The inaugural season for UMass Boston Women’s Lacrosse has not gone as planned. Reaching the double digit mark in games played, the Beacons fought tooth and nail for their first win as an official athletics program, but to no avail. After coming up just short of history with a few close games and multiple one-point contests, the team reached a 0–11 record after suffering brutal losses to Framingham State University, Plymouth State University and UMass Dartmouth, per Beacons Athletics [1].
Coming off a gut-wrenching 9–8 defeat against Salem State University March 30, the Beacons traveled to Framingham, Mass. to take on Framingham State. Unfortunately for UMass Boston, the Rams were ready, charging with a full head of steam. According to Beacons Athletics, nine first quarter goals set the tone for Framingham State early, as the Rams rumbled through the Beacons, pitching a shutout and giving the program their first ever scoreless game with a 19–0 win [2].
Despite the lopsided score, statistics show that the Beacons’ play was not too far off from the Rams’. UMass Boston committed just three more turnovers, had 17 shots on goal and even beat the Rams at midfield, outdrawing them 14–9 in draw controls [2].
Nevertheless, the performance certainly was not one the Beacons wanted to replicate. However, their next game against the Panthers saw a similar demise for UMass Boston, who dropped the Tuesday, April 9 game 18–2. The game had a similar layout compared to the game against Framingham State; once again, the Beacons gave up a significant amount of goals in the opening frame, this time allowing the Panthers to put up seven in the first, per Beacons Athletics [3].
Luckily, a goal from both Brianna Damske and Jamie McAleavey kept the deficit at bay at 7–2 after one. However, the Beacons were unable to put up another point in the final 45 minutes, ultimately getting shut down, all the while allowing 11 more goals on the backend for the 16-goal defeat. It was a much sloppier performance from the Beacons all around, who couldn’t get into a groove offensively. Six shots on goal was all UMass Boston could generate, and they also accounted for 19 turnovers, furthermore getting beat on ground balls 17–9 and in draw controls 17–6 [3]. In the two-game stretch, the Beacons were outscored 37–2 [1], certainly not ideal for them.
After their losses to the Rams and Panthers, the Beacons were able to create a spark offensively against an 8–3 UMass Dartmouth squad. According to Beacons Athletics’ box score, the Beacons were making impressive strides with the ball in their hands while limiting the Corsairs on the offensive front, allowing just three goals in the first quarter. Three more goals were allowed in the second quarter before they could get on the board, but two goals from Emily Pearl and a score from Mia Boyd made it a four-score game at halftime [5].
Entering the third quarter down 7–3, the Beacons responded to a quick score by the Corsairs 23 seconds in with a goal by McAleavey to make it 8–4. The teams traded two unanswered goals apiece; Pearl was able to secure a hat trick with the Beacons’ latter goal, keeping UMass Boston within striking distance at 10–6 with 10:45 remaining. Later in the fourth, Angelina Mazzone and Teresa Sheedy scored in a span of 40 seconds to make it 11–8 with seven minutes left. Unfortunately, UMass Dartmouth’s Midline Thomas played spoiler to the Beacons’ comeback, going on a run of her own by scoring two goals in 65 seconds, stretching the lead to 13–8 with five minutes left [4].
Boyd answered 20 seconds later, but two more goals from UMass Dartmouth sealed the game with a 15–9 lead; Mazzone capped the game with a goal with four seconds left, helping the Beacons break double digits in the process. It was a 15–10 victory for the Corsairs, but the Beacons gave them a run for their money with a brutish battle throughout. UMass Boston peppered the Corsairs with 19 shots on goal, while also beating them at the dot with 15–13 in draw controls. Nonetheless, it was a slugfest between both teams, but also a sloppy game overall with 47 turnovers; the Corsairs accounted for 20 of them, but alas, the Beacons couldn’t capitalize.
With two games remaining on the year, women’s lacrosse has two more chances to make history by getting the program’s first win. They’ve come a long way since their first game Feb. 28, facing a lot of hardship in the process. Now, they have a chance to turn the tide in their favor and cap their year off on a high note, which could furthermore create an atmosphere of good vibes going into 2025.