UMass Boston women’s soccer opened their season Friday, Aug. 30 with a 2-0 win against the Pioneers of Smith College at home.
The Beacons set the tone early in the match, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes. Graduate student Caileigh Sullivan started the Beacons off in the sixth minute, receiving a corner kick from freshman Sophia Schallmo, but they didn’t stop there.
In the 10th minute, freshman Kathryn Brown took the ball 35 yards down the field and snuck it past the Smith College goalkeeper to score her first career collegiate goal, doubling UMass Boston’s lead.
Junior Julia Cote and Senior Isabella O’Connell were impenetrable at the net. They shut down the Pioneers, combining for seven saves in the match. Certainly a strong start to the season for the Beacons.
Shortly after, the Beacons headed to New London, Connecticut to take on the Bears of the Coast Guard Academy. It was the season opener for the Bears, and they looked to get the new year started off right after a disappointing 4-11-4 season last year. UMass Boston had a tough task ahead of them with around 100 fans in attendance at Nitchman Field.
It was a heavily contested first half. The Beacons had a hard time getting started, totaling only three shots on goal against the Bears’ ten shots. The fans anxiously waited to see who would blow the game open first.
Julia Cote had seven saves in the first half alone, shutting down the Bears’ offense. The first half ended with both teams failing to get one into the net, and the Beacons entered the locker room tied 0–0 to the hard-fighting Coast Guard Academy.
The second half was much better for UMass Boston on the offensive side. They had nine shots as a team and kept the Bears out of their net, carrying over their strong defensive output from the first half.
However, the Beacons still needed to score a goal in order to secure the win. They would get the perfect opportunity in the 89th minute, when senior Georgia Bonney lined up for the penalty kick and soared the ball right past the Coast Guard Academy goalkeeper. The Beacons held on for the remaining 10 minutes and won the match 1–0. This win takes UMass Boston to 2-0, remaining undefeated in the season so far with hopes to continue this strong momentum.
Next up, UMass Boston women’s soccer takes on the Wellesley College Blue on Wednesday, Sept. 11. They will have two more road games until they return to Beaconville to take on Curry College Sept. 18.
