UMass Boston’s women’s soccer team was stamped out of the LEC playoffs on Thursday, Nov. 7 by the Western Connecticut State Wolves. It was a tight game at James Cotter Field, and the Beacons were banished with a final score of 2-1 at home.
It felt tumultuous from the top for UMass Boston: Hannah Blacher opened the scoring at the 01:23 mark of the match, forcing the Beacons to play catch-up from the get-go.
Blood wasn’t in the water just yet; freshman back Kathryn Brown knotted it up at one just under 20 minutes into the first half. Brown’s sixth of the season came assisted by two fellow first years, Daniella Celotto and Devan Booth.
The tide still favored Western Connecticut throughout the first half, winning the shot column 9-5, as well as earning the upper hand in corner kicks and fouls — the Wolves, overall, controlled the first 45.
A different story arose in the second half as the Beacons moved with momentum. Sound on their own end, UMass Boston only allowed a single shot on net in the second half — Western Connecticut attempted eight shots — but that one shot did the trick.
In the 72nd minute Wolves junior midfielder Sophia Onek broke through, shattering the tie of the LEC semifinal. Desperation mode set in for the Beacons. With just around 18 minutes on the clock, time was their enemy.
In those 18 minutes, UMass Boston outshot West Conn 5-1 and were presented with two corner kicks. The second came in the 88th minute to no avail. A tight but demoralizing end to the season for the Beacons.
If nothing else, the box score of this one speaks to the trends of this team during the year. All three Beacons earning points in the contest were freshmen. Those three — Brown, Celotto and Booth — accompany Sofia Schallmo as top five point-getters for UMass Boston. Schallmo, who recorded 75 on the year, was held without a shot against the Wolves.
Wins by way of freshman production is a hard method to maintain. Lack of experience and consistency often show up at some point, and unfortunately for the Beacons, it came at a rough time for Schallmo, their young star.
Their lack of offense from upperclassmen faltered the Beacons all season, and in the end, caught up to them. But there’s no denying any encouragement that came from both the game and the season.
Lack of experience is an obvious and designated critique or worry of rookies, and it’s also something that goes away. Overall, it was their freshmen that led them to the semifinals this year. As of now, they’ve been there before.
What looked concerning this year turns into excitement for the next. If they’d been dragged to the playoffs by a senior superstar poised to join an accounting firm the following year, 2025 would look far bleaker.
The Beacons should be back and motivated next season; a promising feeling is validated when your young stars show out. This is just the start of a new era in Beaconville for women’s soccer.
Update: Western Connecticut was shut out 3-0 by University of Southern Maine in the LEC Finals. It’s Southern Maine’s second straight title, after beating the same squad a year ago.
This article appeared in print on Page 14 of Vol. LVIII Issue VII, published Nov. 18, 2024.
