AMHERST — Going into the postseason, it would have been impossible to predict how Aileen Kelly would handle the pressure of critical moments.
She’d never really faced them.
The UMass sophomore goalie’s numbers were always good. Her goals against average (6.06) and save percentage (51.9) weren’t far off the national women’s lacrosse leaders.
But it was hard to tell just how good the Framingham native really was.
The Minutewomen are a rare team to use two goalies. Sam Walters plays the first half and Kelly takes the second. Because UMass had dominated its opponents all year, the outcome was often decided before she broke a sweat. Kelly had never really been forced to make big saves under pressure.
In nine games, the Minutewomen (20-1) led by at least five goals the entire time she was on the field. On only three occasions had Kelly appeared in a game where the margin was two or less.
UMass’ lone loss (9-8 to Boston College on March 2) was the only time Kelly had been in a one-goal game during the regular season. Even in that game, where she made just one save and allowed two goals, the last goal she allowed came with 16 minutes, 29 seconds left. The pressure moments came at the other end of the field.
She spent most of the next two months with her nerves mostly unfrayed.
Kelly’s postseason heroics started in the Atlantic 10 championship game. With UMass trailing 7-6 to Richmond, she made five straight saves to close the game allowing her team to finish on a four-goal run that secured the conference title.
The drama increased in the NCAA Tournament. Against Princeton on Friday, Kelly allowed the game-tying goal with less than a second left in regulation. But she stopped two big shots in the first overtime to keep UMass alive and win in the second one.
In Sunday’s win over Cornell, she may have made as many pressure-filled saves as she had all season.
After Cornell scored twice to get within 7-6 with 23:35 remaining, the Big Red had chances to tie the game. The clock seemed to run forever with neither team scoring, but Kelly was up to the task.
She made two saves on free position shots and three more on attempts from less than 10 feet from the goal. The biggest stop was on Joey Coffy’s shot with five minutes left from a step outside the crease directly in front of the net.
Kelly said the adrenaline of the moment left details of the individual saves a little fuzzy in her mind.
“It was a lot of pressure. I kind of blacked out,” she said chuckling. “It’s a little nerve-wracking. I probably lost a couple years of my life being so stressed.”
Entering the year she wasn’t sure how being the team’s de facto closer would work out. There wasn’t much of a blueprint for it. Most teams have a starting goalie and one or more backups.
But coach Angela McMahon didn’t see enough difference in the level of their play during the preseason to anoint one the No. 1 keeper. The tandem worked and she stuck with it.
“We didn’t really know what was going to happen,” Kelly said. “It’s worked so well since then. We have a really good dynamic. Sammy is so supportive during timeouts.”
Kelly spends the first half studying. She watches who the opposing offense is flowing through, who is shooting and how and where they are shooting from. It’s like a live refresher course from the pregame video review.
“You can kind of see who they’re looking to, to be the playmaker,” she said.
The routine has helped her improve all year and peak at the right time.
“It’s all about confidence and putting yourself in a good situation. She made some huge stops in each of the second halves this past weekend,” McMahon said. “I’m really proud of her that she stepped up in those key moments there. Confidence level for her right now is probably at an all-time high.”
So high that when UMass plays No. 1 Maryland at noon Sunday for a chance to go to the Final Four, Kelly would relish the chance to makes saves in another tight game.
“I would love to have a very close game with them. To be in that overtime situation, we were so excited,” she said. “I think if we were in an overtime situation with Maryland we’d be able to pull through.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage