Building a contender is a difficult task for any coach. Just ask Tyler Low. In 2010, following two consecutive winless seasons, the Beacons Athletics program entrusted Low with a head coaching role within the lacrosse program. Now, six seasons later, the University of Massachusetts Boston is beginning to see a payoff to their initial investment in the young, driven skipper.
In Low’s first five seasons as the Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at UMass Boston, he slowly developed the program into a mid-tier team within the LEC. Since 2014, the lacrosse program has produced a record of 13 wins and 20 losses. While this is by no means an excellent record, the quality of play is light years better under the guidance of Low.
“Tyler is doing some great stuff for the team (at UMass Boston). (Low) has a keen eye for the game, and yeah, he’s a great coach, but he really gets more than just the x’s and o’s of things. He sees the big picture I guess you could say,” said former Lacrosse standout, John Powers. “The team hasn’t achieved what it’s capable of, but this should be a breakout season for the guys. Coach’s recruiting seems to be paying off right now.”
Powers seems to be right in his assessments. Winning their first three games, this season has been the best start for the program in almost a decade. More importantly, the team showed signs of resilience and tenacity as two of the victories came in overtime wins against Riviera University and Wentworth Institute of Technology. In the game against Riviera, the Beacons competed in a tense five overtime game, barely managing to steal the victory.  The winning goal came unassisted from Calvin Lee, as he netted his third goal of the night for a hat-trick.
Lee is just one of the many standout performers this season. Teammates Matthew Duggan, Conor Smith, and Anthony Toretora have been crucial players in the three Beacons victories. If UMass Boston wants to see sustained success and a winning record, this core of players will need to maintain good form and health. On the plus side, as the year progresses some of the young talent may develop into stars as they gain experience from each passing match.
For now, the record really means nothing though. All of the games thus far have been out of conference and historically speaking, the Beacons have struggled within the Little Eastern Conference. Last year, UMass Boston earned only one victory, and in the year prior UMass Boston won just two LEC matches. Needless to say, their performance has been abysmal within conference play.
“When I played at (UMass Boston) we had a hard time in conference. Sophomore year we did great, but senior year was a struggle,” Powers stated. “These guys dealt with that and I think they’ve learned from it. This season should be a great year for them.”
If Low can’t find a way to earn results in the LEC then the season is essentially a waste. Playoff seedings are predominantly based on divisional play and the seven Little East games are all crucial. The Beacons are set to face their first Little East opponent April 2, at home, against Keene State. A victory would be a great jump-start conference play. Regardless, come April, we will find out what the Beacons are really made out of.