W
hen UMass hosted Boston College in its 2019 season opener last February, the odds weren’t in favor of the Minutewomen. UMass had beaten its in-state rival just once in the last 10 years, and the Eagles, fresh off a national championship game appearance and holding a top 5 ranking, were heavy favorites.
The game ended predictably: Boston College built a huge halftime lead and won comfortably, 25-14.
The set pieces were similar when the two teams met Saturday to start the 2020 campaign. The Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the country, were in their first game since the NCAA tournament final, and the unranked Minutewomen played host.
But the result couldn’t have been more different.
Down 10-9 with just under 13 minutes left to play, UMass shut down Boston College and rattled off six straight goals to seal a 15-11 win that sent shock waves through the lacrosse world. The win was the Minutewomen’s first against a top 5 opponent in program history, and their first over a ranked team since the 2017 NCAA tournament.
“It’s an affirmation for us as a program just being on the right path and working hard and sticking to the process,” UMass head coach Angela McMahon said. “A win this early in the season is really a product of our hard work and being really detail-oriented and honing in on the little things. It’s the little things for us that make us successful.”
It was a win months in the making. Six of UMass’ seven scorers Saturday were upperclassmen who’d watched their 2019 season end in a 19-18 overtime loss to Richmond in the Atlantic 10 championship game, costing them a chance at the NCAA tournament.
Those players kept a strong mentality throughout the offseason, McMahon said, and came out ready for the season-opening challenge against the Eagles. Senior attacker Kaitlyn Cerasi led them with four goals and two assists and earned both A-10 and IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
“We feel really confident in our offense, and [our players] felt confident about their ability to score when they got the ball,” McMahon said. “It was just, overall, a great team win for us.”
The end result on the scoreboard wasn’t the only thing different about UMass’ matchup against Boston College this year. The scoreboard itself was new — paid for by men’s and women’s lacrosse alumni. It was installed at Garber Field this summer.
But perhaps the biggest offseason upgrade for the Minutewomen was their new 96,000-square-foot indoor facility, which features a new turf field and bleachers covered by a bubbled dome.
A little Monday morning indoor work to start the week#GorillaLacrosse | #Flagship pic.twitter.com/blKy8nB6h4
— UMass Men's Lacrosse (@UMassMLacrosse) January 13, 2020
The new facility, officially completed this winter, meant that UMass could spend its first practice after the Boston College win indoors, rather than battling the elements in the frigid February weather.
It’s all part of an increased investment by UMass in its lacrosse programs, and athletics as a whole, said McMahon, who has been at the helm in Amherst since 2011.
“We’re really fortunate to have these types of amenities,” she said. “Our athletic department’s rise and [investment in] facilities is just putting us in the best position possible to attract the best recruits and to make our experience really positive for our players. That’s the ultimate goal.”
The Minutewomen return to action against Dartmouth on Saturday, a game that should help prove whether or not they are here to stay as contenders in 2020. Last week’s win pushed them from unranked into the No. 13 spot in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20, their first appearance in the rankings since before the start of the 2018 season.
It may have already pulled off its biggest win of the season, but UMass is in no way satisfied. They still have an Atlantic-10 title and an NCAA tournament spot to contend for, 15 more regular-season games to play and most immediately, a 19-7 loss to the Big Green in 2019 to avenge.
Beating Boston College may be just the start.
“We try to stay humble and work hard and stick to our core values each and every day,” McMahon said. “We have the talent on our team that if we stick to the process and continue to work hard, good things can happen for us.”