The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team came out fast on Saturday at Garber Field, shutting out the Davidson for the entire first half and finishing the game with a 14-4 victory.

The Minutewomen (7-3, 2-0 Atlantic 10) led 8-0 going into the second half. UMass had two goals each from Hannah Burnett and Hannah Palau, along with a hat trick from Kiley Anderson in the win.

The shutout of Davidson’s (6-4, 1-1 A-10) offense in the first half is attributed to a strong showing by the defense, with goalie Lauren Hiller making six saves in the half.

“I think it was just keep on the gas pedal,” said senior Kasey Keane. “Our identity has really become our ride. I think our success comes from not laying off from the attack, pressuring then pressuring. I think really just if everyone is full-out go, then teams won’t be able to see where the open girl is and our causing them chaos allows us to be successful.”

UMass was able to shut out Davidson’s high scoring players, Jordan Wood and Sarah Kopp, for the entire first half. But, going into the second half, the Wildcats made some adjustments to their approach. Within the first four minutes of the second half, Wood had cut the Minutewomen’s lead to six with back-to-back goals.

These two goals did little to faze UMass. It used a timeout, and came back and scored three goals within three minutes.

“I think it was just being aggressive and playing in attack-mode,” UMass coach Angela McMahon said. “We won a couple draws so that gave us some good opportunities. We had some great stops on the ride. Specifically out of that timeout, I thought for us to shut them down out of a timeout on the ride and cause a turnover was awesome. We just want to continue being aggressive and give ourselves opportunities on offense.”

The Minutewomen would go on to score a total of six goals in the second half with Anderson’s third of the game, Burnett’s second, and goals by Brooke McDaid, Stephanie Croke and Haley Connaughton. The Wildcats would tally two more goals, but the UMass defense was still very much in the game, causing 14 turnovers in the second half.

Keane was able to capitalize on ground balls and convert a defensive effort into an offensive one while the team was a man down due to a penalty.

“At that point, it’s just everyone working in a cohesive unit on a string and my teammates were in a good position where I was able to read that, because if they weren’t in those spots, then I wouldn’t have been able to get that,” Keane said. “It’s really about them putting in the effort and then scooping in the back to try to get that.”

McMahon expressed that while the offense could have been better, she still believes the team played a good game.

“I think they did well,” McMahon said. “They settled down a little bit, taking the extra second to finish their shots. A few were forced and rushed, so I think we just need to be a little bit more composed than that, but I think, all in all, we had some really good holds on some shot clocks there.

“I was pretty happy with that and just for us to come out with a really strong defensive showing and only giving up four goals, which you know, we’ve given up quite a few more over the past few games, so it was great to see zero at half time.”

Emilia Beuger can be reached at ebeuger@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @ebeuger.

The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team stepped onto Garber Field on Sunday with a four-game winning streak, and walked off with five in a row following its 22-10 victory. La Salle (4-8, 0-4 Atlantic 10) did not have an answer for UMass’ mix of skilled players on the offensive end, as 12 different players scored for UMass (9-3, 4-0 A-10).

Multi-goal scorers for the Minutewomen included Kiley Anderson, Hannah Burnett, Abby Walker, Bella O’Connor and Cassidy Doster.

“It is not a specific game tactic, it is our team identity,” UMass coach Angela McMahon said. “The more people we have involved the better. [We got everyone involved] especially by moving the ball quickly, because at the end of the day the ball moves quicker than our feet.”

With the fast-paced, widespread offense that UMass utilized, players were able to find each other with relative ease. It was clear that every Minutewomen understood how to play in this manner, as both starters and bench players created effective offensive attacks with the breadth of the field.

“We don’t want to be one of those teams constantly setting up one-on-ones,” McMahon said. “We want to be sharing the ball, having assisted goals and having a team offense.”

This strategy of rotation and teamwork has allowed UMass to go on impressive in-game runs against A-10 opponents. The Explorers were victimized by this on Sunday when five separate Minutewomen contributed to five unanswered goals early in the second half. A pair of Hannahs — Burnett and Palau — started the streak with goals less than a minute apart.

“I think one thing we really tried to focus on in this game was spreading out our attack, moving the ball and keeping our heads up to look for the open cutters,” Anderson said. “So, I feel like what we were able to do to La Salle was spread out their defense, penetrate and then kick it back outside to find the open girl.”

By the time Anderson put the fifth one in the net, the score had transformed from a reachable game for La Salle to an insurmountable 19-7 deficit.

The variety of talent can be overseen thanks to athletes like Anderson, who take the headline in so many matches. However, an efficiently diverse offense does not work without players who initially spark energy and collaboration. At a score of 18-7, Anderson thrilled the home crowd with a behind-the-back shot off a quick transition.

“What I saw was Palau get the ball low while I was cutting through the middle and I had my stick up,” Kiley said. “She hit me and I saw my defender in front of me so I decided to throw it behind my back and thankfully it went in.”

