For the collegiate athletes at UMass Boston, the week of Sept. 19 was filled with highs and lows across the board. Some teams saw season-first wins, and some lost game after game. For the full recap of all the games this past week, continue on.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team brought home another win for UMass Boston after their game against Bridgewater State University on Sept. 19. The Beacons defeated the Bears 2–1 during the game, with winning goals for UMass Boston coming from Ryan Lima and Luan Cruz, the latter of the two making his first collegiate goal and the winning goal.
After an aggressive first half with plenty of play and defense from both teams, the Beacons were able to score after 38 minutes. This wasn’t before Bridgewater State attempted to make a shot in the 12th minute, only to be stopped by Qasim El-Ashkar.
In the final two minutes of the game, UMass Boston applied the last bit of pressure needed to walk away with the win, generating three corner kicks and two shots on goal, one of which was their winning point. In the final 30 seconds of the game, Cruz made his shot on goal with an assist from a corner kick by Diego Gisholt, allowing the Beacons to walk away victorious and continue their three-game winning streak. The next men’s soccer game will be on Sept. 28, but all games are available to live stream in real-time on the Athletics website.
Women’s Volleyball
After their unfortunate 3–0 loss on Sept. 16 against Eastern Connecticut State, the women’s volleyball team could only hope to bring a bit more luck to their game on Sept. 20 against Johnson & Wales University. However, luck was not on their side, as the Beacons once again faced a 3–0 loss.
In the first and second sets, Johnson & Wales dominated UMass Boston 25–17 in both sets. In the third set, the Wildcats claimed their victory against the Beacons with a 25–19 win to go home with a clean 3–0 win.
However, the Beacons did not go down without a fight. Taryn Broughal and McKayla Geraghty were the top two hitters for the Beacons with a final game tally of seven and six kills, respectively. In addition to that, Amelia Devlin had 11 assists, Toni Guerra had seven digs for the defense and Katie Rennie pulled in a pair of block assists.
Following the Sept. 20 game, the team also had a face off against Plymouth State University on Sept. 22. This game marked the first of the Little East Conference, and unfortunately, it did not turn out to be a strong start for the Beacons.
The team opened the game in a close first set, creeping up on Plymouth State 25–21; however, in the second and third, the points for UMass Boston began to dwindle as they competed against their long-time rivals. In the end, the Beacons were unable to break past the Panthers this time around, losing 3–0. The next women’s volleyball game will be on Oct. 4, but all games are available to live stream in real-time on the Athletics website.
Women’s Soccer
Though the women’s soccer team started off their season on a pretty rocky note, they look to be doing a bit better after their game on Sept. 21. The Beacons walked away victorious with a 2–0 win against Wheaton College, the first of the season for UMass Boston.
The first goal for the Beacons came after 32 minutes, when Elia Velez—with an assist from Kaylee Haynes—scored her first collegiate goal. The next goal came from Haynes, who scored the winning point of the game with the help of an assist from Callia Eaton.
UMass Boston was unstoppable throughout the entire game, refusing to let Wheaton’s Lyons break through the defensive line. Goalkeeper Maria Spylios kept up a strong game while in the net, and managed to keep out every single shot that crossed her goal within the 90 minutes she was in the net.
After a few losses and draws, being able to add a win to the season record was surely exciting to the Beacons. The next home game for the women’s soccer team will be Oct. 8. All games are available to watch on the Athletics website in real-time.