Box Score
BOSTON – If nothing else, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's lacrosse team has managed to tighten the recent scoring gap against the University of Massachusetts Boston this season, although it may not have been enough to carry the Warriors to their first Little East Conference playoff win in eight years.
 
Tuesday, in the first round of the playoffs, the sixth-seeded Warriors (5-8) never led after the first nine minutes, but remained within striking distance throughout before ending their season by losing to third-seeded UMass Boston (11-7) by four goals for the second time this year, 13-9.
 
In contrast to Tuesday, Eastern had been beaten by a total of 30 goals in its previous two visits to James Cotter Field.
 
A finalist in last year's LEC playoffs, UMass Boston moves into Thursday's playoff semifinals, where they will visit second-seeded Massachusetts Maritime Academy (13-2). The Bucs were one of two teams to draw a first-round playoff bye. The Beacons have won five of their last six.
 
After losing by 16 goals in their fourth straight loss in the all-time series against UMass Boston last year, Eastern battled the Beacons twice this year. In the conference opener between the teams five weeks ago at Rick McCarthy Field, UMass finally was able to shake free from an 8-8 tie  in the final 25 minutes by scoring six straight goals to emerge with a 14-10 victory.
 
On Tuesday, senior Warren Channing's (Glastonbury) 27^th goal of the year inside the final minute of the first quarter ended a three-goal UMB run that pulled Eastern to within a goal, 4-3. Sparked by Hank Alessandro's goal that just beat the first-quarter horn, the hosts finally took over the momentum with a 5-1 scoring run that opened up a five-goal, 9-4 Beacon lead a minute into the second half. The Warriors never got closer than the final four-goal margin the rest of the way.
 
Held scoreless in the first half, Eastern season scoring leader Landon Mabb (Sun Prairie, WI) got untracked by scoring all three of his goals in the second half – two coming in a span of less than five minutes in the third quarter and one in the final minute of the match. He also had three assists to close out the season as the team leader in goals (36) and points (47) and second on the team with 11 assists.
 
Sophomore Tyler Hilgert, who contributed to half of UMB's goals in the regular season win over Eastern with four goals and three assists, managed only one goal on five shots Tuesday, but had five assists to improve his team-leading total to 25.
 
Eastern junior goalie Gregory Hilinski (Shelton) stopped 14 shots – his third straight game and seventh this year with ten or more saves. Junior James Boldy made12 for the Beacons.
 
Behind sophomore Jack Baker (16x23), the Beacons dominated the faceoff X, with Baker and Nolen Beauregard each picking up seven ground balls. Sophomore Gavin DeLucia (Uncasville) was 6-x14 on faceoffs and picked up four ground balls, as did first-year player Matthew Fritzsche (New Fairfield). Sophomores Zack Magarelli (Yorktown Heights, NY) and Logan Pych (Vernon, NJ) and first-year player Travis Willcox (South Windsor) each caused two turnovers.