Well, we can officially say welcome back to campus as we all have gotten our first week of classes under our belt! With the fall semester now underway, the fall sports season is now back in full swing. For the fall sports teams here at UMass Boston, they haven’t been able to compete in a full season since 2019, so it will be very interesting to see how their seasons play out considering there are a lot of newer faces.
So now let’s take a look at how our fall sports teams have fared thus far this season.
Men’s Soccer
Two years ago, the UMass Boston men’s soccer team had a solid season holding an overall record of 12–3–4 and a conference record of 4–2–2. They finished the season in heartbreaking fashion losing in penalty kicks to Western Connecticut State University in the LEC quarterfinals.
Now in 2021, the UMass Boston men’s soccer team is off to a strong start with a record of 2–1. One thing to note about the men’s soccer team is that 11 of the 29 players on the team are either freshmen or sophomores. This means that even though there is a strong influx of newer players, there are still plenty of players that played back in 2019 and know what it takes to win at a college level, which should bode well for this season.
Women’s Soccer
Back in 2019, the UMass Boston women’s soccer team had a tremendous season going 19–3–1 while also taking down Western Connecticut State University to win the LEC championship. Unfortunately, the Beacons were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament by the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Now in 2021, the Beacons are off to a great start, currently holding a 2–0 record. Their next game is this Saturday against Endicott College and their first LEC matchup comes later this month when they play Eastern Connecticut State on Sept. 18.
Women’s Volleyball
In 2019, the UMass Boston women’s volleyball team had a bumpy regular season but played at their best toward the end of the season as they went on to become LEC champions. Over the course of the season, UMass Boston went 5–3 against teams in the LEC with most of those wins coming in the LEC tournament.
Now at the start of the 2021 season, the Beacons have come out to a shaky 1–3 start. The Beacons have yet to play an LEC opponent and won’t until they face off against Eastern Connecticut State on Sept. 17. Until then it will be difficult to tell if the defending LEC champions can truly defend their title.
Men’s Cross-Country
Back in 2019, the UMass Boston men’s cross-country team struggled to place well in their meets. However, a lot of time has passed since the last time the Beacons competed in cross country. So much can change in 2021.
UMass Boston has yet to compete in cross country this year, but their first meet is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 11, so we can get a better gauge on how the team looks after their first competition.
Women’s Cross-Country
The women’s cross-country team had a similar year as the men’s team in 2019, so they didn’t quite have the best season. However, they will get an opportunity to flip the script this weekend when they compete in their first meet at the Smith College Invitational.
Women’s Tennis
In 2019, the UMass Boston women’s tennis team dominated as they held a 14–2 record alongside an 8–1 LEC record. The Beacons made it all the way to the LEC finals but were unfortunately stifled by Rhode Island College 5–0.
For UMass Boston tennis there is a lot to look forward to this season as they look to build on from the 2019 season. Their first match will be a conference matchup on Sept. 11 against Western Connecticut State University.