Attitude Making Difference In Three-Game Win Streak

Lacrosse

By: Mike Northup

Posted: 3/14/07

After a hugely successful three-game spring break trip to California, the lacrosse team will aim to keep the momentum going into today's match-up versus Harvard. The Huskies (4-1) are coming off three straight road victories and will take on the Crimson (1-2) in just their second home match of the year. The game will start at 3 p.m. at the Sherman Family Sports Complex.

After a season-opening 14-13 victory versus Holy Cross, the Crimson have lost a disappointing pair of games versus UMass and Boston College, losing by 11 goals and 10 goals respectively. To be successful, the Huskies will have to maintain the positive attitude developed this season.

"Keeping with our same motto, it basically is 'everybody has to play, everybody has to contribute,'" said head Coach Megan Cersosimo. "It's about taking care of the small details individually and then as a team, and we'll be successful. You work hard, and you believe that you can do this, and things will happen for you."

Despite roughly 85% of the team, including Cersosimo, battling the flu, UConn defeated Stanford, UC Davis, and California over the break, leaving the team just one win away from matching last year's win total. Luckily for the team, most of the players are feeling healthier and ready for the upcoming games.

Cersosimo attributes the huge turnaround in the Huskies' successes this season compared to last season to a serious change in attitude from the players.

"I just think that it was an attitude shift and after the Yale game [the team] thought about what they wanted, and they decided that this was what they wanted," Cersosimo said. "They wanted to win, they wanted to change their attitudes about winning and believing and they've gone ahead and done that."

In the opening game of the trip, Stanford scored the first goal, but after that it was all Huskies as the team never allowed the Cardinal to catch up in the 16-10 victory. In the game four different Huskies had multiple goals including midfielder Shannon Burke who led the team with 6 goals on her way to a school-record 10-point performance.

The 13-9 victory over UC Davis was another very solid showing from the team. In that match, the Huskies never relinquished their lead after going up 4-3. Four different players had more than one goal in another balanced offensive attack.

California gave the Huskies the biggest run for their money on the trip in the Huskies' 13-12 victory. The Huskies and Golden Bears each see-sawed back and forth for momentum, trading off scoring rallies through much of the game.

"We did not play as well as we could have [in the Cal game]," Cersosimo said. "Cal is a very, very talented team, but I think it really was the attitude of everyone truly believing that at no point were they ever going to lose this game. They were going to find a way tooth and nail to win this game."

After heading into halftime tied 4-4, California jumped out to an 8-5 lead. However, after that the Huskies turned up the intensity going on a huge run putting the team up 13-9.

"In the second half, Cal had the three goals quickly," Cersosimo said. "I called a timeout and just questioned them like, 'What are you doing out here?' and I think they just totally rallied behind it and said, 'This is what we want to do' and they took anything they could to make it a positive."

Burke continues to prove why she is the Huskies' top scoring threat this season. In the three victories, Burke led the team totaling 12 goals and 14 assists. Her performance over the break earned her the honor of Inside Lacrosse's Player of the Week.

"The best part about Shannon is that not only is she scoring, but she's assisting," Cersosimo said. "She's making herself a very versatile player and a huge threat because [the opposition doesn't] know whether they should defend her for the assist or for her challenge, which is exactly where you want to be. That's where you want to be as an elite lacrosse player."

Cersosimo pointed out that much of Burke's phenomenal play is made possible thanks to her teammates in the attack and midfield stepping up this season to create a perfectly balanced attack.

"The reason why Shannon has been so successful is due to her teammates," Cersosimo said. "All of her teammates are a threat right now. We have a lot of people scoring - Kristin Link, Shannon Burke, Tori Joel, Janet Williams - they're all scoring, so defenders aren't as apt to fly to Shannon to help because they have to worry about their own. Shannon may now throw the ball to another girl and then score. I think it really is a combination of Shannon becoming more versatile, she's opening up her game, and then on top of that her teammates are stepping up and finishing what she can't all the time do. So it's making a defense have to play seven people instead of one or two, which is exactly what you need."

The torrid pace at which she is scoring leaves Burke with a good chance at rewriting a great deal of the school record book before her senior year has done. With 22 assists on the year, Burke has already set a personal career high, and has moved into first all-time in career assists with 67. Burke's 37 points on the year have catapulted her from fourth to second all time in career points with 182. Just 22 more points and Burke will eclipse all-time leader Tracey Mullaney's 203 career points.

As far as single-season records go, Burke has a great chance at becoming the all-time leader in assists and points scored for the Huskies. With just 7 more assists on the year, Burke will pass Abby Morgan's 28 assists recorded in 2000 for first all-time. The magic number to beat for points is 61, set by Mullaney in 2005. Burke has also scored a goal in 43 straight games, which is more than double the next highest such streak in school history.

The Huskies will continue their four-game home stand versus Loyola on Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m. at the Sherman Family Sports Complex.