On Sunday afternoon, the Massachusetts’s women’s soccer team honored its nine seniors, Sarah DeFreitas, Rose Gevanthor, Macy Graves, Ashley Lamond, Kelly Pease, Chandler Pedolzky, Emma Pedolzky, Bella Recinos and Juliana Ryan during an emotional senior day celebration at Rudd Field.
The Minutewomen (5-2-1) battled UMass Lowell (1-5-2) in a hard-fought, aggressive match, emerging victorious with a 1-0 win.
Before kickoff against the River Hawks, the atmosphere on the pitch was filled with emotion as UMass honored its senior players. Teammates rallied around all nine seniors, who were celebrated alongside their families and friends during the ceremony. Each senior was individually acknowledged for their contributions to the program, adding a personal touch to the day’s events.
“Senior days are always really emotional,” head coach Jason Dowiak said. “We talked a lot about the pregame and just controlling those emotions.”
Despite the day’s significance, the Minutewomen displayed impressive dominance over UMass Lowell, firing off 28 shots and creating numerous scoring opportunities. UMass secured a 1-0 victory, a fitting tribute to its senior players.
“We were able to really celebrate our seniors with a win,” Dowiak said. “Just really proud of all of them.”
Senior forward Ashley Lamond played a pivotal role in the game, taking five shots during her 75 minutes on the field. One notable moment from the matchup against the River Hawks came in the 16th minute, when she attempted a bicycle kick aimed at the left corner of the goal. But, her effort was all for naught due to a foul after contact with UMass Lowell’s defender, Kelli Buckley, preventing the goal from being tallied on the board.
“Going into the game we were all pretty sad,” Lamond said. “But we [wanted] to go out with a bang.”
Lamond has been a standout performer throughout her UMass career. In 2021, she led the team with eight goals and four assists, earning Atlantic 10 Second-Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team honors. In 2023, she played in all 18 games, starting 17, and scored five goals with two assists, ranking second on the team in both categories. Her consistent contributions have been crucial to the team’s success over the years.
“It’s definitely very bittersweet,” said Lamond. “Over the years [we’ve] gotten so close.”
Both Pedolzky sisters made notable contributions on senior day as well. Chandler Pedolzky was particularly involved in the attack, taking four shots, three of which were on target. This performance mirrored her efforts from the previous year’s matchup against the River Hawks, where she also took a season-high four shots.
Meanwhile, Emma Pedolzky played a crucial role too, contributing one shot and several key passes that were instrumental in maintaining possession for UMass. According to Dowiak, this victory marked the first senior day win for the Minutewomen in seven seasons.
“[The seniors] are a really special group,” Dowiak said. “They were the freshmen when we went to our first Atlantic 10 final. They’ve continued to grow, and they’ve helped me grow too.”
The UMass seniors, along with the rest of the women’s soccer team, look to continue their four-game winning streak as they face off against Saint Louis University on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 4 p.m.
“Attitude, leadership, discipline [are] the three biggest ones,” Dowiak said of the values his seniors bring to the program. “They want to be better … they’ve worked so hard to get our program to where it is.”
Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter/X at @Kate_e_endres.
