So far this season, almost everything has gone right for the women's lacrosse team on the field. Indeed, by blazing to a 5-0 start, the Eli laxers have proved themselves to be a level above the competition. Leading the Eli charge has been Ali DeLaCruz, ES '97, whose great play at midfield has been a key element to the heroic deeds of the team.
DeLaCruz's star shone most brightly in the team's matchup against UMass. By scoring four goals, the junior led the team to a 15-4 blowout over the Minutemen. This brought DeLaCruz's season total to seven goals and established her as the team's second-leading scorer.
Success, however, is nothing new for DeLaCruz. As a high-school student at Thayer Academy, she regularly amazed both fans and fellow players with her awesome abilities. As a senior captain, she led her team to championships in both the New England Scholastic Lacrosse Association and the Independent School League. Besides her team's success, DeLaCruz distinguished herself with many individual honors. She was named All-League and All-American in both her junior and senior seasons.
Despite this awesome success, DeLaCruz did not get much playing time in her first two years at the collegiate level. It seems the lacrosse team had a problem that every team would like to have: they had far too many good players to fit on the field at the same time.
Although she'll admit that sitting the bench was not exactly fun for an All-American, she explains that the experience has made her a better player. "My class stepped into a difficult situation. When we got here, we already had a lot of good young players. I've learned a lot by just sitting back and watching. Now it's time and I love the action," she said.
Now that she has her chance, DeLaCruz has played with an enthusiasm and intensity that is unusual even in Division I athletics. Her intensity serves to motivate both herself and her teammates to do great things. "People tell me they're amazed at how excited I get before games. I just love getting other people excited," she said.
The Elis hope that their talent and enthusiasm can take the team to new heights this year. Although last year they had a solid season, their season ended in disappointment when they were not invited to the NCAA tournament.
This year DeLaCruz wants to make sure that the team is not snubbed again. "I really want to go to the tournament. It's time some of the younger people on the team step up. We can do as well as we did last year, but this time go to the tournament," DeLaCruz said.
If the team and DeLaCruz keep scoring at their current pace, no goal should be out of reach.
-Charles Riely
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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