The Oswego State Lakers women’s lacrosse team has gotten off to a good start in the 2018 season after a disappointing 2017 in which they went 7-8. While the team is just 4-2, one loss was by a goal, and the other was to No. 9 York College.
In their wins, they have won by an average of 12 goals, including a 24-1 rout of Elmira College. A big reason for this is the incredible offense that has scored 91 goals, good for third in the SUNYAC. Perhaps the biggest contributor is none other than Teresa Shattuck, a junior from Syracuse.
Shattuck leads the nation in assists per game with 4.6. Her ability to find her teammates is magnificent and a huge reason for the team’s early success. One reason for her absurd amount of assists, 28 in six games, is the team and coaching staff surrounding her. The team has put a system in place and is executing it nearly to perfection. The plan has led to the team scoring 15.2 goals per game, nearly double the game average from last season.
“Last year, we were a building team, developing what we needed to do,” Shattuck said. “Now, we have this [system] down, and it is so much easier to go down and know what we are going to do.”
Although the team has scored many goals, Shattuck has spread the wealth. She has assisted on at least one goal for seven of the nine Laker goal scorers. With that in mind, there is no shock the offense has been dominant with such a great playmaker. She has chemistry with every single one of her teammates, which helps the offense run smoothly.
“I have been playing with most of [my teammates] my entire life as I played in high school with a few of them,” Shattuck said. “We know exactly where each other are going to be, and it is easy to say one thing on the field and know exactly where we are supposed to be.”
Specifically, she has found a groove with senior Gemma O’Kane and junior Toni Laneve. Shattuck has assisted on half of O’Kane’s 16 and Laneve’s 20 goals. Since this trio joined together at Oswego State, they have a combined 120 goals and 219 points in just 21 games.
“It is a great feeling [to play so often with them] because I know if Gemma drops the ball she’s going to work a** off to go get the ball again,” Shattuck said. “We don’t even need to talk to each other to make sure we are going to finish it off.”
Although Shattuck is an assist machine, she is not afraid to put the ball on net. She is fifth on the team in shots and goals with 19 and 12, respectively. Because she can shoot and pass, it makes it tough to defend her. If you over-commit to her, and she will find the open teammate, but if you cheat and cover the other attackers she will make you pay.
“[She] opens up opportunities for her teammates and she really works hard to set them up for success,” head coach Britt Howard said. “Whether that’s picking or working in the stack to get her other teammates open, she just has a niche for the game.”
As great of a player Shattuck is, something that sets her apart from other lacrosse players is her drive for the game.
“Her work ethic [is present] all over the field,” Howard said. “Going back to get the ball in the clear, everyone knows when she is going into the defensive end to clear out of her way.”
In fact, she has seven ground balls and five caused turnovers on the season, both of which are second amongst all attackers on the team. This demonstrates just how hard she works to get the ball back and into the attacking end. In addition, she does not let her talent get to her into tough situations. She knows when to keep it simple and when to try that risky play that needs to be performed perfectly.
“She will take challenges when given to her but she is also composed when we need her to be,” Howard said. “She is very direct and a good role model on the field; the younger players look up to her. They all look at her to be the play caller [to] see what’s next.”
Austin Dearborn | The Oswegonian
