UMass Boston’s men’s lacrosse team competed in the Little East Conference Tournament (LEC), concluding their season with a 13-9 quarterfinals win over No. 6 Eastern Connecticut State Tuesday, April 28. The high from this was short-lived as they fell to No. 2 Massachusetts Maritime University 10-15 in the semi-finals Thursday, April 30.
Tuesday, the Beacons had a hard start against the Warriors as they struggled to score their own goals.
Sophomore Jack Schartner opened the scoring for the Beacons. He paved the way for sophomore Patrick Dwinnells and freshman Reilly Collins to go on a three-goal run.
The first quarter ended with sophomore Hank Alessandro’s full-field length goal, giving the Beacons a 5-3 lead.
The opponent closed the gap in the second quarter by scoring two back-to-back goals. The Beacons were quick to retaliate as they went on a three-goal run in the second and third quarters.
The team controlled the fourth quarter holding possessions, giving their opponent almost no chances to equalize the score.
Sophomore goalkeeper James Boldy has spent almost all 80 minutes of the games this season in the post. He made 12 saves for the team against the Warriors.
Thursday, the Beacons were riding the high from their 13-9 quarterfinal win over the Warriors.
They were all set to face the Mass Maritime Buccaneers; the Beacons started hard and fast, securing a 3-0 lead over their opponent. Schartner opened the scoring for the team which paved the way for sophomore Cole Allan to net his own.
The first quarter concluded with a 3-2 Beacon lead.
The second quarter saw no goals from the Beacons, while the Buccaneers went on a five-goal run, extending their lead to 7-3.
The third quarter saw the Beacons getting desperate to score, but their opponent did not back off either. Mass Maritime successfully extended their lead to a whopping 12-3.
UMass Boston didn’t stay silent for long. After a no-score quarter, the Beacons came back powered up and went on a five consecutive goal run with just five minutes left in the quarter from Collins and sophomore Matthew Konareski, narrowing their opponent’s lead to 12-8.
The fourth quarter saw the teams struggling. The Beacons were fighting to narrow the bridge between them and their opponents, while the Buccaneers were struggling to keep their lead.
Freshman Jackson King took advantage of a man-up opportunity, netting his goal assisted by Tyler Hilgert. The Buccaneers were quick to retaliate as they netted two of their own, securing their 15-10 win over the Beacons.
This season had its own set of highs and lows for the team. A new set of freshmen stepped up, and a lot of seasoned players played their last game. Boldy was a force this season, clocking every single game.
The team has improved their chemistry a lot with the freshmen gelling flawlessly with the team. Even though this season did not go as planned, the Beacons will come back stronger next season.
