COLLEGE PREVIEW 2014 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S PRESEASON PLAYER OF YEAR
her goals during the period in which their high careers coincided. Even-keeled in everyday life, Murray became another person at game time. “Nothing really stirs her too much, but
as soon as she’s in between the lines, you better watch out. She’s out there for blood and she’s going to do whatever it takes for her team to win,” Smith said. “She’s a leader, a competitor, a warrior.” Murray has tamped down some of
that fire since high school, mainly by increasing her lacrosse intelligence. She likes to understand not just how but why certain moves work better than others, with an eye toward eliminating any mental errors. “As soon as I get to warm-ups, you
can see the steam coming out of my ears. I can be a little bit of a hothead,” Murray said. “I’ve been trying to keep that under control. It was much worse when I was little. Now it’s just legit intensity and focus. I’m more extremely focused and in the zone.” The Orange came achingly close to
an NCAA championship the past two seasons. They staged an epic double- overtime comeback against Florida
Best BETS
Tewaaraton Award ALYSSA MURRAY, SYRACUSE
People want to point to Kayla Treanor’s explosive freshman season, but she might not nearly have piled up such impressive stats without Murray running the show.
Attacker of the Year ALYSSA MURRAY, SYRACUSE
How will the point-behind attacker adjust to the new NCAA rules allowing defenders in the crease? She can make opponents pay as a dodger (64 goals) or feeder (40 assists), and coach Gary Gait knows a thing or two about exploiting overaggressive 1-on-1 defenders.
Defender of the Year SLOANE SERPE, NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels’ pantheon of elite defenders includes three players — Amber Falcone, Jenn Russell and Kristen Carr — who recently won a gold medal with the U.S. team. North Carolina has had a top-10 scoring defense the last four years. Expect that trend to continue with Serpe.
50 LACROSSE MAGAZINE February 2014 >>
Kelly Award (Most Outstanding Goalie)
KELSEY DURYEA, DUKE
Duryea was the first goalie in Duke history to make All-American as a freshman. The Blue Devils inserted her at halftime in their fifth game, against Maryland, and she never looked back — despite missing her first fall ball with a lingering high school injury. “Our No. 1 goal is to keep her healthy,” coach Kerstin Kimel said.
Rookie of the Year CORTNEY FORTUNATO, NOTRE DAME
A coveted recruit since eighth grade, Fortunato, who has experience with both the U.S. U19 and senior national teams, was
Midfielder of the Year TAYLOR CUMMINGS,
MARYLAND
Meet the new Katie Schwarzmann, only Cummings also can take over a game as a draw specialist. Since 2000, just three players have earned IWLCA first-team All-American honors as freshmen. Two of them — Cummings and Treanor — will make a serious push for the Tewaaraton Award this year.
already playing at an elite level in the fall. “She’s a game-changer,” coach Christine Halfpenny said. “She’s changed the way we train, because of her skill level. When you have that skill level, that creativity, you see the game differently.”
Breakout Player KARA MUPO, NORTHWESTERN
Mupo was the one of the nation’s top recruits coming out of Rocky Point (N.Y.). She had 55 goals in her first two seasons as a complementary scorer and was expected to take over the Wildcats’ offense in 2013 before a season-ending injury in their third game. If healthy, she could put up eye-popping numbers on an otherwise inexperienced offense.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©ANNE RYAN (AM); ©GREG CARROCCIO (TC); ©DIRK DEWACHTER (KM); KEVIN TUCKER (KM)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100