NEWTON, Mass. - Sophia Gadsden '22 saved her best act for last.

The four-year Lasell University women's lacrosse player improved on a daily basis from 2018-22 and peaked during her senior season. Everything clicked for the Randolph, Massachusetts, native in 2022. She started all 17 games, finishing with 39 goals, nine assists, 40 ground balls, 22 caused turnovers and 14 draw controls.

"Sophia was a vital member of the team," said Lasell University Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Britney Wuorio '14. "She was a great leader and loved to make everyone laugh. Her speed tremendously helped us in transition. We will miss her, but hope she will be around since she will be going to graduate school in the fall."

The Lasers won three of their final four regular-season GNAC games on their way to qualifying for the conference tournament as the seventh seed. Gadsden ranked tied for second on the team in goals and third in points, forming an elite offensive unit with Sydney Brady '22 (60 goals, 9 assists), Teresa Kessner (39 goals, 22 assists) and Emily Chapdelaine (19 goals, 20 assists). 

Gadsden scored three or more goals in five of her first six games this past spring. She compiled three or more points nine times, as she erupted with career-highs of six goals and seven points during a 17-16 win at Saint Joseph (Conn.) on March 17.

During a 14-10 triumph at Anna Maria on March 15, Gadsden scored two goals 25 seconds apart in the final minute of the first half, bringing the visitors to within one. She tacked on another pair of goals in the second half, as Lasell outscored Anna Maria, 7-2, during the final 30 minutes to secure the victory. She scored twice in the first half, and then played the role of facilitator in the second half with two assists during a 15-5 win over Regis at Grellier Field on April 21.

"Sophia's game was unique because she always managed to sneak past defenders," said Kessner. "She also had a great ability to adapt to new positions."

Gadsden got her feet wet with two goals and one assist in eight games off the bench during her rookie season in 2019. One year later, she opened her sophomore year with two goals in the opener, but Gadsden's season was cut short after two games due to COVID-19.

During the 2021 season, she started and appeared in six games, tallying 10 goals and two assists during a reduced schedule due to the ongoing pandemic. She improved day by day, put in the work, never took any shortcuts and started coming into her own, as she compiled nine goals in her final three games.

"Sophia was an amazing teammate and friend and was a role model her senior year as a captain," said Chapdelaine. "Myself and a lot of other girls looked up to Sophia because she always worked hard, motivated others and kept us laughing. For our program, Sophia is a perfect example of a quality teammate. She stayed humble, worked hard so other girls could succeed and showed how much she loved to be playing with the team by being happy and goofy during practices and games."

During Gadsden's four years as a Laser, the program compiled an overall record of 30-16 and a 21-10 mark in the GNAC. The 2019 and 2021 teams reached the GNAC semifinals, as each team secured one playoff win. The 2021 team earned the second seed in the tournament and the 2019 unit was the third seed. Gadsden scored twice during a 15-8 triumph against Norwich in the quarterfinals of the 2021 playoffs.

Beyond the lacrosse field, Gadsden was a true Division III student-athlete, as she pursued her passions, built lifelong friendships, navigated college life effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic and developed a variety of skills that will serve her well in post-graduation life. Gadsden also spent two years as a member of Lasell's women's volleyball team.

She excelled during a summer 2021 internship on the Platform Strategy team at Hill Holiday, the No. 1 advertisement agency in Boston. She graduated from the School of Communications & the Arts at Lasell in May 2022, with a degree in creative advertising and a minor in marketing.

Gadsden will be returning to Lasell in the fall to pursue a master's in integrated marketing communication. She recently accepted a job offer from Clarks as a wholesale marketing coordinator. The position is a hybrid one, based out of Waltham, but the company will be moving to Needham in October.

"Lasell definitely has the small-school factor, but we are able to get experience in the real world too," said Gadsden. "A huge factor that is unique to Lasell is the internship program, requiring all students to complete an internship within their field before they graduate. I definitely felt career-ready. I had such a great experience as an intern at Hill Holiday and if it was not for the career-development department, my adviser and my professors, I do not think I would be where I am right now."

Gadsden is ready to hit the ground running in her professional career, but she will always have fond memories of her time as a Laser. She will never have a shortage of stories to share with her former teammates.

"Scoring my first collegiate goal against Anna Maria during my freshman year was huge for me," said Gadsden about her top moments. "Then-Head Coach Cait Connolly said she was so proud of me after the game. It was a great feeling to have everyone on the team want me to score my first goal. My junior year, we beat Johnson & Wales for the first time since 2016. Being able to accomplish that as a team is a memory that sticks with me. My senior year, being able to beat Saint Joseph (Conn.) during a nail-biter in the fourth quarter was awesome. We thought everything was against us and we persevered and pushed through it. With the outcome, we saw that we were a special and connected team."

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

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