CMU lacrosse finishes off the season in a loss on Senior Day
Central Michigan University's three senior lacrosse players walked down the field with their loved ones arm-in-arm, just minutes before their final game of the season.
They were senior attacker Kelsey Barratt, senior midfielder Victoria Chesson and senior goalkeeper Leila Kahler. Kahler and Barratt have been on the team since 2023 and have built connections with their fellow players, both currently on the team and former players.
"I'm extremely proud of everyone, even if we didn't have the exact outcome that we wanted to, so... I'm gonna miss you guys, and I love you all," Barratt said as her final message to the team.
The Chippewas lost to the University of Akron, 16-3, in Mount Pleasant on April 25.
Kahler played throughout the entire game, the longest she had played all season, with five saves during the game.
"I think today was a little rough; it's not really what we expected, but I think, like, coming in, we did put a lot of hard work and effort into this week in practice," Kahler said. "I think there were definitely some good moments today, but some that we can definitely improve on in the future."
Kahler said she's going to miss feeling like a family with the team, as everyone is so closely bonded.
"It's just like I have 30 different sisters on top of my own at home, so I'm just gonna miss that family atmosphere and really being around them all the time and having like 30 other people to lean on," Kahler said.
CMU took on the Zips, who are currently in second place in the Mid-American Conference standings, while Central Michigan trails behind in fourth place.
Two of the three goals were made by sophomore attacker/midfielder Julia Werner, with two assists from freshman attacker Mia Bradley.
Chesson said the team really tried to give the game everything they had because they knew it was the last regular-season game. She said she's going to miss the bond the team has this year as well.
"Everything we went through, no one else can relate to us, really, so it was a really special year and something that I'll never forget with team 11," Chesson said.
The third goal was from Bradley with an assist from sophomore midfielder Caye Kalbacher.
When Barratt graduates, she plans on going back home to New Jersey and traveling this summer before going to get her master's.
"I'm attending (the) University of Cincinnati law school to study patent law and intellectual property," Kahler said about her plans after graduation.
Chesson said she will be traveling as well after graduation and possibly going to graduate school or working in sports media.
"I'm grateful for them, ... they helped me out more than I can even ask for, every single day they were checking in, seeing if I needed anything, so I'm grateful for that, for sure," Head Coach Katie Vahle said about her final message to the seniors.
The loss concluded the team's lacrosse season, as the Chippewas didn't make the MAC tournament.
