By Julian Markese
Sports Editor
Zero wins and 38 losses: this was the lacrosse team’s combined record against Saint Anselm College and Bentley University. This past week, they beat them both.
The historic charge guarantees the Owls a home playoff game, a first for the program. The wins give the team a record of 12-3 and 6-2 in the conference, both all-time highs.
“Our expectations aren’t to just go have fun anymore. We’re a program that’s built to come in and win. We expect it,” defender Auserehl Mazzulli, a senior, said.
After losing to Assumption University on senior day, the team found themselves at a crossroads. The loss was devastating. It had a real possibility of derailing an already historic season. Morale was low.
“We were really upset after the game against Assumption. Everyone came in with a puss on their face. Kevin took the initiative. He said, ‘You guys are usually always smiling. I don’t see one smile,’” midfielder Anna Meserve, a junior, said.
The team dug deep. They found their joy again. Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki’s leadership and the willingness of the team’s seniors to take initiative helped the team refocus on their goals.
The team’s leaders were in their coach’s office, drawing up plays and making adjustments for the Bentley game. It worked.
Bentley was met with a different animal than they had seen in years past.
“It shows the growth in my four years here. My freshman year, when we went into the Bentley game, it was just about having fun and doing our best. But today, we went knowing we had the ability to beat them. We ended up crushing them,” Mazzulli said. “It’s such a great feeling to know that we’ve grown so much.”
The Bentley game was not close. The Owls scored the first four goals of the game on their way to a crushing 18-10 victory.
The game against Saint Anselm was not close, either. The Owls scored the first four goals of the game on their way to an equally impressive 17-9 victory.
“This was the best this program has ever played. This game was an example of the best that this team can do,” Siedlecki said after the Bentley game. “We didn’t just beat them; we lit them up.”
The Owls are the 25th ranked team in the country, another first for the program. The team has never been ranked before.
Attacker Macy Vail, a senior, continues to lead the team in goals and points. She has scored 38 this season and is still riding a streak of 34 straight games with a goal.
Midfielder Abigail Nolan, a senior, has scored 35 goals. Meserve has 31 and leads the team in ground balls.
Attacker Maddox Burton, a junior, leads the team in assists with 22.
The most vital contributor and the backbone of the team is goalkeeper Caelen Connors, a senior.
“She’s literally a brick wall,” Meserve said.
Connors is a top-50 goalie in the country for saves. She is top-15 in the country and No. 1 in the NE10 for save percentage at 48%.
“We would not be where we are, and our program would not be where we are without Caelen Connors in net,” Mazzulli said. “She saves our asses over and over and over.”
Almost every game is a milestone for the program. The days of being overlooked are gone. No longer will the team be able to surprise their opponents.
“I think teams are taking us for granted. They think: ‘Oh, we got this. We’ll crush them.’ Clearly, that doesn’t work,” Meserve said.
When the playoffs roll around, the Owls will have to reengage with teams that know what is coming.
They will face Assumption, Bentley or Saint Anselm in the first round on Saturday, April 25 for their first home playoff game.
“The expectation is to win. Losing isn’t an option. And we are going to do the best we can to put our best foot for
