Behind a baker's dozen of saves from Shane Brennan, the Towson University men's lacrosse team continued its momentum, picking up its third win in a week's time with a 9-6 decision at UMass on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers (6-6, 3-3 CAA) jumped out to a fast 5-2 start at Garber Field before adding another four goals in the second half. Towson was held scoreless through the back half of the game but only allowed two goals in the second half. Towson got 13 saves in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) win from Brennan, while Ryan Swain added a first-half hat trick, the first of his career. James Avanzato continued to dish out assists, finishing with four on the day. UMass (3-4, 3-3 CAA) was led by three goals from Dillon Arrant while Kevin Tobin added three points on two assists and one goal. Zach Hochman went 17-of-19 at the faceoff X, collecting 13 ground balls. How it Happened Towson roared out to a 4-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game as Swain stuck two goals early. Austin Stewart finished an Avanzato feed as Carson Gaeger extended the lead to four with 5:45 to play in the period. The Minutemen got two quick strikes six seconds apart from Tobin, followed by a faceoff win to a goal from Hochman. Andrew Milani put the Tigers on top 5-2 after 15 minutes before Swain got his third of the day just 45 seconds into the fresh period. Avanzato assisted on both goals for a 6-2 advantage. Arrant notched his first of the afternoon with 13:26 to go in the second, but Tim Montgomery found the back of the net for what would eventually be counted as the game-winning goal with 8:21 to go in the half. UMass pulled back within three, 7-4 Towson, on Arrant's secondat 6:47 of the second, but back-to-back goals from Stewart and Montgomery finished the half with a 9-4 Tiger lead. Avanzato assisted Stewart's goal while Jake McLean added a helper to Montgomery's. The Minutemen scored with 5:10 left in the third quarter from Gabriel Procyk and Tobin on the assist, the only goal of the third quarter. Arrant scored what was the final goal of the game with 11:11 to goin regulation. Brennan made three key saves down the stretch after the final UMass goal, turning aside a Mike Tobin shot with 1:43 to go to seal the Tigers' third-straight win and fourth in five games. Behind the Numbers The Tigers out-shot the Minutemen 34-31; the first half was nearly even as Towson took 18 total shots with UMass ripping 17. Both teams struggled to control the ball - Towson had 20 turnovers while UMass had 21. Both teams had 10 miscues in the second half. Towson's defense was largely responsible for the Minutemen turnovers, logging six caused turnovers, including a pair from Brandon Hund. The Tigers' man-down unit continued to be a force in Division I, ranking 12th nationally entering the game with a .750 kill percentage. Towson did not allow a goal on its lone penalty of the game. Swain turned in the first hat trick of his career while Avanzato finished with a career second-best four helpers. Over half of Towson's goals were assisted as McLean posted one assist. Towson snapped a three-game slide against the Minutemen, dating back to the 2018 season. Entering the day, only two players on the Towson roster were part of wins against UMass, Brennan and McLean. Towson improved to 10-7 all-time against UMass, including 4-4 at Garber Field against the Minutemen. The Tigers have won three straight at Garber Field, picking up CAA Tournament wins over Delaware and Drexel during the 2019 season. Towson snapped a four-game slide in true road games, dating back to an 11-5 win at Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 24, 2021. This was Towson's first weekend road win since April 27, 2019. Saturday's win was Towson's third in the last week, picking up wins over Fairfield (12-11) last Saturday and against No. 17 Hofstra (10-8) at home on Tuesday. Up Next for Towson The Tigers begin a two-game homestand at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium to cap the 2021 regular season. Towson takes on No. 16 Delaware next Saturday for a noon game in the second showdown between the rivals this spring. The game will be carried live and free on the Towson Sports Network. At halftime of the game, head coach Shawn Nadelen, the staff and current players will welcome back the Class of 2020, which had its senior season cut short by the COVID-19 Pandemic.