Taylor Arnold
Intro to Journalism
Final Project
The Seniors of Women’s Lacrosse
There are three seniors on the UNE women’s lacrosse team that will never get to play a game on the Blue Blot Field again.
“I think it’s super sad every year when we lose the senior class, but this year is, obviously very different.”- Sophomore Nicole Corriveau
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has ruined the world of sports for everyone that watches them. But what about the athletes that play? How has this short season affected the people that it means to the most?
Seniors Anna Stowell, Meghan Mazzocchi, and Mia LaFlamme have unfortunately will be missing the day they have been looking forward to since the day they stepped onto the team, their senior day. Sophomore Nicole Corriveau said that the entire team loved these three girls and the uniqueness they brought.
“No one will be able to replace them” Corriveau said.
Captain and senior Anna Stowell was one of the first to hear about the end to the season while she and a few other teammates were in the locker room as Coach came in with a heavy heart. Stowell has been studying elementary education at UNE along with pouring her all into this team. “Hearing the news is heartbreaking.” said Stowell.
And even weeks after the announcement, Stowell could recall all the details about when the announcement was made. “I will never forget that day” she said.
Senior Meghan Mazzocchi stated, “It was a very challenging experience when we found out”. As it was for the entire team. They all had put so much time and effort into preparing for the season, to have it all ripped away with one sentence. “When it first hit we didn’t want to believe it was true” Mazzocchi said. Though she is heartbroken about the end of the season, she’s also heartbroken about ending her college career. As she has spent a lot of her time here at UNE, studying political science. Graduation comes soon, where she will be pushed off into the real adult world.
Mia LaFlamme, was the only senior out of the three that was not in the locker room at the time of the heartbreaking announcement. “Life just abruptly changed so fast that I never got a last practice with my team because I was at a clinical, as well as I just never got to say goodbye to individuals that impacted my life in such a powerful way.” Mia is a nursing major and has been very dedicated to both lacrosse and the nursing program for the past three years. As Mia went on to say, there is an adjustment phase that everyone is still processing through.
“I instantly looked at Anna. Her love for the game was shown on and off the field and tears instantly filled her eyes. When I looked at Mazz, she was just staring at the ground in disbelief. Mia wasn’t there when we all found out but I can imagine the same look would have been on her face” said Danielle Skinner.
With the girls unable to finish out their final season they look back and thank everyone that made the past three seasons possible. Mazzocchi said, “The girls on the team and everyone around us were very supportive so it made the transition into life without being an athlete much easier.” Because there are only three seniors, that left many underclassmen on the team. “This year’s team had something extremely special and it breaks my heart to not have the chance to play out the rest of the season and experience everything that comes with that” said Stowell.
All of the girls are grateful for where they got to in the short amount of time they had. Stowell only scored a total of nine goals during this season, unlike the seventeen she scored in the 2019 season. Mazzocchi and LaFlamme, stepping onto the field, led defenders. These two helped direct and defend the goal with everything they had. Even if that meant LaFlamme getting a fat lip or two.
Stowell said, “I think the hardest thing about the whole thing is the lack of closure”. And she is right, with a blink of an eye, the season was over, poof, just like that. LaFlamme saying the same thing, that completely stepping away was the hardest part and something that she might not ever be able to get over. Stowell went on saying that with the sadness that the season is ending, she has to come to terms with this meaning that her entire lacrosse journey has now come to an end. “I have dedicated 16 years of my life to playing lacrosse and just like that, it was all over. No warning, no final game, no time to prepare.”
All of the girls on the team have the same wish, and it’s that everyone wished that they had just a little bit more of a warning. Obviously the seniors knew they were on their last season, but they had the entire season to prepare for that last game. “I hope that in the future, we can give them the Senior Day that they deserved and not just a video on Facebook” said Skinner. They were so early into the season they hadn’t even started preparing for the end. Corriveau put a feeling into words and said, “I think the saddest part for me is going from seeing them every day to not seeing them at all.”
The team was so early into the 2020 season, they didn’t even play their first conference game. “I think we had a really good roster for the 2020 season, and even though we are only losing three seniors, losing them will make a big difference.” said Corriveau. The girls played a total of four games, two wins, and two losses. They were fifty-fifty at that point. Hoping that coming back from spring break they would have all the kinks ironed out. And, unfortunately, that’s not how things went.
All of the girls will miss the season and the seniors. And the seniors will miss it too. Mazzocchi said “We’ll all miss playing and in no way did it end the way it was supposed to but life is not normal now.” and she’s right, COVID-19 isn’t normal, but we are all falling into a new quarantined routine.
Stowell and LaFlamme have their hearts heavy from the end. But they still have their heads up and are happy they got to enjoy their time at UNE while they could. “Though it’s over way too soon, lacrosse will always be a part of me” said Stowell. Stowell is grateful for the memories she has created here and thankful for the people that this sport has brought into her life. And LaFlamme stated, “I’m going to miss the sport of lacrosse but I honestly can’t wait to see what this life has in store for me”. Life is going to continue on but “UNE will forever hold a place in my heart and will impact me forever!”
“Now the whole team is miles from each other” said Corriveau.
