Rain or shine, the UMass women’s lacrosse seniors were to be honored Saturday afternoon at Garber Field to commemorate an end to their regular season careers.
It was rain that ended up prevailing during pregame ceremonies. But that didn’t stop parents and loved ones of Kiley Anderson, Hannah Palau and Cassidy Doster—the team’s three seniors—from standing out in wet conditions for one last picture on home turf.
Sixty minutes of play later, UMass would complete another perfect 9-0 Atlantic 10 regular-season run, beating down on George Washington 21-9 for the final game of the regular season.
“When I think about my career here, I think about all of the memories I’ve made on Garber Field,” said Anderson. “Good and bad memories. But, yeah, it was a really great send off and a really great day.”
In four years at UMass, thus far, Doster has recorded 107 career points while also contributing in the circle, capturing 65 draws. Palau, the only other senior in this year’s class to play all four years at UMass, broke onto the scene her junior year, contributing in large ways to the offensive production.
Anderson, who transferred over from Boston College after her freshman year, made a name for herself in Amherst as a draw specialist, with 208 controls—good for second all-time at UMass, along with 152 goals and 172 points in just 59 games.
“I can’t say enough about Hannah and Cassidy,” said Anderson. “Their work ethic, what they bring to the table is amazing. I’m going to miss them so much. I wouldn’t want to go out with any other two seniors.”
“[The seniors] were great in leading by example,” said UMass coach Angela McMahon. “They’re all just great people that are strong in their convictions. They exemplify our core values and have great character … they take what they do very seriously.”
As for Saturday, the trio would collectively account for 12 UMass tallies against GW.
“This is one of the best offensive teams we’ve had in our program history,” said McMahon. “All three of them were key components in [the offense].
With the postseason approaching, it becomes unclear which competition could be the last of their collegiate careers for this year’s class of Minutewomen.
“Win every single day,” said Anderson on the team’s mentality moving forward. “What we’re trying to do as a program—as UMass lacrosse, going into the A-10 tournament—is to stay focused and not get too ahead of ourselves.”
Taking things one step at a time, Massachusetts will aim their sights on the next task at hand: winning the A-10 Tournament. The Minutewomen have already captured the No. 1 seed heading into the championship bracket by winning out the entirety of their regular-season conference games.
The tournament is set to get underway April 25 and run until April 28. As the top seed in the field, UMass would not play until Friday, April 26, having earned a first-round bye. The Minutewomen will play the winner of No. 4 Saint Joseph’s and No. 5 Virginia Commonwealth.
McMahon and company will look for their currently-hot seniors to take over as the playoff season continues to roll through late April and the remainder of May.
“It all starts with the people,” said McMahon. “If you have good people, good things will happen. The seniors exemplify that.”
Ryan Beaton can be reached [email protected], and followed on Twitter @ry_beaton.
