A couple days prior to the UMass women’s lacrosse team’s first game of the season, first-year head coach Jana Drummond sat in her office preparing for her team’s first game of the season against UMass Lowell. It was a familiar setting for Drummond, who has been an assistant for five years at UMass, but an entirely new role.

Long-time head coach Angela McMahon-Serpone stepped aside at the end of last year to take a faculty position at Deerfield Academy, where she’s also coaching the Big Green’s varsity girls’ lacrosse program. It marked a big shift at UMass – McMahon-Serpone had been at the helm of the Minutewomen’s program for 12 seasons and led the team to eight Atlantic 10 Conference championships and nine NCAA tournament appearances. Drummond is reminded of her predecessor every time she walks into the office – A-10 trophies line shelf after shelf in the office, a tribute to the team’s long-standing success. 

“When this happened and Ang left, it was definitely a surprise for us all because I was like, ‘She's going to be here forever, she's probably not going to leave, this is her home….When she approached me, she was like, ‘I would love for you to be the person to take over and fill this role,’” Drummond said. “They’re big shoes to fill. She's the legend here. These trophies here – she did a lot for this program and was an amazing (leader) here.”

Drummond’s path to the head coaching position isn’t unfamiliar to McMahon-Serpone’s coaching journey – before she took over as UMass’ head coach in 2010, she served as an associate head coach for a couple of seasons before elevating to the head coaching gig. Drummond had wanted to be a head coach at a program eventually, and even interviewed for a few before accepting the UMass job, but nothing could measure up to the atmosphere in Amherst. Being able to stay with the Minutewomen and finally getting a shot at a head coaching job is the best of both worlds.

“Sometimes I feel like I have to pinch myself, like ‘Is this really happening?’” Drummond said. “I'm in the same working environment, I had an easier transition than probably most going to a new school or meeting these new people and faces and how things operate. I feel like I've had a little bit of a luckier start.” 

While it will be a learning curve for the team, which is adjusting to Drummond as a new head coach with two new assistants, Aurora Cordingley and Kendall Goldblum, Drummond provides an anchor for her charges.

“I've been playing under her since my freshman year and she has always been doing an awesome job of making sure she has relationships with us as players (and) more so as people,” UMass defender Hannah Heller said on Drummond. “I think she didn't skip a beat going into this new leadership role where she shows a lot of passion for what she does, and it allows us to work hard and make sure we're playing our best.” 

In addition to the new coaching staff, the group is also working together to create its identity after the departure of several key players from last year’s group. Three of the team’s top five scorers from last season – Kendra Harbinger, Kelly Mara and Julia Smith, have graduated. Despite the changes, there are plenty of players more than capable of stepping up. Three Minutewomen were named to the A-10 preseason all-conference list –  Heller, defender Audra Tosone and midfielder Amy Moreau — and the team was voted No. 2 in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Coaches' Poll. While the lineup may look different, the team is expecting the same standard of excellence that has become a hallmark of the program over the years. 

“We have so much versatility on both ends with coach Aurora and coach Kendall, they've done such a great job of expanding our offensive end. We have a lot of different options to rely on in game situations. We've been practicing different looks and the girls bringing out the strengths. They're really able to be free and just have a menu of different options that they can rely on offensively,” Drummond said. “Defensively, we've done the same thing. If we can keep that hard working mentality, we'll be able to be adaptable and alter things when we need to in games.”

The Minutewomen will open their season against UMass Lowell at 3 p.m. this Saturday on Garber Field. The men’s lacrosse team opens the doubleheader with a noon game against Army.

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