Men's Lacrosse

#AEMLAX Week 9: UAlbany, Bryant & UMBC Win

BOSTON – UAlbany shot past Binghamton while Bryant and UMBC both earned clutch victories to take crucial steps toward championship berths on Saturday afternoon.
 
Need to Know:
  • NJIT and Bryant had the tightest game of the weekend, as they were tied 6-6 at the half. The Bulldogs outscored the Highlanders 8-3 in the second half to pull off the victory.
  • UAlbany clinched a playoff berth with 16-5 victory over Binghamton, scoring 12 times between the second and third quarters, led by four goals from Ryan Doherty and Silas Richmond.
  • UMBC had its best game of the year, putting up a season-high 18 goals as six players scored at least twice.
  • Vermont came up short to No. 5 Princeton 19-5 after getting shut out 13-0 in the first half.
  • UMass Lowell ranks 4th in the nation in face-off percentage at 61.5%. Justin Alexander is also 6th nationally in ground balls per game at 8.2.
  • Vermont’s Walter Zhao is 3rd in face-off percentage (67.9) and 5th in ground balls (8.3) while the Catamounts rank fifth as a team (61.5%). Goalkeeper Ryan Daley is 10th  nationally with a 9.0 GAA.
  • Silas Richmond ranks 2nd in the nation in points per game (5.3) and 9th in assists per game (2.4)
  • Binghamton’s Connor Winters is 7th nation in saves per game (13.6) while also ranking 8th  in save percentage (56.7.
  • NJIT’s Cameron Kurdyla is 3rd in the nation in saves per game (13.9).
 
Up Next:
  • Binghamton hosts UMBC, looking to get back to .500 in league play.
  • UAlbany welcomes Vermont at 5 p.m. and a win would give them the outright regular season title, No. 1 Seed and hosting duties for the conference tournament.
  • UMass Lowell plays at NJIT seeking its first conference win.
  • Vermont hosts No. 7 Princeton on Saturday at 12 p.m.

#AEMLAX Weekly Award Winners – Apr. 6
Offensive Player of the Week
Owen West, Bryant – So., Attack, Rockville Centre, N.Y.
  • Recorded six goals and one assist
  • 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
Jacob Smith, UAlbany – Jr., LSM, Milford, Ohio
  • Had five caused turnovers and three ground balls while scoring a goal and dishing off an assist.
  • Helped hold Binghamton to just five goals and third different UAlbany defender to win the award this season.
  • This is Smith’s first #AEMLAX Defensive Player of the Week honor this season.
 
Goalkeeper of the Week
Connor McMahon, UMBC – Sr., Goalkeeper, Stevensville, Md.
  • Recorded 11 saves and allowed just four goals in 57 minutes of action.
  • Posted .733 save percentage and picked up two ground balls.
  • This is McMahon’s first #AEMLAX Goalkeeper of the Week honor this year.
 
Face-Off Specialist of the Week
JJ Murphy, Bryant – R-Jr., FO, Windham, N.H.
  • Won 16-of-24 face-offs with 16 ground balls in a 14-9 win over NJIT.
  • This is Murphy’s first #AEMLAX Faceoff Specialist honor this season.
 
Rookie of the Week
Blake Piscitiello, NJIT – Fr., Attack, Lakeville, Minn.
  • Posted three goals and four assists in a loss to Bryant.
  • Added a pair of ground balls in the loss.
  • This is Piscitiello’s third #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
April 6 - Mar. 9 – Offensive Player of the Week: Owen West, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Jacob Smith, UAlbany; Goalkeeper of the Week: Connor McMahon, UMBC; Faceoff Specialist of the Week: JJ Murphy, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Blake Piscitiello, NJIT
 
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