Sports/UMass

UMass football: Don Brown recaps Liberty loss, turns Minutemen’s focus to finale against UConn

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — The UMass football team hit the road for the final time in 2023 on Saturday when the Minutemen took on Liberty in their second-to-last game of the regular season.Being 26.5-point underdogs to an undefeated Flames tean that is fighting for a...

UMass football: Minutemen looking to hand undefeated Liberty their first loss 

By GARRETT COTE

For the sixth consecutive season the UMass football team matches up with Liberty, as the Minutemen come into Saturday’s contest in Lynchburg, Va. with the undefeated Flames fresh off a bye week. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN-Plus.The second...

UMass hockey: Lucas Mercuri tallies game-winning goal in final minute, Minutemen rally past Providence 3-2

Lucas Mercuri played hero for the UMass hockey team on Thursday night.The junior netted the game-winning goal with 48 seconds to play in regulation, and the No. 15 Minutemen came from a goal down in the third period to defeat No. 5 Providence on the...

UMass basketball: Minutewomen can’t dig out of early hole in 78-57 loss to Harvard

By HANNAH BEVIS

AMHERST — The final score between the Harvard and UMass women’s basketball teams felt closer than the scoreboard indicated. It may have been a 21-point defeat, but considering the Minutewomen were in a 20-point hole after the first quarter, the...

The Real Score: Women face few fan gear options

As the holidays approach and Black Friday deals abound, you might consider starting your gift shopping. A great idea for sports enthusiasts is to give them gear or items related to their favorite team.Wearing sports fan clothing is crucial for...

Through The Maroon: Tackling conference realignment, Josh Cohen’s ascension

By GARRETT COTE, HANNAH BEVIS and THOMAS JOHNSTON

In this week’s edition of Through the Maroon, our writers tackle both the football and men’s basketball teams ahead of important games.The men’s basketball team looks to stay unbeaten with a rare Friday night home game against Harvard while the...

UMass hockey: Minutemen welcome Vermont for weekend pair at the Mullins Center

By HANNAH BEVIS

After the high of an overtime win against Northeastern and the rest from a long weekend has worn off, the UMass ice hockey team is back and ready to rumble against Hockey East foe Vermont this weekend. On paper, this should be a pair of very winnable...

Through the Maroon: Amherst’s Dwayne Killings returns with Albany 

By GARRETT COTE, TOM JOHNSTON and HANNAH BEVIS

Garrett CoteFor the second time in as many seasons, Albany men’s basketball head coach Dwayne Killings visited the Mullins Center to match up against a Minutemen team he once suited up for in the early 2000s.Killings, an Amherst native, grew up going...

Former UMass women’s tennis coach Judy Dixon staying busy this fall

By HANNAH BEVIS

Judy Dixon has spent most of her life playing and championing the game of tennis. The 74-year-old is constantly on the move, and her decades of hard work fighting for equity in tennis culminated in a recent unexpected honor from the United States...

UMass basketball: Minutewomen get by Saint Peter’s for season-opening 56-44 victory

By HANNAH BEVIS

AMHERST – The UMass women’s basketball team put away its first win of the season in convincing fashion over Saint Peter’s Monday night, picking up a 56-44 non-conference victory at the Mullins Center. Junior Stefanie Kulesza put on a show for the...

UMass basketball: Minutemen to look much different in year two under Frank Martin

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST – Massachusetts men’s basketball coach Frank Martin took the more traditional route when recruiting for the 2023-24 season. Martin brought in a handful of high school graduates rather than pluck players out of the transfer portal. UMass has...

UMass football: Minutemen relish their first two-game winning streak since 2018

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — The largest crowd at McGuirk Alumni Stadium in at least the last two seasons was treated to a second straight UMass football victory for the first time in five years. The Minutemen started slowly, trailing 7-0, but ripped off the game’s next...

UMass basketball: Minutewomen set for opener against Saint Peter’s with entirely new look

By HANNAH BEVIS

There are lots of question marks still surrounding the UMass women’s basketball team this year, but one thing is certain – this season’s squad is going to look a lot different than last year. Head coach Mike Leflar replaced former head coach Tory...

UMass hockey: Minutemen look to tighten up as Northeastern comes to Amherst

By HANNAH BEVIS

Consistency is the name of the game for the UMass ice hockey team. Against both Michigan and Boston University, the Minutemen had trouble finding their legs in the first game of back-to-back series. They came back strong against both teams in the...

Through the Maroon: UMass field hockey eyes postseason, football program eyes winning streak

Here’s our weekly installment of Through the Maroon, our weekly UMass sports column where our staff digs deeper on the athletics program in Amherst.Hannah Bevis For six years, the UMass field hockey team has been looking to climb back up the mountain...

UMass soccer: Minutewomen’s season comes to an end with 2-1 loss to Duquesne in Atlantic 10 Conference quarterfinals

By HANNAH BEVIS 

AMHERST — For 29 glorious seconds, the No. 4 UMass women’s soccer team had the wind in its sails against No. 5 Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 quarterfinal contest. But less than half a minute after a Lauren Robles goal tied the game 1-1, the Dukes scored...

UMass football: Amherst’s Shane Robles living the walk-on dream playing for his hometown Minutemen

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Shane Robles sat wide awake in his room deep into the September night. There was no way he would get a good night’s rest — too much anxiety and impatience filled his body. As each minute passed, he knew he was closer to finding out whether...

UMass basketball: Minutewomen picked 11th in Atlantic 10 Conference preseason poll

By JEFF LAJOIE

A lot has changed for the UMass women’s basketball team since they last took the court on March 20 — an 89-87 loss to Harvard in the second round of the WNIT.Head coach Tory Verdi left to take the job at Pittsburgh, and Mike Leflar was elevated to the...

UMass hockey: Michael Hrabal pitches shutout as Minutemen blank Minnesota State for weekend sweep

UMass athletics

University of Massachusetts freshman goaltender Michael Hrabal stopped all 32 shots he faced and the defense in front of him blocked 28 shots to help the Minutemen complete the weekend sweep of No. 19/20 Minnesota State with a 1-0 victory at Mayo...

UMass hockey: Minutemen travel to Minnesota State for weekend set

By HANNAH BEVIS 

After getting their skates under them on the ice over the first two weekends of the season, this weekend’s tilts against No. 19/20 Minnesota State will be an important mental test for the UMass hockey team. For the first time this season, the...