LM looks at 30 rookies — 15 men and 15 women — who could factor immediately for Division I teams in need
By Corey McLaughlin
Kelsey Murray Stanford
KELSEY MURRAY Stanford
Murray falls into the ahead-of- the-curve category. Going from a decorated high school career in Illinois to a promising college career on the West Coast at Stanford qualifies as such.
But her goals are familiar. “You walk around and there are these banners that say ‘Home of Champions’ everywhere,” Murray said of Stanford. ”It’s something that’s really important to them, and I like that aspect.”
Murray scored 72 goals in her senior season at New Trier (Ill.), where she already owned the school’s single-season and career scoring records as a junior. “I’m going to go and work and play where they tell me to play,” she said.
CAROLINE FITZGERALD Florida
The gritty midfielder,
Newsday’s Suffolk County Player of the
Year, will help the Gators replace an inaugural recruiting class that left in the form of 12 seniors at the end of last season. Fitzgerald had 35 goals, 10 assists and 75 ground balls for Mount Sinai (N.Y.), which went 20-0 to win the state Class C title.
STEPH LAZO Penn State
The speedy Maryland product had 43 goals, 11 assists and
CORTNEY FORTUNATO Notre Dame The Fortunato era at Notre Dame began right where she wants it to end — in the national championship game. In May at Villanova Stadium, Fortunato spent time watching the Division I title tilt between North Carolina and Maryland in the stands with current Notre Dame players and former U.S. under-19 women’s national team compatriots Barb Sullivan and Allie Murray, among others. The players talked strategy, and Fortunato interjected with her thoughts about how she would fit in. Irish coach Christine Halfpenny, sitting behind them, couldn’t have been happier. “It was so cool to hear that happening because already that relationship has been formed with a trust and that bond,” Halfpenny said. Watch out, lacrosse world. Fortunato was the youngest and best player on the gold medal-winning 2011 U.S. U19 team and she was the only high school player invited to U.S. senior team tryouts. She played varsity lacrosse at Northport (N.Y.) High on Long Island since eighth grade, developing from a slightly built unknown to a player who faced double faceguards regularly.
Notre Dame, now in the ACC, suits Fortunato’s talents
perfectly. The Irish have developed a motion offense over the last two years that features multiple threats who can dodge and feed, Halfpenny said. “That’s a natural fit for the way Cortney plays,” she said, “She is going to kick start more creativity this fall. We’re going to be in for a treat.”
“I just want to get there and help out as much as I can,”
Fortunato said. “The goal every year for every team is to win the national championship, but I just want to get there and make that happen as much as possible.”
30 LACROSSE MAGAZINE September 2013>>
Dan Nemirov Cornell
37 ground balls for St. Mary’s (Md.) as a senior. “Steph is one of the fastest players in her class and her abilities will make an impact quickly,” Penn State coach Missy Doherty said.
TAYLOR POPLAWSKI Syracuse
Poplawski is a
quick and aggressive midfielder who will fit in well with Gary Gait’s high-flying Orange. She tallied 31 goals, 22 assists and 38 ground balls her senior season at Christian Brothers Academy (N.Y.).
CARLY REED North Carolina The defending
champs welcome Reed
and her 475 career goals at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.) to Chapel Hill. Lacrosse Magazine’s National Player of the Year had an astounding 131 goals and 33 assists her senior season.
BESSER DYSON, Virginia CAROLINE FEDERICO, Johns Hopkins SYDNEY HOLMAN, North Carolina OLIVIA HOMPE, Princeton ERIN JEFFERY, Hofstra AISLINN PROBST, Navy ANNIE RULAND, USC ZOE STUKENBERG, Maryland KELSEY YOUMELL, Syracuse
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©JOHN STROHSACKER (CF, CF, SL, TP, CR); ©SCOTT MCCALL (KM); ©GREG WALL (DN)
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