The Minutewomen scored three more times, and finished off a 22-10.

UMass next takes on George Mason on the road Friday at 6 p.m.

Dual-sport athlete Marra scores first career goal

Nothing spoke more to the extent of involvement on Sunday than when freshman Kelly Marra scored an unassisted goal with 5:51 left in the game. While the stat sheet showed quite a diversity of names, it could not come close to capturing the excitement from scoring a first collegiate goal.

Marra is a two-sport athlete, and played for the UMass women’s soccer team in the fall and is now a member of the women’s lacrosse program.

Her goal was the first of her career, and the second point to which she has contributed.

“It was awesome,” Marra said postgame. “This was a really good game and we capitalized on a lot. Such an awesome feeling. [The Women’s Lacrosse Program] is awesome – I love the soccer team, but the lacrosse girls as well, so it’s great being part of the two programs.”

UMass lacrosse fans are used to high-volume scorers like Anderson, Burnett and former A-10 Offensive Player of the Year Holly Turner. Unlike these upperclassmen, Marra comes off the bench for UMass and is a perfect example of just how talented the depth of the team is.

Marra, a former captain from Sayville High School in New York, has already proven her athleticism with three goals on the soccer field as a Minutewoman. In fact, she came into the University with accolades such as All-County, All-American Honorable Mention and the Suffolk County Zone Award for Athletics and Academics. Marra also brings value from her experience in high school, where she ended her career with a total of 177 goals, 91 assists and team MVP honors.

Justin Ekstrom can be reached at jekstrom@umass.edu or @JustinJEkstrom on Twitter.

The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team notched a double-digit victory over George Washington on Sunday afternoon, a 21-8 win and another dominant performance to bump their Atlantic 10 win streak to 60 in a row.

2018 is becoming yet another year of highlights for UMass (11-3, 6-0 A-10). Senior Holly Turner, whose first assist in Friday’s game versus George Mason broke the school record for career assists, tore apart the Colonials (9-5, 2-4 A-10) for her second highlight game of the weekend.

With six assists, Turner tied her career-high for a single game and brought her career total to a program-record 127 in a performance that also included two goals. With three games and the playoffs left, there is still room for her to improve her career record, and even to catch her own season high — 45 assists — which she set last season.

“Considering the amount of All-American players we have had go through this program, this is an amazing feat,” said coach Angela McMahon of Turner. “It is one of the greatest stat lines to have. It shows how much of a team player she is. She is a field general.”

UMass’ offense stayed strong from start to finish. Hannah Burnett put five in the back of GW’s net, while Kaitlyn Cerasi and Kiley Anderson added three goals of their own. Anderson’s third goal with 23:05 left put UMass up 12-6 and increased her weekend total to 10.

“Cerasi was extremely aggressive and involved in the offense,” McMahon said. “Everyone has been involved in our games recently. Play is steady and consistent; we are feeling confident going into our last games.”

The current seven-game winning streak would not feel so dominant if not for the stellar defense of the Minutewomen, which can sometimes be overshadowed by great offensive play. GW, like many other teams, could not crack the code of how to get around UMass, and the Colonials were held to four goals in each half on 18 total shots.

UMass plays aggressive defense, looking to cause turnovers and transition quickly down the field, as the Colonials lost the ball 27 times — nine of those turnovers were caused by Minutewomen. It was also a clean game for UMass around their own net, as GW only had two free position shot opportunities all 40 minutes.

Junior Sammy Walters replaced Lauren Hiller in net for the final 30 minutes of the game as she made two saves and managed a defense that saw several freshmen get a chance to play.

Anderson records career-high performance, nets seven goals

The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team started its weekend road stint against George Mason Friday from Fairfax, Virginia.

UMass came out on top beating George Mason 15-8, a game in which midfielder Kiley Anderson racked up seven goals.

“A majority of our goals yesterday were assisted [and] that’s something that’s really key for us — having that team offensive setting and getting a lot of people involved,” McMahon said. “Yesterday was Kiley’s day and she really just did an outstanding job in that first half battling. [I’m] really proud of her.”

Cassidy Doster and Burnett each had a pair of goals, while the remaining four scores were scored up by a plethora of Minutewomen.

UMass nearly doubled Mason’s shot total, holding a 37-20 advantage.

“We were able to generate a lot of offense off of [our defensive play],” McMahon said. “We had a ton of transition, I mean, I wish in the second half there that we had capitalized a little bit more in our opportunities. We had a ton of shots, but I’m glad to be getting those shots.”

Stephanie Croke, with three ground balls and three turnovers, and Caroline Wyse, with three ground balls and a caused turnover, led the Minutewomen’s defense. Lauren Hiller recorded seven saves and four ground balls.

“I think our defense did a phenomenal job,” McMahon said. “It was one of the best defensive games we’ve played all year. [Hiller] was making saves…just a great overall team effort and it was really a catalyst for us on [defense] to get those saves and cause turnovers.”

