University of Massachusetts Boston Lacrosse is off to an unbelievable start to the 2016 campaign. Under Head Coach Tyler Low the Beacons started the season with a 6-2 record, winning their first six matches. In their past two matches the Beacons lost by a combined margin of two goals, with one of the losses coming in overtime. In all eight matches the Beacons have a positive goal differential of 23 goals. UMass Boston is off to its best start since the 1997 season.
Following the Beacons run of historic play on March 3, different UMass athletes were awarded with Little East Conference accolades. Calvin Lee was named Offensive Player of the Week; Brendan Lovely was named Rookie of the Week; Craig Frehill was named Goalie of the Week.
Lee has been off on a tear in the first month of season play. The six foot senior attacker has been thus far the MVP of the team through both leadership and individual play. In his first eight games, Lee racked up a total of 46 points from 25 goals and 21 assists. Lee has cooled off the past two losses, but his presence has still kept the Beacons in contention. On the other side of the field, freshman Lovely has complimented Lee’s attack game as a solid defensive force that creates turnovers for quick Beacons counterattacks. While Lovely only has one goal on the year, he has forced an abundance of broken possessions for opponents’ offenses.
The last leg of the trifecta is Frehill, who’s been excellent in net. The senior had a season high of 17 stops in their overtime win against Nichols College. Since the first five games there has been a slight drop off in play, but the coach seems to be focused on consistency. “[Frehill’s] done a great job for us this year,” said Low. “For a postseason run, we need [Frehill] to keep up this level of play.” Low is right; success rests on the shoulders of the senior goalie.
Moving forward the Beacons are expected to continue winning. The blue jerseys don’t show any signs of letting up, and even in defeat, the Beacons were just a single play away from victory.