Exactly two years ago, Springfield men’s lacrosse suffered a triple overtime loss against Western New England, and eventually ended the season on a sour note. One year ago today, the Pride were sitting at a tough 4-8 record and fighting for a NEWMAC home playoff game.
Times have changed for Springfield 365 days later — for the better. The Pride rolled through Coast Guard winning 12-5 on Senior and Grandparents Day, and are two games over .500 (7-5) in the regular season for the first time since 2018.
After allowing a quick goal to start the game, Springfield’s offense was firing for the rest of the first half. Rory Scanlon ate a slash and netted one of his two goals on the day. Kevin Tierney had a masterful first 30 minutes of the game, assisting on five goals in the first half. Brady Soldo, Jake Degnan and Matt Webb all benefited from Tierney’s passes, with Webb most notably sniping one from 15 yards out. Springfield raced out to a 6-1 lead within a flash, and didn’t stop there.
Degnan notched his second goal of the game from the right wing, followed by two Riley Burgmyer goals and another Soldo rip from Degnan. The sophomore had only two assists on the season a week ago, but has now produced two-straight three-assist outings. Head coach Keith Bugbee is excited about the way Degnan has been playing recently.
“[Degnan] is a more complete player now,” Bugbee said. “He’s taken upon himself to be an initiator, not just scoring and being balanced. He still has a cannon though.”
As Springfield entered the second half up 10-2, its offense stalled, only putting in two goals. But the defense, heavily coached under Zach Chandler, has been strong all year, and came through big time. The team had eight caused turnovers, and forced multiple shot clock violations. Angus Oliviera led the way with two caused turnovers and three ground balls, along with goalkeeper Kaden Quirk’s 13 saves.
The five goals allowed by the Pride tied their lowest goal total on the season, with the other one coming in their game against Clark last Saturday.
“Any league win is a good win,” Bugbee said. “I love to get out of the gate like we did. I love that first half. I wish we scored a few more goals, but defensively, five goals is ridiculous. We’re going to keep riding that defensive momentum the rest of the season.”
The win against Coast Guard on Stagg Field marks their first home game in three weeks. Springfield went 3-1 in its last four games on the road, including big wins against cross-town rival Western New England 9-7 and NEWMAC foe MIT 15-13. Bugbee harps on playing a hard out of conference schedule to get his team prepared for the end of the season, and it’s shown with the success the Pride have had so far in 2025.
”This is definitely one of the stronger teams I’ve had,” Bugbee said. “Could’ve been even better if we flipped the two close losses, but I’m not surprised about our record. This is why we play who we play.”
With the regular season two weeks away from a close, The Pride still have three games left, including their Wednesday game against No. 7 Wesleyan. Although this game won’t have an effect on the NEWMAC (5-0), it could have a major impact on the NPI rankings, but it’s an opportunity to play yet another strong opponent for the Pride.
“We’re just trying to gain more confidence,” Bugbee said. “Hopefully it can be iron sharpening iron.”
Springfield plays Wesleyan on Wednesday at Stagg Field at 7 p.m.
Photo By Ella Travaglino