“She fits in, she has learned to win, she’s fearless and she’s a great teammate. Those are components that we need.”
— Lizards coach and general manager Joe Spallina
the offense. She’s the female version of Brett Queener. Spallina’s Stony Brook women’s team watches from the stands. They arrive about 10 minutes before the scrimmage and immediately after the session board a bus bound for Sunday’s game at Binghamton. Seawolves senior goalie Frankie Caridi, a candidate for IWLCA Goalie of the Year, admires Wills. It’s the first time she has seen Wills play other than Team USA video highlights.
“I saw her make some pretty nice saves. She’s good enough to do it,” Caridi says. “What she’s doing is really great for the women’s game. As a female athlete and a goalie, it’s awesome. If she can do it, it says, ‘Why not anyone else?’ If you feel you can do it, try it.” What may have started as a marketing ploy — the Lizards’ ownership group first hatched the idea after buzz and debate about the possibility of former Baylor women’s basketball player Brittney Griner trying out for the NBA in April 2013 — could develop into something very real. Spallina isn’t sure what to expect.
He’s as curious as anyone to see how Wills will fare, especially in live full-field
professional men’s lacrosse action. No one’s going easy on her.
“I was impressed,” Spallina says
afterward. “She wasn’t flinching. She wasn’t pulling off pipe. She stuck right in there. I was happy for her. She did a great job. There were a lot of people that probably didn’t want her to do as well as she did. She was fearless. She made a lot of great stops. Men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse are two very different sports. She showed an ability to stop deep shots, which people probably thought would be tougher for her and in close, she was fantastic.” Would Spallina consider keeping her on the team?
“I would have no problem keeping her on, even if it’s practice squad,” Spallina says. “It’s an adjustment. The league is so competitive. There’s only so many spots. But I know a couple things: She fits in, she has learned to win, she’s fearless and a great teammate. Those are components that we need. She’s adjusting to the speed of the game. Nothing she could have done leading up to this could have prepared her for this. I came in with an open mind and I left impressed. She did a heck of a job.”
4:12 p.m. Smithtown, N.Y.
News12, a Long Island TV news station, has a cameraman and producer on hand for the afternoon and grabs Wills for an interview before the team breaks into conditioning to end their weekend together.
They ask if she thinks she’ll make the team.
“That’s up to the coaching staff and the organization to make that decision,” Wills says. “I haven’t really thought much past this date.” As the interview ends, Wills turns and says, “Time to do conditioning, I guess.”
Half of the players does resistance- band training while the other half does medicine ball work. Wills pairs off with the Lizards’ young offensive star, Rob Pannell, who catches the heavy ball as Wills does sit-ups and throws it to him.
58 LACROSSE MAGAZINE June 2014>> A Publication of US Lacrosse
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