How To: Play Attack

An attacker in lacrosse has many roles, but the most important: get the ball in the back of the net.

It takes a lot of dedication and practice to fine-tune your attacking skills. And as late-Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."

There are so many drills that are designed for attackers: shooting, agilities, and ground balls are some of them. These drills may seem tedious at times, but they are very important when it comes to improving your skills. These skills can and are used in practices and more importantly games.

Three drills for attack players that stood the test of time are as follows:

1. A Warm-up: Ladders. Although ladders seem insipid, they are the best way to work on your footwork. If you don't want to do it with anyone, do it yourself! Even if you do not have a ladder, you can use tape to draw one out and use tape!
Some ways to go through the boxes are as follows:
-One foot in
-Two in
-Two-in, One-out
-Two-in, Two-out
-Single-leg bunny hops
-Both legs bunny hop

Below is a video of what the footwork should look like:

If you really want to challenge yourself, time yourself the first time you do it, and then try to beat your record EVERY TIME!

2. One-on-One Drills: For the best results, you need a defender to go up against you. Charging to the cage alone will do nothing for you, but when you have someone that is supposed to be pushing you one way, your brain will adjust and figure out how to beat them. Whether it is with speed, or with shiftiness, practice makes perfect. 

3. Accuracy: To work on your shooting accuracy, place cones in the top, middle, and bottom sections of the net. Standing in between the crease and the eight-meter line, get a teammate or friend to feed you the ball, turn, and shoot. To challenge yourself, let the feeder call out a number, and shoot where they tell you! 
Here is an example of where the spots are when you're shooting. You can even add a 7 and 8 spot in-between 1 and 4 and 3 and 6 respectively. 

All drills and hard work make you become that better of a player, so do not slack! Push yourself to the fullest and the results will come. 

"Practice does not make perfect. 
Only perfect practice makes perfect."

As Fall Ball is winding down, Coach Grella has been pushing the girls into making every practice a game-changing one. Each drill must be completed to the best of their ability, because how they practice is how they will eventually play. 

"Practice is essential to building a dominant team. Not only does it improve skills necessary to perform at the highest levels during games, but it allows a chemistry and comradery to develop between teammates, which is essential to success," said grad-assistant Meg Brown. 

Focusing on increasing stamina and perfecting stick-work, the Panthers push themselves to the limit during their 2.5 hour practices.

"When we push ourselves in practice, it makes us play that much better in real games because there is never a let up. If we run to our fullest potential, we are helping ourselves get into game shape," said senior defender Stefani Jackson.

In preparation for their tournament against some top-tier Division I teams, including Fairfield and Lafayette, the girls have been working hard on their defense. In 3v2 drills, 3 attack players go up against 2 defenders. The defenders must adjust to where the ball is being thrown and who is a bigger threat. This makes it much harder than just locking off 2 girls and letting 1 go right to the cage. 

The Panthers practicing 3v2s:

Other drills that are done during practice are the Box Drill, which is essentially a full-field scrimmage where midfielders are cleared the ball (passed from the goalie) and run back and forth on both offense and defense. 

There is also the 3v2 Continuous drill, where 3 attackers once again go up against 2 defenders and tries to score. Whether they do or don't, the ball is cleared to a girl in line and the two low defenders run up the field and join the outlet pass against 2 other defenders that had went in. 

Look at the video below of the women's lacrosse team performing the 3v2 continuous drill during practice to get a better idea of what it is all about: 

The progress the girls have made and will continue to make is all in preparation for a stellar 2014 season. 

Hofstra: Take Two

Just over two weeks ago, the Adelphi women's lacrosse team participated in the HEADstrong tournament held at Hofstra University. While there, they played four Division I teams, however they never got the chance to play the hosting team themselves.

Tomorrow, October 15, Hofstra will take the 15 minute drive to Adelphi to scrimmage them in a full running-time game.

What the coaches and players of Adelphi are looking forward to is a hard battle against an up-and-coming Division I program.

"With Shannon Smith as head coach, Hofstra is playing some of their best lacrosse in years. I am really excited to play them tomorrow because it will really prove if we can hang with some of the Division I teams. Hofstra is also on Long Island, which gives us even more to prove," said sophomore defender Camille Rosellini. 

Be sure to come out and watch your Adelphi Panthers take on the Hofstra Pride tomorrow night at 7:00 on Motamed Field! 

Update: The Adelphi Women's Lacrosse Team beat Division I Hofstra University 14-9 in 60-minute running-time action. 

Getting to know: Rachel O'Brien


Sophomore standout Rachel O'Brien came to Adelphi from Bayport-Bluepoint in Suffolk County, Long Island. She quickly made her mark as a Panther, starting all 21 games and being the teams second leading scorer. 


To end the season, O'Brien went home with Rookie of the Year honors from the Northeast-10 and made the IWLCA Second-team All Region. I had a chance to sit down with Rachel and learn some new things about her as well as what she's looking forward to this season.

Alexa: What is your favorite sports related movie? Why?

Rachel: The Blind Side. To know that it is a true story makes it very inspirational. It's amazing that Michael Oher worked hard enough to get recognized and move from the collegiate level to the NFL. 

Alexa: What type of music do you generally listen to before games or while working out?

Rachel: I like to listen to anything that is fast and upbeat. Techno and house music like Avicii and Calvin Harris keep me pumped.

