The University of Vermont women’s lacrosse team had the momentum from start to finish in their latest senior day victory. The Catamounts downed the formerly undefeated in America East conference games University of Albany Great Danes 14-4 in a game dedicated to the team’s eight seniors. “It’s so special,” said UVM senior attacker Jane Trauger. “I just wanted this so badly for our team.”Trauger had a breakout performance on her senior day with a single-game career-high eight goals. Trauger scored five of her eight goals in the first half of play, including adding two assists, leading to 10 points in her big day. Trauger credited her team’s offense for opening up opportunities for her to score. “We were just moving well as a unit,” Trauger said. “My teammates were giving me lanes, and I was just taking advantage of that. Shoutout to my teammates for moving and creating those lanes for me.”Lindsay Lefebvre, a senior midfielder, also tallied two goals for the Catamount offense. Vermont junior attacker Lydia Doraz added two goals of her own. Vermont’s hometown hero, Ayla Shea, also had an admirable day in the net. The junior netminder from Fairfax, Vermont, tallied 14 saves and allowed just one goal in the first half of play. “She was seeing the ball well,” said Vermont women’s lacrosse head coach Sarah Dalton Graddock. “I thought she was holding really well, making some great saves. I thought our defense was giving her the shots that we wanted to see from a team like that.” Dalton Graddock expressed how critical this win is, knowing UVM now has an outside chance to earn the No. 1 seed and host the America East women’s lacrosse tournament at Virtue Field. If Vermont wins its final game of the regular season against the University of Massachusetts Lowell, it would clinch the conference’s top spot, which would be the first time Vermont would clinch the No. 1 seed in program history. “It would be incredible, something this program’s never done before,” Dalton Graddock said. “We can’t get too far ahead of us, but it would be a great opportunity for us to be able to do that.”Following the win, UVM took the time to recognize its class of eight seniors with a postgame dedication ceremony. Trauger, Lefebvre, and her twin sister Lauren, Eleanor Vander Molen, Emily Gorham, Carley Vernon, Elle Duhig and Elizabeth Kaiser were escorted by their closest friends and family members through a tunnel of teammates on Virtue Field. They also received an honorary team picture to remember their time with the Catamounts. The senior class of 2026 has picked up over 30 wins as a team and made it as far as the America East semifinals in 2023. Trauger, who was the America East rookie of the year her freshman season, says her class has been a resilient group during their time with UVM. She is one of the biggest examples of fighting through adversity after battling back from an ACL tear, which led her to redshirt her junior season with Vermont. “We’ve been through seasons where we’ve had losing records, and we’ve been through adversity with injuries and things along those lines,” Trauger said. “It means so much to us to just get back here and see a lot of our hard work culminate into a really competitive team.”Vermont will close out its America East regular season with UMass Lowell on Saturday, April 25, at 12 p.m.
The University of Vermont women’s lacrosse team had the momentum from start to finish in their latest senior day victory.
The Catamounts downed the formerly undefeated in America East conference games University of Albany Great Danes 14-4 in a game dedicated to the team’s eight seniors.
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“It’s so special,” said UVM senior attacker Jane Trauger. “I just wanted this so badly for our team.”
Trauger had a breakout performance on her senior day with a single-game career-high eight goals. Trauger scored five of her eight goals in the first half of play, including adding two assists, leading to 10 points in her big day. Trauger credited her team’s offense for opening up opportunities for her to score.
“We were just moving well as a unit,” Trauger said. “My teammates were giving me lanes, and I was just taking advantage of that. Shoutout to my teammates for moving and creating those lanes for me.”
Lindsay Lefebvre, a senior midfielder, also tallied two goals for the Catamount offense. Vermont junior attacker Lydia Doraz added two goals of her own.
Vermont’s hometown hero, Ayla Shea, also had an admirable day in the net. The junior netminder from Fairfax, Vermont, tallied 14 saves and allowed just one goal in the first half of play.
“She was seeing the ball well,” said Vermont women’s lacrosse head coach Sarah Dalton Graddock. “I thought she was holding really well, making some great saves. I thought our defense was giving her the shots that we wanted to see from a team like that.”
Dalton Graddock expressed how critical this win is, knowing UVM now has an outside chance to earn the No. 1 seed and host the America East women’s lacrosse tournament at Virtue Field. If Vermont wins its final game of the regular season against the University of Massachusetts Lowell, it would clinch the conference’s top spot, which would be the first time Vermont would clinch the No. 1 seed in program history.
“It would be incredible, something this program’s never done before,” Dalton Graddock said. “We can’t get too far ahead of us, but it would be a great opportunity for us to be able to do that.”
Following the win, UVM took the time to recognize its class of eight seniors with a postgame dedication ceremony. Trauger, Lefebvre, and her twin sister Lauren, Eleanor Vander Molen, Emily Gorham, Carley Vernon, Elle Duhig and Elizabeth Kaiser were escorted by their closest friends and family members through a tunnel of teammates on Virtue Field. They also received an honorary team picture to remember their time with the Catamounts.
The senior class of 2026 has picked up over 30 wins as a team and made it as far as the America East semifinals in 2023. Trauger, who was the America East rookie of the year her freshman season, says her class has been a resilient group during their time with UVM. She is one of the biggest examples of fighting through adversity after battling back from an ACL tear, which led her to redshirt her junior season with Vermont.
“We’ve been through seasons where we’ve had losing records, and we’ve been through adversity with injuries and things along those lines,” Trauger said. “It means so much to us to just get back here and see a lot of our hard work culminate into a really competitive team.”
Vermont will close out its America East regular season with UMass Lowell on Saturday, April 25, at 12 p.m.
