As the No. 1 lacrosse team in the nation stepped onto the practice field Wednesday, five days away from their opening round game of the NCAA tournament against No. 15 Stanford, they all had one question on their minds.
“What is she wearing?”
“She” would be senior Laura Glassanos, who sported a bright, tie-dyed leotard on top of a black spandex body suit. To complement her outfit, Glassanos had a black, feathery boa wrapped around her neck and knee-high rubber boots.
Glassanos, who has notched 36 goals and 20 assists this season, warmed up during shooting practice in this outlandish outfit because she lost a game of poker to some other teammates.
Although the general mood at practice was light, filled with jokes about Glassanos’ outfit, the Wildcats have one serious goal on their minds – winning a national championship.
As coach Kelly Amonte Hiller stressed to her team, last year’s results do not matter. She said they did not have time to worry about what they accomplished last year.
So turn off the purple light in the clock tower, put away the photos with President Bush and remove the championship rings. The Cats are ready for a repeat.
“I think they are excited to know who they are playing, they are excited to be in the tournament and they are ready to go out there and prove something to the rest of the country,” said Amonte Hiller, who was said about her team’s mentality heading into the NCAA tournament.
Amonte Hiller also was named the American Lacrosse Conference’s Coach of the Year on Thursday.
Although the Cats are ranked No. 1 in the Bounce Entertainment/Inside Lacrosse poll and lead the nation in scoring offense, win-margin and draw controls, they do not mind slipping to the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
In fact, they relish it.
“It was a bit of a shock at the time, but now more than anything we are just fired up,” said freshman Hannah Nielsen, who has posted 14 goals and eight assists this season. “We get to play some good, tougher teams and I think everyone is pretty excited for it.”
Junior Kristen Kjellman echoed that sentiment. She said the team is glad they are considered underdogs, which gives them a different perspective from their top seeding in last year’s tournament.
Kjellman enters the tournament ranked fourth in goals per game with an average of 3.6. She scored once in the Cats’ 19-8 victory over then-No. 18 Stanford on March 25 in Palo Alto, Calif. Kjellman was named the ALC Player of the Year on Thursday.
The Cats’ potent offense will be tested Sunday by Stanford goalie Laura Shane. Shane ranks second in the nation with a .570 save percentage.
Shane, a sophomore, will be anchoring the Cardinal’s defense in the school’s first-ever NCAA bid.
Likewise, Amonte Hiller said freshman Morgan Lathrop will most likely be making her first NCAA appearance in between the pipes for the Cats on Sunday.
Lathrop, No. 10 in the nation with a goals against average of 8.23, is one of the many freshmen who have played major roles this season.
“(The freshmen) have been through the battles all season,” Amonte Hiller said. “They are pretty much sophomores right now. I think they are definitely going to be keys, but we need everyone to step up.”
One of those key freshmen, Meredith Frank, has garnered ALC honors, too. She was named the ALC Freshman of the Year on Thursday.
No matter what they might wear to practice, the Cats remain focused on Sunday’s game.
“We know what it takes to get (to the championship),” Kjellman said. “I think we have the confidence since some of us did win it last year. We know what we are capable of doing … right now we are just trying to focus on Stanford.”
Reach Steve Silver at [email protected].
