Falcons have talent to soar to top
Courtesy of Matt Stewart - Sentinel & Enterprise
FITCHBURG -- Fitchburg State University women's lacrosse head coach Rick Terrio summed up his team's potential in one sentence: "This is the year."
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The Falcons return nine of 11 starters from a team that went 14-4 and set a program record for wins last season. Last year, Fitchburg State did the unthinkable, defeating perennial superpower Bridgewater State in a head-to-head battle -- a team that has won every tournament championship in conference history, and won all but one conference regular-season title.
However, just like strong Falcon teams in the past, FSU could not get past the semis in MASCAC tournament play. Winning the MASCAC gold is the goal for this year's squad, and "this is the year," as the Falcons have the talent to do so.
"I have the best talent I've ever had," Terrio said. "This is my ninth year, and we have a tougher schedule, that's going to help us in the long run. We've been knocked out in the semis six years in a row now, and this is the year that we're going to do it.
"We've got great leadership, four captains who are making everyone work really hard, and the team has a great attitude where they are willing to play any position to get out there."
The starters are not only well-seasoned and powerful, but also versatile -- with 10 capable of playing nearly every position -- which creates a coach's enviable problem of trying to figure out who to start and where to start them.
"I have, like, 16 starters for 11 positions," Terrio said.
"There's going to be players coming off the bench that could be starters for most colleges, and that's a great problem to have. It's going to be very competitive, where returning starters realize they are going to have to work if they want to remain starters."
Terrio characterizes his team as the most balanced he has ever had.
Offensively, one of Terrio's most highly touted recruits returns for her junior season.
Captain attack Ali Laferriere already boasts 251 draw controls, a stat that would be impressive for a graduating senior, let alone someone with just two years of experience.
Laferriere averages better than a hat trick per game (3.23 goals), posting 113 career goals and 26 assists. As a freshman, she had to carry the load offensively.
"My freshman year we struggled with offensive firepower, but last year we got a ton," Laferriere said. "So I didn't lead goal scoring by much, and now we have a ton of goal-scorers. Any girl on the field can put the ball in the net."
Other offensive weapons are captain Brianna Dunn (17 goals, 25 assists last season), all-conference midfielder Andrea Comeau (44 goals, 9 assists), Corinne DeSimone (35 goals, 7 assists), Kayla Panek (17 goals, 10 assists) and Carrie Long (27 goals, 6 assists).
"A lot of our success last year was due to chemistry on and off the field," Dunn said. "Our team was such a good family, and we're all just genuine friends -- some of us live together. When you want the best for your teammates, you make a lot of opportunities for them to do well, and they always have your back. We're going to prove that last year wasn't a fluke, and teams should be afraid of us."
Captain Liz Darrigo enters her fourth season as the Falcons' starting goalkeeper. Her 28-20 career record is also school record for career victories, and her stats improved last season as the team around her improved.
From Darrigo's sophomore to junior year, shots against her dropped 25 percent, as she boasted a 50.2 save percentage and a 13-4 record. Darrigo's goals-against average continues to drop, going from 13.45 in 2013 and 12.51 in 2014 to a drastic drop to 9.79 last season.
"I've always stayed the same, skill level, but as the four years have gone on our defense has just improved and improved," Darrigo said. "It's just crazy to see the evolution from freshman year, when we weren't very strong on defense, to now (when) our defense is crazy, and I've seen a lot less shots."
The defense has drastically improved over the years, and this year should reach its pinnacle. Shirley native and captain Samantha Bontempo leads the back line, along with Lia Crutchfield, Molly Barbarotta and Maddie Driscoll.
FSU had a handful of weaker opponents on the slate last season, but 2016 should be a fierce battle every night. The Falcons open up with Nichols College on the road on March 8, with their home opener slated for March 24 at 5 p.m. against Rivier University.
The docket also features a trip to Clermont, Fla., to take on Mount Holyoke College and Western New England University during the week of St. Patrick's Day.
Last year's MASCAC tournament champion, Bridgewater State, visits Elliot Field on April 2, while the Falcons travel to conference regular-season champion Westfield State on April 9.
The Falcon captains called last year's Bridgewater win the victory of their lives.
"I think playing more challenging games and playing teams at a higher level than us is going to make us such a better team," Bontempo said. "I'm sad it's my senior year, but I'm excited to see where this team is going to go this year."