Every team has to start somewhere. UMass Lowell will be entering their inaugural year on the Division I level. They will be led by first year coach Ed Stephenson who was the associate head coach at UMBC, University of Maryland Baltimore County. However the closer we get to the fall, the more curious i become with this River Hawks squad. For one, the team is compiled of primarily freshman and some sophomores. The young squad will now be placed in the American East Conference, with Albany, UNH, Hartford, and of course UMBC.
The good thing for the team, from the start, can be pointed at Stephenson. Stephenson knows the conference well, with 10 years of experience at UMBC. As the associate head coach, he helped lead the team to wins over Stony Brook, Hartford, Mercer, Richmond, and Monmouth. However this team is not going to be the Retrievers. At least, it doesn’t seem like that. But the River Hawks aren’t to blame. They are a new team that is in a conference that was founded back in 1979. It will take time for them to climb up the ladder.
Just a couple days ago, at least some questions were answered about this team as they played a fall ball matchup against Sacred Heart. The River Hawks showed some good signs in a somewhat rocky matchup with some shining moments from freshman goal-keep, Kevin Lally, and freshman, Jon Phillips. The team still has a lot to prove but it’s not a bad start for a squad that is in its first year of play.