UMass will face conference opponent Richmond in Virginia this Friday. The Spiders are undefeated in A-10 play this year and have lost only one game in all of March and April.

Friday’s start is set for 4 p.m.

Justin Ekstrom can be reached at jekstrom@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @JustinJEkstrom, and Ryan Beaton can be reached at rcbeaton@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @ry_beaton.

The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team will take on Richmond on Friday at 4 p.m. in Virginia. This match marks the final stretch of games for UMass as it wraps up Atlantic 10 regular season play next week.

The Minutewomen (11-3, 6-0 A-10) need to end the Spiders’ (12-2, 6-0 A-10) undefeated A-10 streak to gain the top position in the standings.

UMass coach Angela McMahon expressed how the team’s effort and play has led to its success this season. The Minutewomen are looking to continue their energy moving forward.

“I think it’s good. They’re just focused on playing together and keeping our momentum going,” McMahon said. “The end of the year is always a fun time because you appreciate each and every day that much more because you know that the end is near. I think they’re really locked in. They’re really excited for games this weekend and going on the road again. I think that’ll be good. They’re always pumped. They’re excited to play our A-10 rivals.”

 Richmond has had a strong season, leading the A-10 standings all season due to having a better overall record. The Spiders’ offense has dominated the A-10 standings as well with Katie Sciandra and Kim Egizi ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in goals scored—52 and 48 respectively. 

The Minutewomen recognize the challenge that they face on Friday.

 “They’re tough, they’re a really good team,” McMahon said. “They’ve done really well over this past season. But really the past couple years, they’re doing better and better. They’re definitely strong all over the field. For us, it’s all about focusing on what we do well and trying to do it as often as possible.”

 Defense is going to be a large part of the game because of the strong showing by Richmond.

 “Richmond’s a strong team and every game that we played has really been a battle,” McMahon said. “I love how our defense is coming together and playing as a unit, especially these past two games were really great defensive games for us. Overall, I think in our A-10 play, we’ve had some really good defensive games. I want that definitely going forward and us really continuing to build and hitting our stride.”

The Minutewomen need to be up for the challenge against their toughest conference opponent and dictate the pace of play.

“Just really playing our game,” McMahon said. “When we do that and when we do that as a unit, from top to bottom, including energy from the bench, we are hard to stop. I think our focus is really on ourselves and what we need to do, playing, having fun, celebrating goals, celebrating plays.”

The veteran players who have been playing a large role this season are ready for the challenge and coach McMahon is confident that their experience will show on the field.

“I think that they just shine in these moments where they trust their teammates,” McMahon said. “It’s all about decision-making and putting yourself in the best position on the field possible. I think that they have so much experience playing together for so long that it’s really just playing off of each other and at any one given point, anyone of our players could go off for a great game. I think you’ve been seeing that probably in games where it’s rotating between Holly [Turner] has a big game, [Hannah] Burnett has a big game, Kate [Cerasi] has a big game, Kiley [Anderson]. You have some games like the other day where they’re all on. That’s awesome because we’re scoring a lot of goals in that situation.”

Emilia Beuger can be reached at ebeuger@umass.eduand followed on Twitter @ebeuger.

Despite overcoming an early deficit to push the game into overtime, the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team couldn’t pull out a victory against Virginia Commonwealth, losing 17-16.

The loss snaps a 61-game consecutive inter-conference win streak for UMass that stretched back to 2010.

“We never ever really were worried about [the streak],” UMass coach Angela McMahon said. “It’s something I’ve never thought about. I don’t think the players ever really thought about it. The focus has always been trying to win our game every time we step out on the field. It’s a prideful thing, but in the end its just not that important. What is important is that every time we come to play, we play to the best of our ability but unfortunately today we were on the short end of the stick.”

After falling behind 3-0 within the first five minutes, the Minutewomen (12-4, 7-1 Atlantic-10)  battled their way back to take a 10-8 lead going into halftime. Holly Turner led the offensive battle, assisting on five goals in the first half. She would finish with seven in the game.

“Holly is a connector, and she has just great field vision,” McMahon said. “She was seeing her teammates really well and moving the ball well.”

Trailing by two at halftime, VCU (7-9, 5-3 A-10) didn’t let up. Midway through the second half, the Rams went on a 7-1 run, giving them a one-goal lead with 21 seconds remaining in regulation.

Turner wasn’t done yet, however. With one second remaining in regulation, the forward netted her third goal of the game to send it into overtime. Turner is familiar with late-game heroics, as she also assisted on the game-winning goal in overtime against Ohio State this season.

The overtime period saw back-and-forth offensive efforts as VCU and UMass both had opportunities to score, including a Hannah Burnett free-position opportunity for the Minutewomen that was saved, and another shot by Burnett that hit the post.

With 1:43 remaining in overtime, UMass defender Jill Boehmcke committed a foul, giving the Rams a free-position shot. VCU forward Molly Barcikowski was able to find the back of the net for the win, tallying her fifth goal of the day.

