Pinkerton girls lacrosse seniors focused on memories made before lost season

There were a lot of reasons for Rob Daziel to feel optimistic about the Pinkerton Academy girls lacrosse team this spring.

The biggest reason might have been the Astros' senior class.

With eight girls returning, six of whom are going on to play lacrosse in college, and coming off a tough loss in last year's Division I championship game, Pinkerton had the experience and the talent to make another run at a title.

And for those seniors, it seemed like the natural progression. They had won at the middle school level, five of them were on varsity as freshmen, and they had made two straight final fours before finishing as the runner-up in 2019.

"We were capable of getting back," Daziel said. "I don't tend to focus on that during the season, but these girls definitely had their eye set on a return to the championship.

"They almost got there last year. They had been there and that's what they were set on. They'd have been disappointed if we didn't get there."

When the season was first pushed back, the Astros tried to remain hopeful, but for Madison Daziel, a senior captain and the third of Rob Daziel's four daughters, was already keeping an eye on what was happening around the world.

"Once we were placed in online learning, I knew what was going to happen," she said. "I said to my day the day before it all happened, China had been shutting down sports, do you think it could happen here?

"We were just hoping (the season) would happen. It was always in the back of my mind when this whole thing started."

Madison Daziel wasn't the only Pinkerton senior who was keeping an eye on international news and had a bad feeling about what might be down the road.

"I was very realistic, knowing what was going on" fellow senior captain Lauren Lisauskas said. "At first, we were waiting for the next announcement and I think it was a lot easier that way. We were more grateful and excited to play.

"It was a let down in the end, but you get new perspective. It's not always about winning games and the stats. It's taught us a lot."

For Rob Daziel, thinking of all the effort the girls put in during the offseason to get ready for this spring is what made the cancellation hurt the most.

"It was painful, that's probably the best way I can say it," he said. "We had a few other girls who had worked really hard to become members of varsity."

In addition to Lisauskas and Madison Daziel, the Astros would have had quite the returning cast on offense, with five of their top six scorers returning, and all five will continue playing in college. Lisauskas will head to Georgetown University and Daziel goes off to Winthrop University, while Lily Auger continues play at Bryant University, Zoe Howe will go to the University of Mount Olive and Hailey Peredna will play at UMass-Lowell.

Pinkerton also had three senior defenders returning, including Anna Blazska, who is going to continue playing at Utica College; Katelyn Bennett, who is committed to Merrimack College to play field hockey; and Emily Baker.

"We were all really close," Madison Daziel said. "We've been playing together since I don't even know when. All of us met (playing for) the NH Tomahawks and got closer in high school. There was a lot of chemistry."

In the Pinkerton locker room, there's a plaque that features names of past players who have hit different milestones, whether it's scoring goals, recording points or earning All-American status. Rob Daziel thinks he'll have to have something different added to honor this year's seniors, especially the ones who were closing in on those milestones.

"Madison was 26 goals away from a hundred, Zoe probably would have been close," he said. "Lauren would have been closing in two hundred goals."

While reaching that mark would have been a great way to end her high school career, the lost season has helped Lisauskas focus on the other things she and her classmates will miss.

"It would have had to have been a perfect season," she said of reaching that milestone. "Since I was little, watching my brother (Jake) and the other girls, my dream had been to make a mark on Pinkerton and go down in history.

"Stats are great and it would have been cool to say I made that milestone, but in the end, it's not the most important thing. It's the memories."