Finding activities around campus may be tricky, both for returning UMass Boston students and new students alike. Campus is relatively far from downtown Boston, and when classes begin to pick up and free time becomes sparse, finding a way to relax close by will be necessary.
Thankfully, UMass Boston’s athletic teams will be active from the beginning of September through the end of May. Watching the Beacons play is a fun weekend plan if you live on campus, or in other cases, a way to decompress after class during the week.
Curiously, games during last fall and spring had relatively low attendance. Although there are about 16,000 students enrolled at UMass Boston, there was a staggeringly low average of 97 attendees for men’s soccer games played at home and only 109 for women’s soccer as well. The attendance numbers of other sports follow a similar pattern with the lowest average coming in at 50 attendees and some of the highest at a little over 600 for men’s ice hockey matches.
Is reduced attendance an issue of knowing what sports are active and when games take place? Or perhaps where playing fields are located? This confusion makes sense, as home fields have flip-flopped over the past few years, and game schedules for UMass Boston’s teams are posted on an alternate Athletics website.
Thankfully, this article will have information to clarify any confusion students may have.
The fall hosts men’s and women’s cross country and soccer, as well as women’s tennis and volleyball. When winter begins, men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey do as well. Then, once spring begins to bloom, baseball, softball, track and field, lacrosse and men’s tennis start alongside it. A detailed schedule of all games can be found at beaconsathletics.com/calendar. Here’s a quick recap on where to find your favorite teams in the upcoming season:
For starters, women’s volleyball had a fair season last fall. They won eight games and qualified for the Little East Conference tournament. Fall 2023 brings excitement since Stacy Cheney will have her first season as the head coach for the Beacons. Cheney was an assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire for 13 years and told UMass Boston Athletics, “I am excited to build traditions and excellence within UMass Boston Volleyball!” (1) The Beacons play at Clark Athletic Center, located in front of the Dr J. Keith and Angela Motley Residence Halls. Volleyball’s home games will begin in late September, with their first LEC match against Plymouth State on Sept. 23 at noon.
Women’s tennis had a stellar 2022 season, winning all their conference games and subsequently taking home the LEC title. Yet, they are the ones who had some of the lowest attendance numbers. The undefeated team plays on Boston College High School’s tennis courts. The courts, like many other UMass Boston facilities, are shared with BC High. They are located across from the Integrated Sciences Complex. The easiest route of access is to arrive at the West Garage and walk around it until finding the courts.
The Beacons soccer teams had terrific seasons last fall. The men’s team beat every team in the conference, except Castleton University, winning a total of ten games. They also brought home the Little East Conference title. The women’s team ended their season strong with nine victories under their belt and placing third in the LEC tournament; however, they unfortunately lost the semifinal to Western Connecticut State University.
Men’s soccer games will be played at Monna Soccer field, also known as the BC High Junior Varsity field. Monna is beside the Tennis courts, so follow the same route as the tennis courts, and you’ll see a path that leads to the hill beside the field. There are unfortunately no bleachers, so spectators are encouraged to plan accordingly and bring their own seating arrangement, such as a picnic blanket or a foldable chair. Women’s soccer games, on the other hand, will be played at James Cotter Field, the stadium beside the two previously mentioned facilities.
Home games will usually be played on the weekends, with a few scattered on Mondays and Wednesdays. All games will take place sometime between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. The men’s team will have a home match against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Saturday, Sept. 9 at 12 p.m., while women’s soccer will have their first LEC match Saturday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m.
As for the Beacons’ cross country teams, they had a fair season in 2022 filled with many personal best times. A few notable runners to keep an eye out for are Rob Cannon and Jacqueline Earner, who constantly lowered their personal times, and earned an abundance of LEC rookie of the week awards as a result. The cross country team meets are held at Franklin Park, beside the Franklin Park Zoo. There, they will hold their fifty-fifth annual Codfish Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 23, starting at 10 a.m..
So, with a deeper understanding of last season’s achievements, as well as the locations and times of matches for this semester, will UMass Boston’s students start to support their own teams?
- https://littleeast.com/news/2023/3/28/stacy-cheney-named-head-womens-volleyball-coach-at-umass-boston.aspx