“It’s a regular season game,” McMahon said. “We’re going to move forward. We have another game on Saturday, and we’re in the Atlantic-10 Championship weekend. That’s where our focus is going to shift, and we’re making sure we are preparing to be the best team we can possibly be in those competitions.”The Minutewomen will look to get back on track in their final regular season game on Saturday versus Duquesne.

UMass tops Richmond on Friday

After falling behind early to Richmond, UMass was able to battle back from a 4-2 deficit to defeat the Spiders 17-13.

Though trailing on the scoreboard is an uncommon occurrence for the Minutewomen, coach Angela McMahon knew what it would take to reverse the team’s underwhelming first half performance at halftime.

“The focus was just to be a little more dynamic with what we were doing and not just going through the motions,” McMahon said. “We needed to be a little more aggressive, but aggressive together to really create opportunities for us to go to the goal.”

UMass was able to get the momentum at halftime with goals scored by Kaitlyn Cerasi to end the first, and by Ashley Faulhaber to begin the second. However, the Spiders (13-3, 7-1 A-10) wouldn’t go away, tying the game at nine early in the second half.

Despite the back-and-forth play of most of the game, the Minutewomen put their foot on the gas during the second half. A 6-2 scoring run allowed them to build an insurmountable four goal lead, excelling them toward the eventual 17-13 victory.

McMahon had high praise for her team following the victory.

“Overall, I was just really proud of our resilience,” McMahon said. “But specifically having so many different people step up, that’s something we’ve talked about all season long. We play as a team. We aren’t somebody who revolves offensively or defensively around one player. I just think that we had a lot of people step up and really seize the moment when it was right there in front of them.”

Dan McGee can be reached at dmcgee@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @DMcGeeUMass.

The Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team will play its final home game of the season on Saturday against Duquesne. It will be Senior Day as the Minutewomen will round out their regular season schedule.

Coming off a loss against Virginia Commonwealth over the weekend, the Minutewomen (12-4, 7-1 Atlantic 10) are looking to play better in Saturday’s matchup against the Dukes (4-11, 2-6 A-10).

The team will have almost a week of rest, which UMass coach Angela McMahon sees as crucial.

“Recovery and rest does a lot, not just for their bodies but their minds too,” she said.

While Minutewomen have not faced much conference adversity in recent years, the veterans, many of whom are seniors, can still provide a sense of poise which is key to the atmosphere of the game.

“Initiate the tempo and set the tone of the game,” McMahon said. “It’s a big class and also a big class of a lot of leaders that we really lean on. For them to really set the tone and set the tempo of the game is going to provide us not just a spark, but a really good energy that will hopefully carry us through the whole game.”

Duquesne secured a large victory over George Washington last week, scoring 14 goals in the second half to win 20-13. Maddie Hart and Jill Vacanti, Duquesne’s top scorers, led the effort. Hart had four goals and Vacanti had three goals, and will pose a threat to the defense on Saturday.

McMahon recognizes the team needs to focus on what they can improve upon in Saturday’s game.

“I think really it’s about the focus on us and cleaning up some things on our end,” McMahon said. “Especially at this point in the season, where everyone’s really fighting, whether it’s to make the playoffs or make a playoff run. Everyone’s really honing in on the intensity and aggressiveness of play,” said McMahon about how the upcoming Atlantic 10 tournament affects play.”

According to McMahon, the Minutewomen need to focus on maintaining possession and dictating the tone of the game.

“That’s going to be our focus point, valuing the ball, making sure we have good possessions,” McMahon said. “I think if we really dominate time of possession, whether it’s off ground balls, draw controls, things like that. The more we have the ball the better. We have more offensive opportunities, so that will be a key thing for us.”

The seniors as well as the rest of the team realize the need to create opportunities in front of the net.

“We just have to go out and match it. On defense, we just have to limit it,” said redshirt senior Hannah Burnett. “I think [McMahon] preaches to us that we want to get at least 40 shots on goal, so if we can go out and get 40, shooting around 50 percent or even a little bit lower, you’re going to get a lot of goals. We just have to be able to match their offense and weather the storm on defense as well.”

Coach McMahon wants the team to do well for the seniors, stating: “We want to honor the seniors and really send them out with a game that they really feel good about, and walk off the field feeling good about that last regular season that they play.”

The Minutewomen will play their final home game of the season and last game of the regular season at Garber Field on Saturday at noon.

Emilia Beuger can be reached at ebeuger@umass.edu and can be followed on Twitter @ebeuger.

Saturday’s game not only showcased the talents of the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team’s seniors, but also the efforts of underclassmen stepping up to create plays that led to the Minutewomen’s victory over Duquesne, 21-6. This was the final home game and final regular season game before the Atlantic 10 Tournament next week.

The Minutewomen (13-4, 8-1 A-10) saw strong performances by not only younger players, but also veteran players in the win over the Dukes (4-12, 2-7 A-10).

