Men's Lacrosse Throttles AIC for Third Straight Win

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Highlighted by a second-half shutout, the University of Bridgeport's men's lacrosse team tallied a 21-5 triumph at AIC on Wednesday. The Purple Knights have now won three games in row to improve their record to 5-4 this season (2-2, CACC).

After taking a 2-1 lead early in the first quarter, UB never relinquished control, carrying a 6-3 advantage after one and extending it to 10-5 by halftime before shutting out AIC over the final 30 minutes.

UB's defense set the tone throughout, holding the Yellow Jackets scoreless in both the third and fourth quarters while forcing a season-high 21 caused turnovers.

The Purple Knights also controlled possession, scooping up a season-best 67 ground balls compared to just 29 for AIC.

Offensively, Darien Fray turned in a sensational performance, erupting for a career-high eight goals and nine points to lead the charge.

James Napoli followed with six goals and an assist, surpassing the 100-goal milestone for his career and now standing at 105 goals in just 51 games.

Luciano Canino added a hat trick, while Matthew Levantini chipped in a pair of goals. Mark Napoli and Stephen Trama also found the back of the net, with Trama adding two assists in a balanced 12-assist team effort.

The Purple Knights dominated face-offs as well with Connor Cullen going an outstanding 22-for-24 while collecting a season-high 15 ground balls.

Cullen's performance, which put him over 300 ground balls in his career, helped UB finish 26-for-30 overall in face-offs.

In goal, Matthew Hughes made seven saves to earn his fifth win of the year.

UP NEXT
The Purple Knights will be back at home on Saturday night against Caldwell (6 p.m.).