On February 29, the UMass men’s lacrosse team earned arguably the biggest victory of the young 2020 season when it defeated top-ranked Yale, 13-10. It was a historic victory for the Minutemen, who defeated the number one team in the country for the first time in program history.
UMass was up big by halftime, sitting with an 11-2 lead. Yale climbed back into the game, but the Minutemen held on for the victory. Redshirt senior midfielder Billy Philpott (Sandwich, Mass.) scored a career-high four goals and added one assist, senior midfielder Jeff Trainor (Billerica, Mass.) added two goals and two assists, and freshman goalie Matt Knote made 12 saves.
The victory vaulted UMass to the number 15 spot in the rankings.
While UMass head coach Greg Cannella typically has his team move on to the next contest (UMass would defeat Albany, 17-12, in its next game), the New England Lacrosse Journal has the luxury to not only look back at UMass’s big victory but other times teams from New England earned a victory over the top-ranked team in the country.
