Lacrosse ranked fourth in the nation

By Eric Nelson and

A perennial contender for the national championship, the Santa Clara's women's club lacrosse team has what they and Head Coach Brendan O'Brien believe to be the pieces to win it all this year.

Coming in this season ranked No. 4 by Lacrosse Magazine in the WDIA, the collegiate club lacrosse organization, Santa Clara expects nothing short of excellence.

The Broncos are led by a senior class of seven starters, the most notable being Krista Shaw. In Lacrosse Magazine, Shaw, a two-time first-team WDIA and Midfielder of the Year, was named the DWIA preseason player of the year.

This comes as no surprise to the rest of the team. Shaw has led her team in scoring the past two seasons, piling up 65 goals and 11 assists in 2009, and 77 goals and 9 assists in 2008.

But numbers on the offensive end are not immediately at the core of Shaw's drive for success.

"I've scored a lot but I think my biggest strength is, when I make mistakes, not letting that get to me and being able to push through them, like chasing after every ground ball

if I've dropped a pass or something." she said.

Shaw, a Denver native, grew up in a sports-savvy family. Her brother played lacrosse, a sport much more popular in Colorado than California, but it was ultimately the nature of the game that attracted Shaw.

"I picked it over soccer because (lacrosse) is so fast and it's so high-scoring," she said. "You can be down by five goals and still come back to win. I've always liked that about lacrosse."

Shaw's impact on the team in the 2007 season was immediate, even to her fellow freshmen teammates at the time.

Jenna Choquette, club president and co-captain who grew up on the lacrosse-crazy East Coast, was nothing short of impressed with Shaw's performance right from the start.

"Coming in (to her freshmen season) she was, I think, one of the best players I've ever seen."

"She has a vision I don't think anyone comes close to," Choquette added in that Shaw can anticipate the action on the field to a very high degree.

O'Brien noted the specifics of Shaw's work ethic, noting that she constantly gives 120 percent, finishes first on the team in sprints and always takes extra shots on goal outside of practice.

Since first picking up the lacrosse stick, Shaw has excelled at the midfielder position, playing the position every year but one where she played forward.

"Midfield is definitely where I want to be just because I like running first of all, and I never really like having to sit out of a play," said Shaw.

However, it isn't just what Shaw brings to the table on the offensive or defensive ends these days, but the unbridled enthusiasm and dedication to the game that rubs off on everybody around her.

O'Brien comments about Shaw and her teammates that made up the freshman class three seasons ago.

"From day one it was 100 percent focus," he said.

The senior class has aimed to leave that impression on their younger teammates and for the program in the future. As a club sport, the players themselves are ultimately responsible for the direction that their program goes in.

Like most clubs, the team gets its name out to the Santa Clara community at the annual club fair but also receives recruiting assistance from another one of their coaches.

Even so, Shaw has been given more specific assignments in bringing in players.

"I guess my role in that is whenever he's asked me to talk to players, especially ones from Colorado, I've gone and had coffee with them when they were visiting or talked to them on the phone," she said.

"I toured Maggie (Burke) when she visited," she added, further noting she had also spoken to freshman Hannah Scott before the season.

However despite her diverse success, Shaw remains grounded in attributing much of the team's achievements to her coaches and the strong play from the other seniors. The experience and talent of the team is evident in Shaw's praise.

"I feel like my team in college has been way more cohesive, that I've actually enjoyed it a lot more" she said.

Returning seven starting seniors, including All-Americans at the goalkeeper and defensive positions, as well as a very strong freshmen class to boot, gives Shaw and company confidence in their pursuit of the championship this upcoming season.

"We just don't have some of the weak points in terms of the bench and stuff that we've had in past years," she said.

With a talent-loaded team, Santa Clara will enter each match with the tools to execute their game accordingly and come out with a win. To the team, they go into the season in control of their own destiny.

"What we've always had trouble with is mental mistakes when getting down," said Shaw in addressing the team's goal for improvement.

"We haven't really gotten beaten; we've just beaten ourselves," she added. I think that's what we're looking to get past."

And to have a shot at the national championship, the Bronco's are going to have to play up to their potential, especially when they line up across from bitter rivals No. 10 UCLA on Feb. 20 and No. 7 Cal Poly on Feb. 27.

When asked what her reaction is to being ranked fourth in the nation, Shaw was blunt in speaking on behalf of her team.

"It wasn't really a surprise. Our philosophy is rankings don't really mean anything; you have to prove yourself on the field."

Santa Clara will get its first shot at proving themselves on Jan. 29 against Cal in Berkeley.

Their first home match comes Feb. 6 against Sonoma State.

Contact Eric Nelson or Nick Pinkerton at sports@thesantaclara.com or (408) 551-1918.