SWAMPSCOTT — Emerson Laundry may have found plenty of success on the field playing for the Swampscott girls lacrosse team, but going into her senior season, continuing that success at the next level didn’t always seem like a possibility.
“I was always looking into playing lacrosse but honestly I didn’t think I was going to end up playing at the next level,” Laundry said. “I just didn’t think I was going to get that opportunity.”
But early this year Laundry, who was named a Northeastern Conference North all-star her junior season, found a team to call home, committing to play for UMass Lowell next season.
“When (UMass Lowell women’s lacrosse) coach Lisa Miller reached out it was a great opportunity and I had to take it,” Laundry said. “I’m excited to play for such a great program.
“I noticed that all girls on the team are really close and I had a great experience meeting the coaches,” Laundry said. “They’re really focused on building up the program and that’s something I want to be a part of.”
During her time with the Big Blue, Laundry helped lead a strong offensive unit — scoring over 100 goals in her career. Laundry capped off her junior season in the Division 2 North semifinals, scoring a team-high six goals despite a tough overtime loss to Newburyport.
Laundry didn’t know it at the time but it would be her last game in a Big Blue uniform after this year’s spring season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Missing out on carrying over that success and missing a chance to take the field with her younger sister Broghan this season stung the most for Laundry.
“I was extremely upset,” Laundry said. “This would have been my first season that me and my sister would have been able to play together. It’s sad to know we won’t get that chance now.
“As a team we had a lot of talent going into this season,” Laundry said. “We worked hard in the preseason and played well in scrimmages so to not see that pay off is tough.”
Laundry, who also played basketball for three years and soccer for four years, had plenty of athletic experiences during her time at Swampscott, but none matched her time on the lacrosse field under Big Blue coach Al Eaton.
“My teammates (at Swampscott) are all so welcoming and everyone always had the same goal,” Laundry said. “I played three sports during my time at Swampscott and coach Al was definitely the best coach I had. He gave me a chance ever since my first day at tryouts. He really helped me gain confidence starting off and he didn’t treat me like a freshman coming in.”
Laundry heads into UMass Lowell still looking for the right major and expects that continuing to live the life of a student-athlete will help her find the right fit and stay focused in the classroom.
“I just want to stay on top of my school work during my time there,” Laundry said. “Honestly, if I didn’t play sports and just had to focus on school things wouldn’t be as structured for me. Going into college I always knew I wanted to play some sport or club. I think playing a sport is really going to help me.”