A strong push in the first five minutes of the second half by the Minutewomen secured the win with goals by Ashley Faulhaber, Holly Turner and Kaitlyn Cerasi.

“We moved the ball really fast on offense—that was the game plan,” Faulhaber said.

A pivotal moment of the game was the joint effort by seniors Faulhaber and Turner to set up captain Hannah Burnett’s fourth and final goal of the game.

“Ashley passed it down to Holly and I was just kind of able to backdoor my girl and Holly made an unbelievable feed right over the cross bar and I was just able to finish it quickly,” Burnett said.

“We work on it a lot at practice,” Faulhaber said about the play. “Getting it behind, working it back up top, a lot of back and forth, so I’m really glad we could connect on it.”

This push by the Minutewomen in the second half built on their strong lead in the first half, where they led 13-3 going into halftime.

This was the first game since the team’s loss last week vs. Virginia Commonwealth. UMass coach Angela McMahon had expressed the need for improvement following the loss, and said that the team had improved in Saturday’s game.

“I think we were moving the ball better, we were more aggressive, more assisted goals,” Faulhaber said. “I think we were just getting the shots that we wanted vs. the shots that we were being forced into. So, I thought that we did a good job of initiating and being aggressive offensively. Defensively, I thought they did a great job. Really having some good sets, playing together and specifically playing aggressive and slowing the ball down.”

Strong offense and defense contributed to the win, with hat tricks for both Cerasi and Turner. Lauren Hiller and Sam Walters split the time in goal, making a combined eight saves.

Underclassmen such as Ally Murphy and Kelly Marra stepped up in the game, with Murphy tallying two assists and Marra tallying two goals.

“I think Ally [Murphy] did great,” said McMahon. “She’s so scrappy and aggressive on ground balls. She’s been battling in practice and giving her an opportunity with what she’s been doing on the draw control and on the circle for us to get out there and do her thing. And she did a good job. For us, the focus is not necessarily about who it is, it’s just anyone who’s going to be ready to step up and put ourselves in a position to go put the ball in the back of the net. And on the circle, she definitely did that.”

The team is looking to build upon this win going into the A-10 Tournament next week after securing the No. 1 seed in the tournament and winning the regular season championship. The Minutewomen are looking to win their tenth consecutive A-10 title next week.

“[It’s] definitely great momentum,” McMahon said. “Putting up a lot of goals against a really scrappy Duquesne. I mean, they’ve been scoring a lot of goals in these games leading up, so I thought for us to have a good offensive day but really shutting them down on D, I think everyone really stepped up.”

The Minutewomen play next in the semifinals in Richmond, Virginia against either Davidson or VCU on Friday.

Emilia Beuger can be reached at ebeuger@umass.edu or followed on Twitter @ebeuger.

In a one-sided affair, Massachusetts (13-4, 8-1 Atlantic 10) came out on top 21-6 against Duquesne (4-12, 2-7 A10). A solid defensive stand built the base for an electric offense that was eager to score for a full 60 minutes. It was the seniors who, fittingly, led the charge in UMass’ final home game of the season.

The Saturday afternoon was full of excitement before the final results were even in, because it was Senior Day, which meant it was time to celebrate this year’s senior class with their family and friends.

Redshirt senior Hannah Burnett has been the heart and soul of this lacrosse team for several years now. Saturday was no different. She led the team in the first half by collecting a hat trick with more than six minutes left in the first, and even added one more in the second half.

“The past four years with [my senior teammates] has been unforgettable,” recalled Burnett, who scored 57 goals this year alone. “It’s been awesome…I’m glad we could connect and experience [Senior Day] today.”

Burnett is one of eight players who were honored at Garber Field. They will be remembered for their character, records and accomplishments, including making it to the Elite Eight of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The group also included Kristen LoManto, Abby Walker, Holly Turner, Ashley Faulhaber, Alex Flobeck, Kasey Keane, Bella O’Connor and junior Sam Walters, who will be graduating early.

Walters played the entire second half, where she went on to make several outstanding saves and played with an aggressive style. Only three shots found their way behind Walters as she solidified a strong regular season with a strong second half against the Dukes.

“She did great,” coach Angela McMahon said. “She saw the ball well, she was playing aggressive[ly] and she was working with her defenders around her really well. I’m really happy she had success.”

In front of Walters was a defense led by Alex Flobeck and Kristen LoManto. They were the key to the game’s dominance because of their ability to cause turnovers and minimize the number of opportunities for the Dukes. They were able to convert hard defense into quick transitions, even getting involved as goal scorers themselves.

LoManto scored her first career goal 13 minutes into the second half. It was a moment that captured the excitement and allure of Senior Day. As soon as LoManto put it behind Duquesne’s Emily McMinimee, her teammates on the field rushed to surround her.

“All season I’ve been trying to get a goal and I thought that since it was the last time on Garber Field I wanted to push myself,” LoManto said. “I pushed the fast break and it ended up being positive and I scored and I’m so excited about that. It felt unreal for it to happen on Senior Day and my whole family is here and just the sidelines where everyone was going crazy was awesome.”

