Cheers and claps erupted from the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team sideline when Heather Clark scored her first career goal on Saturday.
There was 4:43 left in Clark’s last game on Garber field when she found the back of Gabi Buckenberger’s net. Coming back onto the turf from a timeout, Molly Bruner passed to Scarlet Cifarelli behind the net. Cifarelli passed forward to Clark inside the eight-meter arc and she shot over Buckenberger’s shoulder into the bottom corner for the final goal in a 19-5 Minutewomen (14-2, 7-0 Mid-American Conference) win over Kent State.
“[Clark is] so behind the scenes,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “She does everything we need down on the defensive end, so her opportunities to push the fast-break are never there because she’s doing every other thing down there. So, I think seeing her [score], executing well, being in front of her entire family is a really special moment.”
Clark was one of eight seniors honored post-game by UMass. The other seven seniors walked out onto Garber for the final time were Kassidy Morris, Cifarelli, Cat Lucus, Norah Prizzi, Emma Dengler, Cate Miller and Bella Fisher.
“For [the seniors], they have just been such positive lights this spring,” Drummond said. “They have taken every single day with just smiles on their faces, nothing for granted but really appreciative of every moment they’ve had together. I think that has trickled down to the team.”
Drummond described her senior class as selfless, something that was apparent throughout Saturday’s matchup.
Prizzi led the Minutewomen squad with four assists on the day. Her assisting passes were dished out to two Dylan Lyons goals, Morris’ first and Katie Onderdonk’s sole goal.
The Kingston, N.Y., native recorded her second hat trick of the season Saturday to bring her season total to 18. Prizzi’s third of the day came with 10:41 left in the third quarter. With three seconds on the shot clock, the attacker received the ball inside the eight-meter arc from Cifarelli, shooting over Golden Flashes (7-10, 2-5 MAC) goalie Sydney Davis.
The senior’s first of the day came with 9:40 left in the first quarter. Receiving the ball from Katie Peterson inside. Moving around from the back of the net, Prizzi controlled the ball and shot behind her back to put UMass ahead 6-0.
Dengler also stood out offensively, recording two goals on the day. She scored her second with 6:32 left in the fourth quarter. After controlling a pass from Vivian LaMange, Dengler ran inside the eight-meter arc and shot across the face of Buckenberger’s net.
The Moorestown, N.J., native’s first was an unassisted shot with 58 seconds remaining in the second quarter. After winning a free-position shot, Dengler stepped up the the eight-meter fan line and bounced a shot to the back of Davis’ net.
Pre-game, Dengler sang the national anthem before the first draw with teammates, coaching staff and fans all cheering her on beforehand.
Morris contributed five goals to the Minutewomen’s final regular season game while also dishing out one assist and taking 11 shots.
Cifarelli ended the day with three assists and just one shot on net. In four games with UMass, she held a 66.7% shots on goal percentage, registering four. She scored two goals and provided five assists for seven total points on the season.
Lucus held the defensive end of the Minutewomen’s game steady and caused one turnover. She ended her career in Amherst with 29 caused turnovers, with her season high of three being forced against Akron.
Miller and Fisher were both injured this season but were consistent, positive presences on the sideline and in practices for UMass.
The Minutewomen and their seniors will appear in the first game of the MAC tournament against Robert Morris on Thursday, April 30. The matchup is scheduled for 11 a.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @emmabensley4.
