Boston, MA (May 1, 2025) — The UMass Boston men's lacrosse team punched their ticket to the Little East Conference Championship with an 11-9 semifinal victory over Plymouth State on Thursday afternoon at James Cotter Field. 

How It Happened 

The semifinal began as a tightly contested affair, with both teams trading goals in a back-and-forth first quarter. Shane McGonagle (Haverhill, Mass.) opened the scoring just over a minute into the game off a feed from Nick Gualtieri (Billerica, Mass.). Plymouth State responded quickly, and the pattern repeated throughout the quarter. Timothy Sullivan (Walpole, Mass.) and Jack Schartner (Bolton, Mass.) each found the net, with Schartner's goal giving the Beacons a 3-2 edge heading into the second. 

Plymouth State drew even early in the second, but UMass Boston responded with a burst of offense. Matt Hutchings (Mount Kisco, N.Y.), assisted by Caesar Hendricks (Mashpee, Mass.), put the Beacons back in front before Sullivan tallied his second of the day to make it 5-3. Despite the Panthers trimming the deficit with a man-up goal, UMass Boston closed the half strong with goals from Nolen Beauregard (Walpole, Mass.) and Matthew Konareski (Guilford, CT.), taking a 7-4 lead into the break. 

The Beacons kept their momentum rolling in the third. Cole Allan (Falmouth, ME.) scored a man-up goal—assisted by Hutchings—to give UMass Boston its largest lead of the game at 8-4. The Panthers responded with two quick goals, but Patrick Dwinnells (Ashland, Mass.) and Schartner—who netted his second of the day and 28th of the season—helped restore a 10-6 cushion heading into the final frame. 

Plymouth State came out fast in the fourth, scoring twice to cut the lead to 10-8, but Sean Daly's (Kingston, Mass.) goal with just under nine minutes to play gave the Beacons a crucial buffer. Goalie James Boldy (Hopedale, Mass.) came up clutch, making six of his 17 saves in the final quarter to preserve the win and send UMass Boston to the conference title game. 

Inside the Box Score 

• James Boldy tied his season high with 17 saves, including six in the fourth quarter. 

• The Beacons had a balanced attack, with nine different players scoring goals and 12 recording points. 

• Jack Schartner and Timothy Sullivan led the team with two goals each. 

• Tyler Hilgert (Guilford, CT.) added a team-high two assists, bringing his season total to 12. 

• UMass Boston won the ground ball battle, 46-40, led by Schartner (6) and Boldy (5). 

• Holden Kuzniar (Georgetown, Mass.) paced the defense with three caused turnovers, while four other Beacons—Patrick Carey (North Andover, Mass.), Sean Cullagh (Norfolk, Mass.), Shane McGonagle, and Caesar Hendricks—recorded two each. 

Up Next 

The Beacons will travel to Danbury, Connecticut, to face top-seeded Western Connecticut in the LEC Championship on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m.