Every senior has played exceptionally well this season, which has seen several special moments like LoManto’s. McMahon offered praise for the class.

“This is a great class, an amazing group and a lot of times you really need to spend a lot of time with leadership development, but these girls just had that,” McMahon said. “They came in with these amazing leadership qualities and just really carried this team in terms of steering them in the directions of where we wanted to go…This group of seniors is special. They have been great leaders and are a group that I do not have to worry about. They are like the extension of our coaching staff.”

Holly Turner ended her record-breaking season with a hat trick in style. Turner faked a pass as she went around the Dukes’ net, and launched a shot past the unsuspecting goaltender. It was the 20th goal of the day for the Minutewomen.

Her big day pushed her season points total past 80, another remarkable feat for last year’s A-10 offensive player of the year. Her absence from the roster next year will be highly noticeable. Turner scored 131 goals in her time at UMass and is currently second all-time in career points in the A-10.

Bella O’Connor is another senior who led by example this game and this whole season through her consistency and effort. Although not a regular goal scorer, O’Connor played in every single game this season and scored her fifth goal of the season to put UMass up 5-1 early in the game.

At the end of the game, each senior was honored in the middle of the field with their families. Their season and career accomplishments were noted and they enjoyed a beautiful day on Garber Field for one last time.

“Before the game, we came together and said this is our last time on Garber Field and it was just a surreal moment,” LoManto said.

It was another memorable and dominant regular season for the Minutewomen, which is why they still have the playoffs to look forward to.

The A-10 Championships kicks off May 4 in Richmond, Virginia. Massachusetts enters as the No. 1 seed.

Justin Ekstrom can be reached at jekstrom@umass.edu and on Twitter @JustinJEkstrom.

Holly Turner loves to assist. Plain and simple. She’s been doing it since her first game with the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team.

In her first game as a Minutewoman, attacker Holly Turner stepped onto the field, shaking—mostly from the cold, but also from some nerves.

She’s a freshman and she’s about to get her shot. In a close game against Connecticut, UMass coach Angela McMahon signals for Turner to take the field. Minutes after assuming her position on the McGuirk Alumni Stadium turf, she assists on a goal scored by Hannah Murphy. That was assist No. 1.

The game would need two overtimes before a final score could be recorded.

Less than a minute into the second overtime, Turner scores off of a free-position shot to win the game. That was goal No. 1

The memory of this freshman scoring the game-winning goal in a huge game over UConn still sticks with both Turner and McMahon. But to Turner, “it was just another game.”

This mentality of going out and just playing the game has stuck with Turner since that game her freshman year.

To Turner, it’s not about her accomplishments; the most important part of lacrosse to her is the team and how she can best help everyone else, not the statistics and rewards that have marked her career at UMass. She deflects most questions regarding her performance, attributing her success to wanting to do what’s best for the team.

The team, to Turner, comes first.

The team that brought her here in the first place.

Growing up in Pittsford, New York, Turner’s life revolved around lacrosse. After a brief stint playing soccer in the first grade, someone suggested she switch to lacrosse. Years later, when looking at schools to play lacrosse for, she held the familial atmosphere in high regard.

“I just loved the family aspect of the team…I didn’t feel that anywhere else,” Turne said. “I thought UMass was a great fit for me. The coaches said they saw it too: that I could really help this team out. And that’s what I wanted to do.”

During her time at UMass, Turner has established herself as a leader and role model to younger players.

“I think she is a coach on the field and to have that type of role and perform and execute on her end at the same time really is a lot,” McMahon said. “She has a lot on her shoulders, but she handles it very, very well. I think that her teammates really respect and respond to her.”

Turner welcomes the responsibility. “I love bringing energy. I love getting people pumped up. I love being that person that they can count on. You can put whatever you want on me and I’ll take that and put it on myself and I can handle it.”

“The thing I’m most proud of about her is how she has developed into a really amazing leader and a consistent voice that not only her teammates, but me as a coach, can really rely on,” coach McMahon said. Not only can her coaches and teammates rely on her leadership, they can also rely on her abilities in scoring and assisting.”

Katherine Mayo

With her abilities to see where others are on the field, play the crease and tally points in almost every match she plays, Turner’s statistics tell a tale of dominance in Division I lacrosse.

Turner currently holds the record for most single-season turnovers, second for most single-season assists and first for most single-season assists per game. Those are just her single-season records. She’s ranked in almost every offensive category and she leads the team in points and assists.

But when you ask her about it, she’ll tell you that she doesn’t even know that she breaks a record until after she leaves the turf.

“It’s just me playing and doing what I love,” Turner said. “If I’m doing something great on the field and that’s helping our team out, I think that’s what I love to do. Breaking these records is just an added bonus to playing lacrosse.”

The key part to her play and her records is her penchant for assists. Turner loves to assist.

