UMass Lowell.
  • Third straight game recording a save percentage over .600
  • This is Smith’s first #AEMLAX Goalkeeper of the Week honor this year.
 
Face-Off Specialist of the Week
Walter Zhao, Vermont – Jr., Face-Off, Millstone, N.J.
  • Won 16-of-19 face-offs with nine ground balls in a 15-4 win over NJIT.
  • Also scored once in the contest.
  • This is Zhao’s fourth #AEMLAX Faceoff Specialist honor this season.
 
Rookie of the Week
Zack Toll, Vermont – Fr., Attack, Oshawa, Ontario
  • Finished with two goals and three assists in a win over NJIT.
  • Added one ground ball in the win.
  • This is Toll’s fourth #AEMLAX Rookie of the Week honor.
 
 
 #AEMLAX Links
Fans will once again be able to watch the majority of the #AEMLAX this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the brand new America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.

Follow the @AmericaEast on X to stay up-to-date on America East men's lacrosse news all season long and use #AEMAX to join the conversation.
 
2026 #AEMLAX Weekly Award Winners
Feb. 9 – Offensive Player of the Week: Blake Piscitiello, NJIT; Defensive Player of the Week: Sullivan O'Brien, NJIT; Goalkeeper of the Week: Cameron Kurdyla, NJIT; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Nirio Garcia, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Blake Piscitiello, NJIT
Feb. 16 – Offensive Player of the Week: Jackson Palumb, UAlbany; Defensive Player of the Week: Justin Lee, UAlbany; Goalkeeper of the Week: Connor Winters, Binghamton; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Walter Zhao, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Zack Toll, Vermont
Feb. 23 – Offensive Player of the Week: Silas Richmond, UAlbany; Defensive Player of the Week: Jackson Schlicker, UMass Lowell; Goalkeeper of the Week: James Carr Bryant; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Justin Alexander, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Cade Lennon, Bryant
Mar. 2 – Offensive Player of the Week: Zack Toll, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Dante Marinello, UMBC; Goalkeeper of the Week: Connor Winters, Binghamton; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Walter Zhao, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Zack Toll, Vermont
Mar. 9 – Offensive Player of the Week: Silas Richmond, UAlbany; Defensive Player of the Week: Luke Mead, Bryant; Goalkeeper of the Week: James Carr Bryant; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Walter Zhao, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Blake Piscitiello, NJIT
Mar. 16 – Offensive Player of the Week Andrew Girolamo, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Jack Combs, Vermont; Goalkeeper of the Week: Ryan Daly, Vermont; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Alex Steers, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Zack Toll, Vermont
Mar. 23 - Offensive Player of the Week: Zac Amend, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Max Neeson, UAlbany; Goalkeeper of the Week: Cameron Kurdyla, NJIT; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Flynn Wilson, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Carson Piscitiello, NJIT
Mar. 30 – Offensive Player of the Week: Max Frattaroli, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Eddie Schwasnick, Vermont; Goalkeeper of the Week: Brady Smith, UAlbany; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: Walter Zhao, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Zack Toll, Vermont
 
 
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