EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PLAY LIKE A GIRL.
Mullen, also a junior, said the creativity and openness she draws from music allowed her to adapt to a changing role at UMass. As a top attacker coming out of Emma Willard (N.Y) High, she was used to scoring a hat trick every game. At the NCAA Division I level, she had to work harder for minutes and adjust to her new role as a low defender.
“Being open and flexible is really
important, especially in lacrosse, where every single game is different,” McMahon said. “Sarah’s always someone who’s willing to do anything for us no matter what it is. Definitely, the creativity is huge.” But mostly, the Smashing Peaches are about having fun. The name is a double- barreled tribute to the 1990s alt-rockers Smashing Pumpkins and junior defender Briana “Peachy” Concialdi. (It’s a family nickname that stuck and followed her to college. “I didn’t even know her real name until sophomore year,” Terracciano said.) The band typically practices at the
off-campus house that Mullen and Terracciano share — Florence lives next door — sitting around the living room and feeling their way through different songs. Florence gets teased about her three voices. There’s her normal voice, her field voice to direct the defense and her Biggie voice, an uncanny imitation of late rapper Biggie Smalls. Mullen has made covert recordings of Terracciano, a gifted mimic, doing a Celine Dion imitation. On a road trip, they roped assistant coach Sarah Albrecht, also a talented singer and guitarist, into joining them on a Dave Mathews Band song. “We play really hard, but we mess around pretty hard too,” Terracciano said.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
Mullen, Florence and Terracciano (left) enjoy an impromptu jam session in the UMass women’s lacrosse locker room.
Florence (above), the 2011 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, lunges to make a save against Northwestern.
“Me and Flo, when we’re in practice, we battle hard against each other. There’s no mercy when we’re on the field. When we’re off, it’s an easy transition. At the end of the day, we’re all sisters.” UMass’ March schedule is difficult, with road games against defending NCAA champion Northwestern, McMahon’s and Albrecht’s alma mater, and NCAA quarterfinalist Albany. The Minutemen then host Siena before diving into their A10 schedule. The conference championship is an important goal for the senior class, which helped the program rise from a 7-11 record the year before they arrived on campus to a power within their league and a rising presence on the national scene. “We just go hard and we just give it all we have, all the time,” Florence said. “That’s sort of what our team motto is. We just try to be the best we can and give it all we got.”
The Smashing Peaches’ opponents might be surprised to learn that players who go so hard on the field have a softer, goofier, more creative side. Mullen sees no contradiction, though.
“People are surprised when they find out we can do this, definitely,” Mullen said. “But it’s just the best. It’s what makes us happy. It’s what makes being on a team so great, because you can bond on the field and off.” LM
March 2012 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 39
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UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT
BY STX, NIKE, BRINE, DEBEER, UNDER ARMOUR, ADIDAS,
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