The University of Richmond men’s lacrosse team dominated No. 19 University of Massachusetts Amherst on Saturday, April 19, improving to 4-0 in conference play.
The win locked the Spiders into the No. 1 seed for the Atlantic 10 Championships beginning May 1.
Defending a perfect 3-0 record against the Minutemen, Richmond immediately pushed a hard line for their third win over a top-20 team this season. It took less than a minute for senior attacker Max Merklinger to find the back of the net, giving Richmond an early lead.
A nine minute scoring drought then took to the field. Both teams suffered a shot clock violation and suffered from numerous turnovers. While UMass struggled to find opportunities to score, the Spiders couldn’t get past the Minuteman in-goal as UMass recorded four saves.
The lull finally snapped when junior midfielder Joe Sheridan netted two more goals for Richmond, extending its lead to 3-0. The teams tussled against each other for the remainder of the quarter, neither managing to score against the other.
The Minutemen finally prevailed with a goal, opening the second quarter with a zing. They won the next faceoff before slinging three more shots at the goal before Richmond even had a shot. The Spiders quickly recovered, scoring back-to-back goals. After another scoring seven minute drought, Sheridan went on another run, once again scoring back-back right before the break.
Richmond was determined to maintain its dominance leading into the third quarter, opening with a goal. Mere minutes later, the Spiders found the back of the net again, all before the Minutemen managed a goal attempt.
UMass managed a small slice of redemption, managing two goals and easing the score gap to 9-3. The Spiders weren’t even close to done though, with six minutes remaining. Within thirty seconds Richmond netted back-to-back goals. Continuing the search for a win, the Spiders managed to put one more point on the board with only a second on the clock.
The final quarter came to a stand still as the teams pushed and pulled against each other. The two evened out in nearly every category on the field. UMass opened up the quarter strong, tallying two goals. Richmond eventually retaliated, netting two goals of its own to further ensure a victory as time ran low. The Minutemen couldn’t find a miracle before the buzzer sounded, punishing them with a loss.
Sheridan and Merklinger led the Spiders with four points each. Graduate goalkeeper Zach Vigue recorded eight saves.
“Zach was seeing it,” Head Coach Dan Chemotti said postgame. “That end gives our offensive end so much confidence.”
The only thing standing between Richmond and the A-10 Championships is No. 14 Saint Joseph’s University. The Mountain Hawks have proven to be a tough opponent for the Spiders in the past, including a heartbreaking 17-13 loss in the 2024 A-10 Championships finals.
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“We wanna win,” Sheridan said postgame. “We wanna win every game of the A-10, we wanna win the conference and get the NCAA’s.”
Richmond won’t be the only team seeking redemption. SJU was upset by High Point University on April 19, a team Richmond defeated 11-6.
Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu
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