By Gabi Sturgeon, staff writer.

Although its season was cut short, the Franklin Pierce University men’s lacrosse team won a pair of non-conference games by a combined score of 33-10 before the COVID-19 pandemic brought things to a halt. There were a total of four seniors on the team, and today, as part of our ongoing series of “virtual Senior Days”, we profile those seniors. The team would have hosted Le Moyne in its Senior Day game on Saturday afternoon. What follows is some thoughts from members of the senior class, as well as some reflections from head coach Rick Senatore.

Colin Doherty, a communications major, is one of the four seniors who would have been celebrating their Senior Day on Saturday. Some of his favorite memories included team bonding events, such as jumping into Pearly Pond or going out to eat with the team. Doherty said one of his favorite winning experiences was beating Southern New Hampshire University last year, because of the fantastic game the team played. He added the locker room after the game was “unbelievable.”

Doherty was disappointed when he heard the news about his season being over. “You know that one day you’re going to play your last game. I didn’t think my last game would be the second game of the season.” He thanks everyone who has been a part of his journey at Franklin Pierce. Doherty totaled 14 points (10-4-14), along with 10 ground balls over 19 games in a Franklin Pierce uniform.

Next is Alex Caskie, a business management major and also one of the captains for the team. He also stated one of his favorite memories overall was, like Doherty, beating SNHU last year, as well as a win over the Penmen in his sophomore year on a Senior Day. He said, “The locker room after that game was like nothing else.” Some things that he is going to miss the most are “showing up for practice, lift, runs, and film. It wasn’t always the easiest for everyone but we would make the most out of the opportunity and just have a good time together. At the end of the day, it was always smiles.”

Caskie, who was a Northeast-10 Conference All-Rookie pick as a freshman, also spoke about his senior year ending shortly. “Knowing I was a senior, and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to finish my senior year, it was just heartbreaking. Knowing everything I know now, this is bigger than sports.” Caskie finished his career with 68 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers over 39 games.

Christopher Breault was in just his second season with the Ravens after transferring in from Framingham State, but had made enough of an impression with the team to join Caskie as a tri-captain. The criminal justice major was third on the team in ground balls a year ago, as he made an immediate impact as a defensive midfielder. In all, over 15 games with Franklin Pierce, he notched one assist and tallied 35 ground balls, to go with nine caused turnovers. 

Finally, fellow criminal justice major Derek Short was a four-year members of the defensive midfield for the Ravens, who provided depth throughout his career. In 15 games in a Franklin Pierce uniform, he snagged six ground balls and caused four turnovers.

Though Senatore’s 2020 team was well-positioned for the future with a large cadre of sophomore and juniors, the head coach had nothing but positive things to say regarding his four-player senior class. “Our seniors cultivated an environment for our younger team members that furnished a deep sense of belonging, but at the same time demanded commitment, loyalty, trustworthiness, and discipline. As we all know, this final chapter of their story at Franklin Pierce was cut short. However, it does not take away from the experience that was captured as a student-athlete at Franklin Pierce University, and does not take away from the experience they shared with their teammates.” Like his players, his favorite memory with this year’s seniors was beating SNHU last season, and he will miss having the seniors singing on the bus with the rest of the team.