It has been a tough season for the UMass Boston’s women’s soccer team, and Saturday’s 5-0loss to the Southern Maine Huskies was not what the team needed.

UMB played strong the entire game, with no substitutions (Southern Maine had twelve), and left it all on the rain-soaked wind-beaten field. The heart of the team was evident; they only gave up two goals in the second half, with the twenty-five mph wind driving the cold rain in the face of a stubborn team.

The Huskies came out strong, winning a lot of the punts to midfield and despite going against the wind they managed to push the ball aggressively. They moved the ball freely up the flanks but came up with only two quality shots in the first twenty minutes of the first half. UMass Boston stymied their scoring attempts, by attacking the ball handler and kicking the ball out of play.

Noticeably absent from this game was Kristen Smoyer, a striker with accuracy and considerable speed. She could have made an impact, as the Beacon offense was nonexistent. Yes, subs are a real factor on offense, but from the start the offense never got started.

The first score came with twenty-eight minutes left in the first half. Goalkeeper Kristen Bowes punched a high shot straight up in the air. She managed to come up with this loose ball only to have her goal kick intercepted by the huskies for a goal from point blank range

This first goal opened up the floodgates for a three goal first half by the Huskies. The Beacons continued to fight but their legs just were not there. The fresher Huskies beat them to the ball continuously and scored again ten minutes latter. This goal was an excellent shot just under the cross bar and over Bowes fingertips.She also had a great save in the twenty-fifth minute.

The final goal of the half was not pretty. Kristen Bowes and a defender both went for a loose ball and ended up on the ground. An undefended Amanda Valeriani flicked the ball in the final goal of the half.

In the second half the Beacons had a better time on defense despite the wind disadvantage. Kristen Bowes moved out of goal and infused the defense with energy.Meghan Cyr took over in goal and had a solid outing. The UMass offense perked up a bit, led by Amanda Greene, but it just could not get support from exhausted midfielders.

Cyr made a couple of great saves but did not get a personal shutout as she was touched for two goals, the first of which was a really terrific shot by Jamyn Mooney. She beat three Beacon defenders then deked the goalie for the shot of the game.

A 5-0 loss is never pretty but this UMass team deserves credit, they played tough the whole game and never gave up.