Women’s lacrosse has been dealing with hiccups over the past few weeks. Since its inception and inaugural game Feb. 28, the Beacons have lost seven games, all of which have come in succession. Many of the Beacons’ struggles come from all around, and the hope for a turnaround is looming among the group, with Head Coach Hannah Khin at the helm doing everything possible to make the right adjustments needed for prolonged success.
The first-year coach is a beacon of inspiration for the roster predominantly made up of dual sport athletes, many of whom repped the Beacons’ baby blues on the ice for UMass Boston Women’s Hockey, as seen with both of Beacons Athletics’ provided rosters [1,2]. Nonetheless, their efforts have yet to bear fruits, but with their learning curve in progress alongside some growing pains—this being in contrast to them sporting a rather unappealing opening record of 0–7—they may soon be rewarded via their steady improvements on the field.
In the meantime, a win is substantial and will provide an immense boost to the teams’ morale. During their seven game skid, the Beacons have been outplayed in nearly every stat in the book, including being outscored 111–60, outshot 214–161 and have given up possessions 19 more times than their opposition; these stats courtesy of Beacons Athletics [3]. The squad has already played in over half of their games, and over their past handful of matches, they went neck and neck with their respective opponents, but were unable to come out victorious in the homestretch.
After dropping a match 13–7 against Fitchburg State March 2, the Beacons were unpredictably granted extra time to prepare for their next match due to a canceled contest against College of Our Lady of the Elms, a game that was scheduled to be played March 6. Instead, they played three days later, facing a tough test in Curry College a week after their aforementioned meet.
If their game against Curry proved anything, it’s that this team doesn’t back down, nor do they hang their heads and give up. According to Beacons Athletics, the two teams were at each other’s throats for most of the game until the Colonels pulled away from a 5–5 standstill with four unanswered. The Beacons, however, battled back, tying the game at ten all with 91 seconds until triple zeroes lit the scoreboard. Barring a last second goal, it looked like UMass Boston had a golden ticket for their first win. The Colonels shot off and played spoiler though, sniping a game winner 45 seconds later, giving the Beacons their first ever taste of heartbreak: the kicker being that it cost them their first non-loss—let alone first win, too. [4]
After suffering their third home loss to Curry—and now, not hosting another game until April 11 when they welcome UMass Dartmouth to town—the Beacons were forced to try their hand in finding a new identity as road warriors. However, another devastating loss to Mount Holyoke College notched them the first road loss in program history, a 16–9 defeat at the claws of the Lyons. It was their second game on the road, which turned out to be a defensive war that gave the Beacons a second palpitation.
Going up against a talented 4–1 Regis College squad, the Beacons put on a defensive masterclass, allowing just eight goals to the Pride—their lowest mark of the season. On the flip side, they were unable to capitalize offensively, and the game in its entirety became an extremely low scoring affair, ending 8–5 in favor of Regis. Holding a high-powered team in the Pride is undoubtedly prideful and worthy of praise for the Beacons, but they were unable to click in all three phases, a now noticeable trend in their year one campaign. Following Regis, they took on Emerson and University of Hartford, to no avail; scores of 23–12 and 20–10 rounded out their seven-game losing streak, but like everything, there are some positive takeaways regarding their performance.
For starters, the Beacons were able to outshoot Regis 26–22, and in most games, have stayed statistically evenly matched with many opponents, per individual game statistics. Moreover, a core group of second year superstars have emerged in Mia Boyd, Emily Pearl and Jamie McAleavey—all three have scored more than ten goals this year, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the Beacons’ scoring during their losing streak [3]. Their prominence on the scoresheet can pave the way for a star-studded lineup in the near future, furthermore proving that although not in an ideal place in the standings, the upward trend of women’s lacrosse is certainly something that can be seen first-hand. And if there’s anything the Beacons pick up on quickly, it’s winning.
- 2024 Women’s Lacrosse Roster – UMass Boston (beaconsathletics.com)
- 2023-24 Women’s Ice Hockey Roster – UMass Boston (beaconsathletics.com)
- 2024 Women’s Lacrosse Cumulative Statistics – UMass Boston (beaconsathletics.com)
- Women’s Lacrosse vs Curry College on 3/9/2024 – Box Score – UMass Boston (beaconsathletics.com)