UMass Boston’s men’s lacrosse team played a mix of two matches. They played against the Western Connecticut Wolves April 10; this led to a 21-5 loss for the Beacons on the road. They were able to redeem themselves that weekend in a 24-8 home win against the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors.
When the team faced the hungry Western Connecticut Wolves, their usual fire sizzled out as the Wolves went on an 11-goal streak in the first quarter. The Beacons were scoreless until the start of the second quarter, when Junior Matt Hutchings finally broke through with his 25th goal of the season, assisted by junior Caesar Hendricks. This was the only goal scored by the Beacons in the entire first half.
In the third quarter, senior Shane McGonagle and freshman Jack Schartner both netted their own goals, but the Wolves’ offense chewed up the Beacons’ defense and netted their own goals.
The fourth quarter saw two of the Beacons’ veteran scorers come to help, but it just wasn’t enough. Graduate player Seth Libby scored his 16th goal, then assisted senior Timothy Sullivan to come to a total of five goals compared to the Wolves’ 21. The Wolves won against the Beacons with a whopping lead of 16.
April 13, the Beacons welcomed the East Connecticut Warriors to their home field. They started out hot, with Libby scoring just a minute into the game, paving the way for a five-goal run for the Beacons. Freshmen Cole Allan and Matthew Konareski each put one away, and McGonagle scored as well.
By the second quarter, it was clear this was a war that the Warriors were going to lose. The Beacons went on a six-goal run, two out of which were scored by Libby, and one each from Sullivan and Hutchings. These three premier scorers concluded the first quarter with a 9-1 lead.
Hutchings opened the second quarter by completing his hat trick with two back-to-back goals. The Warriors got their second goal of the game in, and the Beacons retaliated with six. The second quarter concluded with a 17-2 Beacons lead.
The third quarter started with a Hendricks goal, which was followed by Konareski, Hutchings and sophomore Patrick Dwinnells. Hutchings struck again as he scored two more at the start of the fourth quarter. Junior Ryan Steckman-Buck scored his first of the game as he concluded the match, and the Beacons won with a whopping 24-8.
This was a much-needed statement victory for the Beacons after the loss against the West Connecticut Wolves. They are all set to take Vermont State University Castleton Tuesday, April 22.