Alexa: Have any superstitions?

Rachel: It's not really a superstition, but my hair needs to be up in a tight bun or else I won't be "on" or feel right playing. 

Alexa: What are some of your favorite workout activities?

Rachel: I enjoy lifting a lot. Its fun to see how high you I get my max to be and if I can beat my personal records. I also like to do any sprinting drills, like T-sprints and 40's are great to keep me in shape. 

Alexa:  With a exceptional freshman year, what are you hoping to do in the upcoming season?

Rachel: My goal this season is to be stronger, faster and smarter on the field. It would be great to earn an All-American honor also.

Alexa: In what ways is the team different this year from last?

Rachel: A big difference is not having Todd as our assistant coach anymore. He was a big part of the team last year, so it will definitely be an adjustment to not have him anymore. 

Alexa: What are some ways that you fine-tune your play? 

Rachel: I like to shoot on my own when I get the chance and I also run as much as I can.

Alexa: What are the teams goals for the 2014 season?

Rachel: Our first goal would be to go to another Final Four. We had such a strong bond last year and made a lot of memories at the tournament. 

Alexa: Who is the biggest rival in the upcoming season?

Rachel: C.W. Post. We have had a rivalry for a while. They barely got past us in the semi-final game last year. I'm excited to play them this season and see if we can get some redemption. 

Alexa: What advice would you give to someone interested in playing attack?

Rachel: I would tell girls to watch a lot of D1 highlights, boys and girls. They are smart players and know how to see the field, shoot, and make smart passes.

I Woke up to my Cold Sheets and the Smell of New Jersey...

Adelphi's Alumni Team

This past weekend was a hectic one for the Adelphi Panthers!

First, on Saturday, October 5, the girls participated in the third annual Alumni Game at Motamed Field. The game was a blast from beginning to end. Veterans bonded with the young-guns and it was a game filled with competitveness. The Alumni battled the players for ground balls, and played hard defense on them throughout. 

The 2013-2014 team with their predecessors. 

The 2013-2014 team did their job, however, giving the Alumni a pretty good beating, with a final score of 14-2.


The rest of the night was filled with laughs, talking about memories from the seasons past and present while at the tailgate.






On Sunday, the Panthers traveled to New Jersey to play in a tournament at Monmouth College. While there, they played two running-time games against Monmouth College and Howard University.

Monmouth College is ranked 38th in Division I lacrosse. Coach Grella and the girls were looking forward to this game to be a big wake-up call to see if they can hang with Division I players.

After a back-and-forth 60 minutes, the Panthers edged out the win by one, finishing 8-7.

"This really showed us what we were made of," said sophomore Rachel O'Brien. "Being able to hang with a Division I team, and not even when we were playing our absolute best says a lot."

In regular season, the Panthers practice six times a week, with conditioning and lifting incorporated twice a week before practice. In the fall, they only practice three times and condition once a week.

"The level of play changes immensely from fall to spring because we are playing so much more as the season goes on," O'Brien says. 

In their second game against Howard University, the Panthers kept a big lead until the very end, beating another Division I team, 15-3.

The trip back from New Jersey was a long one, and while sitting in traffic, the girls couldn't help but get in the... holiday spirit?

Stay tuned for more coming up as the fall ball season is winding down!

Headin' for a Showdown

Tomorrow, October 5, 2013, the Women's Lacrosse team will partake in the third annual Alumni Game on Motamed Field. Former Panthers will go back to their old stomping grounds and play the 2013-2014 team. 

There are about 20 alumni who are expected tomorrow, as well as the 32 current players. Those expected to make an appearance include 4x First-Team All-American Erica DeVito, grad-assistant Meg Brown, and more.


"I am really looking forward to Alumni weekend. I love getting together with alumni who I played with and those who I never got the chance to play with. It's an amazing time for us all to share and remember the memories of our time at Adelphi and the experiences we had playing for such a reputable athletic program," said Erica. 

Members of the 2013-2014 team are also excited about this yearly event.

"It's always fun to see old players that I've played with as well as girls that played before I even got here. The games are always tough and we appreciate good competition," said goalie Jordann Dempsey. 

Come out and support your lacrosse team as they play the veterans at 5:45PM, Saturday! 

We Talkin' Bout Practice

Entering week three of Fall Ball practices, the Panthers are laying the ground work for their upcoming tournament at Monmouth University. Tuesdays practices are from 6:30-9PM, then Wednesday morning they have team runs at 6AM. Fridays practices are once again at 6:30-9PM, and at 6:30AM Saturday morning, they're back at it and on the field. 

An Adelphi practice typically consists of team-oriented drills. Ground ball battles, 3v2 continuous, "Jackie Williams Drill," (named after their own two-time All-American defender), among others. The Panthers are working hard every practice in preparation for the tournament as they are the only Division II team involved. 

During their team runs, the girls do intense cardio for about an hour straight. Between reverse Indian runs, 100 yard sprints, and suicides, the Panthers are trying to get into the best shape possible for the upcoming tournaments and the 2014 season.

"After losing in the final 5 seconds of the semi-final game, there's nothing more that I want then to return to the Final Four and show everyone what we are really made of," said defender Lauren Janelli.

Everything the Panthers do during fall ball is in preparation for the upcoming season. Getting so close to a national title and losing it, the girls push themselves everyday and every practice to return back to the Final Four.