Men’s lacrosse are winners of two straight games, both of which were crucial in their bid for the top spot in the Little East Conference standings. Currently, the Beacons sit at a 5–1 conference record, second to only Keene State, who stand undefeated at 5–0, according to littleeast.com [1]. Beacons Athletics’ schedule shows that the two powerhouses clash in the Beacons’ regular season game this Friday, April 26; it’s a match that could very well determine home field advantage in the LEC tournament if they meet for a rematch in the Championship next month [2].
Needless to say, the stakes are high for the Beacons, but they’ve kept their composure since dropping their lone conference loss to rival Western Connecticut State a few weeks back on April 9. In their biggest road trip of the season, UMass Boston never folded, coming out on top in two conference matchups against Eastern Connecticut State and University of Southern Maine.
Facing Eastern Connecticut Saturday, April 13, the Beacons held a 3–1 conference record, with a record of 9–4 overall. The game got out to a fast start, with a back-and-forth affair being the theme of the first quarter. Beacons Athletics reported that Greg Wolff netted his 33rd goal of the year 1:37 into the game for a 1–0 Beacons lead [3].
However, his net drive was quickly responded to with a goal 57 seconds later, tying things up at one. Sean Daly Wolff’s goal with another score a minute later, but the Warriors soon retaliated with three unanswered goals in the span of 2:16 to retake the lead 4–2.
Charlie Chapman and Wolff battled back to tie things up by quarter’s end, but a fifth Eastern Connecticut goal with 73 seconds left gave them a 5–4 lead after one quarter. All four of UMass Boston’s first quarter goals were assisted by Zach Mann. Beacons Athletics noted that his four assists in a quarter was tied for the second most in program history [4].
In the second quarter, the Beacons didn’t take the Warriors’ last-minute score too lightly, as they played lights out on defense and scored five unanswered goals to take a 9–5 lead. Liam Bowler got in on the fun with two assists, while Mann netted a goal to take his point total up to three. Wolff secured a hat trick with his third goal of the day as well, and Luke Murphy scored two of the Beacons’ five unanswered. Halftime didn’t come without another Warriors score, though, as they netted one with 17 seconds before the break, giving the Beacons a 9–6 lead.
The third quarter was similar to the first, as a clash between the two saw Eastern Connecticut battle back to a 10–8 deficit. Three unanswered goals from the Beacons extended the lead back to five though, as goals from Matt Laverty and Timmy Sullivan complimented Daly’s hat trick for a 13–8 lead.
Entering the fourth up 13–10, another 3–0 run made it 16–10 with 6:27 left; Daly netted two more, and Mann scored his second goal. Eastern Connecticut scored another for a 16–11 game, but Murphy’s second put the finishing touches on a 17–12 Beacons victory.
A much-needed conference win gave the Beacons momentum heading into their next match against Southern Maine, and as it turned out, the northern altitude didn’t affect the Beacons’ northern attitude; they beat the Huskies with ease in a 22–9 win.
The match began similarly to the Beacons’ game against Eastern Connecticut, with both teams not budging to let either escape with a lead. According to Beacons Athletics, opening goals by Daly and Wolff were quickly responded by a Huskies’ goal, and a goal by Caesar Hendricks was followed by two unanswered by Southern Maine, keeping things close at 3–3.
Southern Maine continued to answer the Beacons until halfway through the second, where the game broke wide open. Six consecutive UMass Boston goals gave them an 11–6 advantage. Murphy, Daly, Chapman and Sullivan all contributed to the onslaught, along with Wolff, who secured a second hat trick in as many games. The Beacons didn’t hold back, nor did they look back, for the remainder of the game.
Murphy, Hendricks, Chapman, Mann and Sullivan would all have multi-goal games, while Daly achieved the same feat as Wolff with another hat trick on his end. In all, UMass Boston wound up outshooting Southern Maine 79–28—which is unheard of—and didn’t allow the lead to cut to within eight after the fourth quarter.
Men’s lacrosse is on a roll, and with two games left, both at home, in the regular season, they’re all the more important in their pursuit for extra leverage in the LEC tournament. Students won’t want to miss the Beacons’ final game–it has insane implications for them. Game is 7 p.m. this Friday at James Cotter field; be there or be square.
Sources:
- https://littleeast.com/standings.aspx?path=mlax
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/schedule
- https://beaconsathletics.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/stats/2024/eastern-connecticut-state/boxscore/11665
- https://beaconsathletics.com/news/2024/4/13/mens-lacrosse-daly-and-mann-register-big-days-in-victory-over-eastern-connecticut.aspx
