Aly Josephs was confined to a plaster cast that encased her torso for the first three years of her life. The cast was necessary, doctors said, to cure a rare disorder, hip dysplasia, which caused Josephs’ hips to misalign during infancy.
According to orthoseek.com, Joseph’s hip disorder affects only four in every 1,000 babies.
Doctors also told her parents she would probably never be able to run, let alone walk normally – a crushing blow to her father, Marty, who ran track at Maryland.
Now, in her first three years at Northwestern, Josephs has become one of the top scorers on the nation’s No. 1 offense – an offense that leads the nation in scoring and win-margins.
The junior attacker has notched 41 goals and eight assists this season, helping lead the No. 1 Wildcats to a 15-1 record.
And this is from someone who failed to make the first-team all-state roster playing for Franklin High School in Reisterstown, Md.
“I never thought all of this would happen so quickly,” Josephs said about her success in playing at the collegiate level. “I definitely knew there was potential here to win a national championship, but I never thought I’d have a (championship) ring in two years.”
Josephs said choosing to leave her home state, the mecca of lacrosse, and head to NU was one of the best decisions she ever made.
At NU, Josephs has tallied 138 points, placing her eighth on the school’s all-time career points list.
“(Josephs) is one of the go with the flow people, she doesn’t get too riled up about any thing,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “She goes out there and plays the same way every time she plays. I think that’s what makes her a great player … She has really been a huge asset to our program. She adds so much depth to our offense and because she is such a threat, teams really have to worry about her.”
But just as Josephs’ life began, her collegiate lacrosse career was marred with a possible career-ending injury during her freshman year.
Josephs fell during a game against Notre Dame, and that was all it took to significantly alter her career.
“I remember I couldn’t move my legs and I was just lying on the field.” Josephs said.
The fall aggravated Josephs’ already injury-prone back and resulted in two herniated discs.
“I really forget about it a lot when I’m on the field, which is a good thing,” she said. “I try to focus on the game … It’s frustrating because I feel like I can’t play to my potential sometimes, but you just have to put it in the back of your mind.”
Josephs does not appear too fazed by the injury as she often makes defenders turn into statues with her unique, aggressive style of play. Josephs is known for being able to outrun defenders at will.
Her pet bulldog Otis, who attends every game, wishes he were that fast.
“Her speed is off the charts and she has gotten faster every single year she has played,” Amonte Hiller said. “To be honest, when I recruited her I didn’t think she had even close to that type of speed. But I knew she had great skills and I knew she was a great, hard working kid. She’s got such explosiveness.”
Although Josephs is modest about her accomplishments, she admits that her speed has always been her greatest asset
And the rest of the team has taken notice.
“She is just really dangerous when she gets the ball,” Josephs’ roommate and fellow offensive sparkplug Kristen Kjellman said. “We like to have the ball in her hands in transition as much as possible.”
Josephs is nicknamed “The Hammer” because her middle name is Hammer – a title Josephs jokes about being stuck with because it is her mother’s maiden name.
“I thought I would leave Hammer behind in Baltimore, but when I mentioned it in the media guide, it turned into a big deal,” Josephs said. “Hammer is funny because it reminds me of high school. Everyone gets a kick out of it, so I don’t really mind.”
Perhaps the PA announcer should start calling her “the phantom” after every goal because Josephs not only scares opposing defenses, but she can be anywhere on the field in an instant.
“Hustle, hustle, hustle is what (Josephs) did best,” said Dee Mullineaux, Josephs’ high school lacrosse coach. “She was everything you would want from a kid on your team.”
With one game remaining in the regular season against Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. today, Josephs said she is focused on winning that game, but her ultimate goal is to hoist another NCAA trophy.
Even with her 21st birthday approaching on May 11, Josephs said she would not be celebrating in order to keep herself in top shape for the first-round NCAA match on May 14. That selflessness is what she considers to be the secret to the Cats’ success.
“I really think everyone’s passion for winning and everyone’s passion for working hard is rare,” Josephs said. “You will find few other teams where 30 girls want the same goal so much. The desire to win here is really unique.”
Reach Steve Silver at [email protected].