It’s her main goal the second she steps on the field. She doesn’t want to score the goal herself; she would rather have someone else take the shot that she wants to set up.

“I love assisting much more than scoring,” she said. “My main goal is to get an assist on the inside and have an easy, close goal up on net.”

This season, Turner leads the team in assists and has the most career assists in program history. Assisting has always been a part of her game. Turner learned her role on the field through her time as an underclassman.

“Just being younger, playing with older girls, I always thought my role on the team was to get other people open, so I just thought that was the first goal of mine to do,” Turner said. “Then, once I got older, I started going cage more. I think that aspect of my game improved so much: seeing the field better, seeing girls that were open on the field, and being able to make those big plays.”

One of the teammates who she assists almost every game is captain and fellow senior Hannah Burnett. The two together are a force. Strong passes from Turner from behind the net to Burnett are commonplace and are executed with near perfection. Turner’s ability to connect her pass with Burnett for the opportune strike on the goalie has come to dominate statistics sheets.

Turner and Burnett attribute their success together to an instinctual connection they share.

“Me and Holly are really close,” Burnett said. “Obviously I love Holly, on and off the field. We’ve always just had really good chemistry on the field.”

“I think there’s an instant connection with us,” Turner said. “We found it really well last year. She’s just a really good person who cuts and gets open. If I get it to her stick, I know she can finish the ball. That’s just a huge positive aspect of the game, just knowing that someone is looking to get open for you is really helpful in this game.”

Burnett reflected the same sentiment about the two. “I just kind of always know when she’s going to look to pass and she knows when I’m going to cut. It’s kind of this unspoken connection that we have and it’s able to bring us some success, so it’s been really fun,” she said with a smile.

Turner views Burnett as one of her mentors, even if they are in the same class and have played the past four years together.

Now Turner is breaking the records of her mentors and hopes to be a mentor to younger players in the same way. The upperclassmen had profound impacts on how she played and how she has become the player she is today.

“I love that I’m able to accumulate that many points and break people’s records that were great players like Katie Farris and Erika Eipp,” Turner said. “I think they were great players and I looked up to them a lot coming into here and playing with them [Erika]. She was another mentor of mine, she played behind the crease too. She taught me a lot of things that I never realized. I had never played behind the crease before I came here.”

Caroline O’Connor

In the Atlantic 10 Finals last year, Turner was locked off by Richmond’s defense behind the crease in the second half. She had scored the first Minutewomen goal of the game in the first half, but she was stuck.

She couldn’t make the plays she wanted and couldn’t get a shot herself. As she usually does, she looked for her teammates who were open. When she did get the ball, she was able to get behind the crease and release a side-arm shot, tying the game at 12-12 with seven minutes remaining. Surprisingly, Turner did not register an assist in the championship game.

Turner recognizes that her performance is affected by the defense, which has contributed to how she plays.

“I just wanted to get everyone else open. We had a lot of assisted passes and goals from the inside. I think that’s what my main role was. Whatever defense any team throws at us and knowing what your role is in that and making sure I can play that role to the best of my ability.”

Turner is looking forward to going back to the A-10 Tournament this year because it means more games with the team she loves.

“I love big competition,” Turner said. “I love those type of games: where everything is counting on our team as a whole being all together and I’m just really excited to see what our team can do. I think we could win it all this year and I do hope that we can come out with a win.”

Katherine Mayo

Moving away from her time at UMass, Turner reflected on how playing lacrosse here has changed her and allowed her to grow. Her confidence has grown over the past four years to improve her game to assist the entire team, not just to score goals. She never anticipated playing at this level.

Last month, Turner was drafted to play professional lacrosse with the Boston Storm, a member of the United Women’s Lacrosse League. It was announced that she was drafted on Twitter, yet she only found out after her mom called her with the news. She’ll be playing with the team this summer.

As Turner looks to win another A-10 championship at UMass, she sees it the same way that she has seen all of her games since her freshman debut. That mentality of just going out and playing the game, and having fun with it, has allowed her to be successful as a Minutewoman.

“She has been setting her mark all through her career,” McMahon said.

That game vs. UConn and that moment made Turner realize her place on the team. It gave her the confidence to grow as a player and become the player she is today.

“You never really think you’re going to play that much, but being a younger kid and getting that game-winner is a huge confidence booster,” Turner said. “I think that’s where my career started to escalate.”

As Turner looks to continue her streak as a top A-10 player, she’s going into the tournament and her future in the same way that she went into the game her freshman year: it’s just another game and it’s another chance to play the role she was born to play.

“Everything that’s happened to me—love that. This team—love them. Love pretty much where I’m going,” Turner said, smiling. “I’ve had a great four years here and I’m really upset to see it go. I’m going to try to make it last as long as possible if I keep winning and stuff like that.”

So Turner will finish out her college career ignoring the glory and accepting her role as just another part of the machine that is UMass women’s lacrosse. She will finish the way she started: just playing the game and taking every chance she can to get the win because that’s what she came to UMass to do.

