UMass Boston Women’s Soccer opened up the Little East Conference tournament needing to fight their way to the semifinals. The first roadblock in their journey was on Halloween night against the fifth-seeded Rhode Island College Anchormen. The Beacons got the better of them the first time these two met on Sept. 30, winning 2–1 on the Anchormen’s home turf. (1)
This time, however, Rhode Island had to come to Beaconville, where the near-100 fans in attendance knew their role in this game was to lift the Beacons up and cheer them on. The winner of this matchup would go to Gorham, Maine to take on the one-seed Southern Maine Huskies, according to littleeast.com. (2)
The match started off slow and defensive for both teams, with neither team willing to give in. Caileigh Sullivan had the ball for the Beacons and tried to potentially open up the scoring and give them the lead 26 minutes in. She aimed for the goal, but it was deflected by Anchormen goalie Chloe Angelone. The Beacons’ Kaylee Haynes got the rebound and put the ball right back into the net, giving UMass Boston a 1–0 lead, and the rest of the first half would stay in a defensive stalemate. UMass Boston went into the half up by one. (3)
The Beacons’ defense worked tirelessly to hold onto the lead, but Rhode Island wouldn’t let up and refused to let UMass Boston score, making their mountain climb higher. The second half went on and, with time winding down, a late penalty by the Beacons allowed the Anchormen to tie the game; Marissa Ruzzano provided Rhode Island the equalizer in the 76th minute.
The game was now tied at one apiece. With extra time a real possibility, both teams looked for a quick goal to move on to the semifinals. In the 80th minute, the Beacons had the ball deep in their territory. Kaylee Haynes took the ball down the field, moved straight past her defender, and shot a pass to Sofia Roberts, who finished the job and took the ball into the net for the winning goal. The Beacons won the thriller and improved to 7–4–9 on the year according to Beacons Athletics, hoping to capitalize on their advancement to the semifinals. (3)
UMass Boston needed to travel to Gorham, Maine, to face the one-seed Southern Maine Huskies Nov. 4. This was going to be a gritty match for the Beacons, as the last time these two faced off on Oct. 11, the match ended in a scoreless tie. (1)
Southern Maine got on the board early, as the Huskies’ Riley Mitchell scored in the 14th and 25th minutes. The Beacons went into the half with a steep 2–0 hill to climb early on.
Southern Maine held them in check in the second half as well, and a late, second-half goal that came in minute 62 further extended the lead for the Huskies. The Beacons just couldn’t keep up with Southern Maine’s attack, managing just six shots on goal. (4).
The Beacons finished off a strong year in heartbreaking fashion. Haynes played in her final game of her brilliant college career with 25 goals, tied for the fifth most goals in program history. (4)
It was a strong season full of ups and downs for UMass Boston, and they look to build on their strong foundation going into their 2024 campaign; however, 2023 should be a year they are proud of. Their unbeaten streak was one to remember, and proved to be a step in the right direction for the program. Their capabilities on defense put them in high regard, and though they couldn’t get the job done, their hard work and talent on both ends of the pitch proved to be a driving force in their success this year. With 2024 coming, there’s no doubt the team will capitalize on their strong suits and come out firing as a better team.
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule
- https://littleeast.com/tournaments/brackets/2023-LEC-Womens-Soccer-Championship-Tournament/33
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/10/31/womens-soccer-womens-soccer-sink-anchorwomen-in-2-1-thriller-in-first-round-of-lec-post-season.aspx
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2023/11/3/womens-soccer-bows-out-of-lec-semifinals.aspx
