Men’s Lacrosse Holds Off Holy Family, 17-16, Sets Program Wins Record

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – In a pivotal conference game in terms of postseason implications, the University of Bridgeport's men's lacrosse team held off Holy Family, 17-16, on Saturday in Philadelphia. The Purple Knights' eighth win of the year (8-5, 4-3) marks their highest total since the program started in 2023.

After the Tigers cut the deficit to just one with 2:19 remaining, the Purple Knights came up with back-to-back game-saving defensive plays to preserve the win. Mark Napoli forced a crucial caused turnover near the UB cage before goalkeeper Matthew Hughes delivered the final stop as time expired to seal the victory.

UB found itself trailing 6-3 early in the second quarter before turning the tide with a dominant 8-1 run that spanned more than 17 minutes of game time.

That surge gave the Purple Knights control, though Holy Family continued to battle back, trimming a four-goal deficit down to one on two separate occasions in the second half.

It was a career day for Luciano Canino, who powered the UB offense with a remarkable 10-point performance on seven goals and three assists.

Darien Fray added four goals of his own, while Stephen Trama and Matthew Levantini each scored twice. James Napoli and Ashton Lankowski chipped in one goal apiece while combining for five assists in the win.

Defensively, the Purple Knights were relentless, racking up a season-high 18 caused turnovers.

Luca Runyan led the way with four caused turnovers and six ground balls, while Liam O'Neill, Mark Napoli and Hudsin DenHartog each added three caused turnovers.

O'Neill also scooped up eight ground balls as UB finished with a commanding 55-40 advantage on the ground.

UP NEXT
UB will play its final conference game of the regular season next Saturday night (April 18). It will be UB's Senior Day as they host Dominican at 6:30 p.m.