Emilia Beuger can be reached at ebeuger@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @ebeuger.

On April 28, 2018, Garber Field hosted Senior Day for the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team. Nine seniors were honored during a pregame ceremony, preluding what is to be a major leadership overhaul between now and the start of the 2019 season.

Fast forward almost 10 months and you’ll see a brand-new team practicing on the Garber turf. The show-stopping duo of Holly Turner and Hannah Burnett is no longer leading the Minutewomen.

However, a familiar face is now ready to take over at the helm. It’s Kaitlyn Cerasi’s time to shine.

“This is the most confident I’ve seen her since she’s been here,” said head coach Angela McMahon.

Now entering into her junior year, it’s no secret Cerasi took a couple years to break out of her shell.

“I mean, she was pretty quiet,” said McMahon on her first impression of Cerasi. “She really didn’t say a lot.”

That same quietness gave Cerasi the ability to watch and observe for her first couple of years, knowing she would potentially have to prepare for a new role—a more vocal role—down the road.

“She’s not super loud or going to dominate [over others] in any conversation,” McMahon said. “But when it’s time for her to speak, she has no problem with doing so.”

Cerasi scored 69 points for the Minutewomen last year, third in offensive production behind only Turner and Burnett. That effectively makes Cerasi the player to watch this season as UMass looks for someone to fill the space in the scoresheet left by her predecessors.

Fittingly, the once reserved freshman doesn’t feel the need to try and score on every play. Cerasi’s 30 assists last season reinforce the type of player McMahon sees her to be, the ultimate “feeder.”

“She sees the field really well,” McMahon said. “She’s a great teammate; she’s very unselfish. We really try our best to be a team offense and not, necessarily, have that one go-to player.”

If that’s the team mentality McMahon preaches, then Cerasi fits the system to a tee. Often found sunk below the goal line during play, she’s able to dish out quick passes to teammates, much appreciative of her efforts. Just ask redshirt senior, Kiley Anderson, who scored 47 goals for the Minutewomen last season.

“Having Kaitlyn behind [the net] on the left side is one of the best things about our offense,” Anderson said. “She just has such a drive and such a niche to hit the open girl. I think she also has a great balance of knowing when it’s the right time to feed and when it’s time to drive to the cage.”

Cerasi’s participation in all aspects of the Minutewomen offense makes her the most well-rounded attack position on the roster. She had six games last season where she scored at least five points, along with three seven-point games.

“Obviously there’s a range of skill and ability, however, she wants her teammates to be just as successful as her,” McMahon said. “I think she understands her role really well, in that, when she has opportunities, she has a green light all the time. We have full faith and trust in her.”

The kind of player-to-coach connection Cerasi has built with McMahon is one that shouldn’t be taken for granted. McMahon is as competitive as coaches come, winning seven Atlantic 10 titles in her eight years at UMass.

“She checked all the boxes for us,” said McMahon on brining Cerasi to UMass. “As she got older and more confident, you started to hear her speak out more and more.”

Now, McMahon speaks about getting the opportunity to sit down with Cerasi every week to bounce ideas off each other. Player and coach, teaming up in a most symbiotic relationship, willing to routinely go over different strategies and game plans that will hopefully give them the competitive advantage.

A rough time to take over as team leader, Cerasi will try to spark a UMass team that was upset by Richmond in last spring’s A-10 championship. The loss of multiple veteran players on this UMass squad will see Cerasi, with help from Anderson, pulling together a predominantly young team.

“I think we’ve been taking steps all fall, working on our leadership on the attacking end,” Anderson said. “We definitely have a lot of pressure [stepping up as leaders], but we’re really excited to work toward it.”

Cerasi, specifically, looks to work toward filling the large shoes left behind by Turner.

“We had our wings; Holly [Turner] was my wing player,” Cerasi said. “She would just teach me things like the importance of when to drive and when to feed.”

One thing most—if not all—successful teams have is good chemistry. One thing the now-graduated Burnett did so well last year was to keep the mood light. She knew lacrosse was important to every girl on that team, but she believed they should be able to escape that mentality at the end of the day. Cerasi wants to bring that same energy under her reign.

“On game days we’ll do team lunch either before or after games,” Cerasi said. “Before games, we’ll try to hype each other up in the locker-room, play music and everything.”

Even though the turnover on the team is significant this year, Cerasi isn’t worried about problems with the team not meshing. She compared the Minutewomen to one big family, knowing everything about one another, and spending lots of time with each other.

“I think the biggest thing is that we have each other’s back, especially when we’re on the field,” Cerasi said.

For any player to excel in one particular area—leading, shooting, passing—of the game is pretty special, but to have all of them is rare. Cerasi is an example of a player that can do it all, standing out in not just one, but multiple facets of the game.

“Kaitlyn’s one of those people where you can, literally, count on her to work hard every single day,” Anderson said. “She just does everything right.”

Ryan Beaton can be reached at rcbeaton@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @ry_beaton.