By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor The Framingham State athletic department installed a new scoreboard at Maple Street fields in August. The scoreboard’s features surpass those of the previous model. Larry Miller, assistant athletic director and head softball coach, said, “It's more than just a scoreboard. It's basically a blank canvas - we can pretty much put in any kind of digital content, video, image, graphics, and it displays out.” Athletic Director Thomas Kelley said the department researched different options as far as sponsors for the updated scoreboard but ultimately decided to allocate money from a sizable donation given by the Moynihan family. Joseph F. Moynihan, an alumnus of Framingham State and a state trooper, passed away in a helicopter accident in 1990. The Moynihan family, in conjunction with other families, started a golf tournament to raise money for the state police. According to Kelley, there was also money raised and set aside for academic scholarships. When those scholarships did not go to use, Kelley said Framingham State athletics was given one of those scholarships as a donation from the Moynihan’s before the pandemic. The money was set aside for the eventual scoreboard. Carey Eggen, deputy director of athletics, said the scoreboard cost $113,235.30. There was an additional $9,276 cost for prep work on the installation site. Kelley said the previous scoreboard was installed in the early 1980s and was sponsored by Coca-Cola. The board had more rudimentary features including simple counters for the score, penalties, fouls, and time. Operators of the new scoreboard have the ability to cater to each individual sport and game. The board graphics will specify the visiting team by name, and statistics such as corner kicks and shots, and the number of attempted shots. There are also different graphics to emphasize visitor goals and celebrate Ram goals. There are also countdown graphics between periods. “We're just touching the tip of the iceberg with some of the stuff we can do with it - what we'd like to do is put some advertising on it, sponsors and stuff like that. We'll be able to do graphics for students and their accomplishments,” Kelley said. The women’s soccer team played against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Sept. 21 and won 3-0, marking their first win of the season and Head Coach Michael La Francesca’s first career win with Framingham State. To celebrate the accomplishment, Miller said, “We had the foresight to make a little graphic ahead of time, knowing the [win] was going to come eventually. So, after the game, we were able to throw up a little first career win [graphic].” The graphic featured La Francesca’s headshot as well as the athletic department's Ram logo and a “first career win” banner. La Francesca said, “It means a lot to both me and the team. [The scoreboard] is more than just a tool for tracking the score; it adds a sense of professionalism and pride. The athletes can see their hard work reflected up there. It also motivates them to give their best each game, knowing they have that kind of visible support.” Along with the technological advancements, the scoreboard will elevate the experience for Rams fans. “For the home crowd, it elevates the overall game-day experience. The clarity and visibility of the scoreboard engage the fans in a way that keeps them more connected to the action. Whether it’s tracking the time left or celebrating a goal, it adds a new level of excitement and involvement,” La Francesca said. Olivia Cuccia plays for the women’s soccer team and agrees with La Francesca that the scoreboard marks an improvement for the athletic program. “I think that it shows that the school is ready to invest in their women's soccer team again and really care for us and help us put our best foot forward,” Cuccia said. Rose Pagnoni also plays for the women’s soccer team and said, “It gives us the energy so we can give them the energy. … It really gives us hope.” Bryce Borletto-McCray, a captain on the men’s soccer team, said,“The new scoreboard definitely elevates our game-day experience with all the new special effects and pictures on the screen. It provides a professional atmosphere when playing at home. “After being here for three years, it’s great to see our playing field getting upgraded. It definitely helps during games. I can tell how much time is left or what the score is without having to strain my eyes. I just hope we can see a win [for men’s soccer] on that scoreboard soon,” he said. Molly Lanier, a member of the women’s lacrosse team, said the team is excited to experience the scoreboard when their season starts in the spring. “I think it’s going to be pretty cool being able to see what the athletic staff does with the new technology,” she added. Brooke Drass also plays for the women’s lacrosse team. “After watching some soccer games and how they use the scoreboard, I’m interested to see what they’ll project for our lacrosse games,” she said. Bella DiMare, a goalie for the women’s lacrosse team, said the scoreboard is easier to read and is more “visually appealing.” She said the level of professionalism it adds to the field “shows we aren’t here to mess around. We are here to compete.” Angelina Serra, a captain on the field hockey team, said the team “loves the new scoreboard! “Just having a picture of our team up there before the game even starts gets us ready to go as well as the goal animation after we score. “Something we’d maybe want to see is during the game when we do score, maybe [a picture] of the players that score. … Maybe goal highlights from previous games!” Serra added. Miller said the department plans to keep the graphic and content design “in house” and has implemented an internship program with a sports information intern who will be tasked with coming up with content ideas for the department's social media as well as the scoreboard. The sports information intern this year is Adrien Gobin. “My internship was just created this year. Some things I have been tasked with is elevating the content for the athletic social media page … and creating graphic ideas for the new scoreboard at the field,” she said. “Larry and I are learning together how the scoreboard works and what graphics look the best. It’s a lot of aesthetic choices - finding what colors and patterns look best and are readable for the audience. I’ve started coming up with some new ideas for a ‘goal’ graphic so hopefully, that can be up and running in a few weeks,” Miller said he would like to build relationships with academic departments, including sports management, to grow the internship program. “I think [they] are all great opportunities to help our students get practical, hands-on, real world experience,” he said. [Editor’s Note: Adrien Gobin is a Photos & Design Editor for The Gatepost.]