By Dillon Flanigan
Sports Editor
By Matt Cain
Contributor
After a rough 2024 lacrosse season, the Women’s Lacrosse team now has their sights set on being a top team in the NE10 conference. A year ago, the Owls got off to a rough start with an overall record of 8-9 and a conference record of 3-8.
Coming into this spring, the Owls graduated nine starters from their lineup and now look to rebuild. A key factor in having a successful year will be leadership. The Owls have adopted the next-man mentality and strive for the younger athletes to fall right into place.
“We’ve got to rebuild. I’m so proud of what the seniors last year accomplished. They made us competitive,” Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki said. “We lost crucial games at the end, but they made it competitive.”
As mentioned, leadership will be key for this team. Midfielder Bailey McDermott, a junior, who was named captain and came off the bench last season, looks to take everything she learned from last year’s seniors.
“I plan on translating my playing time from last year into this year by being a bigger leader. Last year and my freshman year really helped me get comfortable on the field. This year, I plan on making a bigger impact statistically and leadership-wise,” McDermott said.
The team is facing a learning curve, with several players returning from injury or limited playtime. Key juniors like goalkeeper Caelen Connors and midfielder Abigail Nolan are expected to have major impacts.
However, the team faces a tough schedule and Siedlecki deliberately schedules difficult competitions in the fall to avoid complacency. There’s hope that the Owls will improve as the season progresses, with the goal of achieving a better record than last year, despite the tough non-conference schedule.
“Heading into this season, the approach to our mentality has shifted completely. I’ve noticed mentally, culturally and physically that our team has turned a corner for the better,” McDermott said. We have set standards and goals that are followed every day, making us work harder. I have very high hopes for this season.”
Siedlecki emphasizes that while winning is important, the primary goal early in the season is to assess player performance and give younger players valuable experience. Non-conference games are used to help the team get comfortable and shake off nerves, specially since players are still adjusting to the game plan. While some of these games might not always result in wins, they provide crucial learning opportunities.
They are focused on making the playoffs and improving within the league, with strong upperclassman leadership helping guide the younger players, including sophomores and freshmen, who will play significant roles this season.
“We’ve got two high school All-Americans now in the freshman class, Ray Montague from Vermont and Cailean Roy,” Siedlecki said. “Those are two high school All-Americans coming in, we also have two returning players who were on the All-Rookie Team last year, and both are looking even better this year.”
The Owls are looking to build on what they started last year, combining leaders with young players and with the tough schedule at the beginning of the year, the Owls hope to jump out to a hot start.
