Aussie Pipeline Not Just Jen Adams' Domain

by Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Australian standout Cass Cursaro, defending against Scotland in World Cup competition over the summer, is expected to contribute immediately as a freshman at Loyola. © Pellerins Photography

You would think all Loyola women’s lacrosse coach Jen Adams had to do to get Cass Cursaro to commit to the Greyhounds could be accomplished over a breakfast of Weet-Bix and Vegemite, the way lacrosse fans reacted to the news.

In reality, Adams was just one of several Division I coaches who pursued the highly touted midfielder, and she considers herself lucky Cursaro chose Loyola.

“Cass is actually from my club (Brighton Bombers) in Australia, and she caught a lot of eyes. Now a lot of foreigners get looks at a lot of different schools,” Adams said. “It’s different than it was in the past, when you had that secret in.”

The Greyhounds, ranked No. 14 in the IWLCA Division I poll released Tuesday, need look no further than Sunday’s opponent, No. 18 Penn State, for affirmation. The Nittany Lions recently hired Hannah Nielsen, a two-time Tewaaraton Trophy winner at Northwestern and Australian national team standout, as an assistant coach. Penn State attacker Hayley Sofarnos, another Aussie, figures to be a major contributor as a freshman.

“It’s not like in my day,” Adams said, “when you were lucky to get a phone call and if you did, that’s where you went.”

Loyola won six of its first seven games last year -- Adams’ first at the helm after five seasons as an assistant coach at Denver and Maryland -- but stumbled down the stretch in Big East competition. Cursaro and Navy transfer Meg Decker join All-American Grace Gavin (56g, 18a), Cara Filipelli (46 GBs, 39 CTs), Abby Rehfuss (32g, 16a, 46 DCs) and Emily Gibson (20g, 16a) to form arguably the deepest, most talented midfield corps in the country.

Cursaro and Decker are big reasons why some consider the Greyhounds a sleeper pick to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003.

At 5-foot-11, Cursaro is Loyola’s tallest player.

“She has incredible moves and can maneuver through anything. She gets through triples with quick feet,” said Adams, who played alongside Cursaro at the 2009 FIL World Cup in Prague. “She brings a bit of a spark that, offensively, we just needed more of.”

Decker, LaxPower.com’s National Rookie of the Year in 2008 with 63 goals and 58 draw controls, lost a year of eligibility because Navy did not release her to Loyola.

“For her, it’s done nothing but fuel the fire,” Adams said. “I’m excited to see Decker unleashed. She’s got it all bottled up.”

Adams likened Decker’s ability to that of her sister, former James Madison standout and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Gail Decker.

“It’s original. It’s their own. It’s something I don’t even want to change,” Adams said. “It just works for them. It’s unorthodox and difficult to stop.”

Which will make it all the more difficult for anyone to stop Loyola.

News & Notes

A winter storm packing strong winds and more than two feet of snow socked Baltimore over the weekend, forcing Loyola and other teams to alter their practice plans. “They plowed half a field. We’ve got a [12-meter] fan and that’s about it,” Adams said. “It’s quite comical watching 45 players crammed into that tiny area.” A second storm could drop another 12 to 18 inches of snow on the area Tuesday night... Sunday’s game at Penn State will be played indoors at Holuba Hall… Penn State’s attack was dealt a significant blow in the fall when 2009 leading scorer Marisa Lozano was lost for the season with a knee injury. Freshmen Hayley Sofarnos and Molly Fernandez will help bolster the unit.