On Feb. 28, UMass Boston added another sports team to their lengthy athletic resume. Head Coach Hannah Khin was hired to lead the team in July 2023 after serving as head coach of women’s lacrosse for Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif. for five seasons. As the head coach at Occidental, Khin guided the club to four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season appearances, and she and the staff were recognized as the SCIAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
The team’s first season concluded on a warm, cloudy Saturday morning in the vibrant spring air. The team honored their two seniors, Kenzie DeMeo and Brianna Damske, as they sought to add another crucial win under their belt against the Bridgewater State University Bears. The Bears had a back-and-forth season with many ups and downs, with a record of 6–10 and a 3–3 conference record.
Bridgewater State found the back of the net two times early on, but the Beacons stood their ground, tying the match at two with stellar goals from Emily Pearl and Teresa Sheedy. The Bears came down like a freight train with three more goals to end the quarter, taking the lead 5–2.
Despite two more UMass Boston goals from Teresa Sheedy and Liz Kramp in the second quarter, Bridgewater State tallied on two more of their own, taking the 7–4 lead as both teams headed to the locker room.
The rest of the match didn’t go UMass Boston’s way, as they failed to catch up to the Bears’ bombardment, gaining nine more goals in the second half. The Beacons ended their first season with a 16–4 loss.
The team received their first win the game before on April 18, against New England College, 13–9.
Sophomore midfielder Mia Boyd led the squad in goals with 23. She totaled 15 turnovers and 17 draw controls, and led the team with 10 free-position goals as well. Sophomore Jamie McAleavey scored 16 goals and led the team with 33 ground balls, 50 draw controls, 27 caused turnovers and 6 assists. Freshman goalie Lauren Falandys finished the year with 90 saves and started 11 of the 12 games played this season.
Senior attacker Brianna Damske shared her thoughts on the season.
“Overall, I think the team did great this year,” she said. “Being a first-year team, we started with girls at all different levels, some not playing in years or having never played at all. Despite this challenge, we came together and created a solid foundation for the years to come. Our success is thanks to the coaches, Hannah, Meg and Danielle, who stuck with us through all the hardships and worked to make us a better team. I’m so grateful I can say I was part of the UMass Boston Women’s Lacrosse team; it has easily been the most rewarding and happiest moments of my college career.”
The Beacons hope to have a productive off-season and build a solid, competitive team for the coming years.