SCHUYLERVILLE — After five seasons with the women’s lacrosse team at UMass, Schuylerville alum Amy Moreau said she wasn’t quite ready for her playing career to end.
This summer, Moreau has been playing professional women’s lacrosse with Athletes Unlimited at the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks Glencoe, Maryland. She said the experience has been “amazing.”
“I loved my five years at UMass, and I loved playing at Schuylerville. When I was finished, I wasn’t really finished playing and competing,” Moreau said. “When I got the opportunity to play here, it was a no-brainer for me.”
A graduate of Schuylerville High School, Moreau recorded 76 points in 79 career games at UMass. She scored 35 goals in 19 games during the 2023 season, and was named Atlantic-10 Midfielder of the Year, according to the UMass Athletics website.
Moreau said her time playing professionally with Athletes Unlimited has been “unreal.”
“I grew up watching some of these players play in college and play on the world stage,” said Moreau. “So getting here now, and being able to play with them on an equal playing field, has really been rewarding.”
Moreau is also playing for a cause, supporting the ‘Kendra’s Kindness’ Fund through the HEADstrong Foundation. The fund was created to support families of those going through cancer in honor of Kendra Muscella, the mother of Moreau’s former UMass teammate Olivia Muscella, their website states.
“Throughout my time at UMass, we’ve been raising money for them through HEADstrong. Obviously, I just want to carry that on here,” Moreau said. “I’m just so happy that I’m able to raise money for that by playing here.”
The league competes with four teams, which are redrafted every week. Players are scored individually, and can earn points for stats such as goals, assists, saves, and caused turnovers, as well as team wins and being named a game MVP.
At the end of each week, the top four players in the league standings become team captains, and draft their teams for the week from the remaining players, according to the Athletes Unlimited website.
Moreau said adjusting her style of play to fit with new teammates each week has been a valuable experience.
“My (lacrosse) IQ has just risen so much being here, having to kind of change my play each week to fit into a different team and fit that mold,” Moreau said. “Each team operates differently. I have different roles on every team, or have had. … I think that’s been really great for me.”
This is especially valuable as Moreau prepares for her next role, she said, joining the staff of the Davidson College women’s lacrosse team as an assistant coach. Her hiring was announced by the school in a July press release.
“I want to say, like, 40 percent of the women here are college coaches, which is really helpful for me and where I’m going next,” said Moreau. “I’m really looking forward to the two coaches that I’ll be joining at Davidson. They’re amazing already, and I’m so excited to learn from them and work with them.”
Moreau credited UMass head coach Jana Drummond as inspiration for her coaching career, saying they developed a strong relationship during her time in Amherst.
“My relationship with (Drummond), and how she was able to create such a good team culture and a successful team culture, I just wanted to pay that forward as well,” Moreau said. “I have loved being with her, watching her, and learning from her. I’m excited to do that for someone else.”
Moreau also credited her coaches at Schuylerville, and said the local community is “so special.”
“I have told everyone that I’ve ever met that I would not want to come from any other town,” said Moreau. “I still have parents from teams that I was on when I was 14 (years old) texting me, watching me, and following me on TV. That’s so special.”
