Fratzke Draws, Claws and Scores Big for Tigers
by Chris R. Vaccaro | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
If someone told Hillary Fratzke that she’d have a 63-game point-scoring streak and a 57-game goal-scoring streak, she’d shake her head.
So would many people.
Think about it. For 57 straight games, Fratzke has put the rock in the back of the net.
It’s Joe DiMaggio-esque at its best.
Fratzke's shot and scoring touch has become a model of consistency for Towson in a year that has seen the Tigers reach a ranking as high as seventh in the nation. (They fell to No. 11 this week after a double-overtime loss to CAA rival James Madison.)
Not only has Fratzke captured headlines with her scoring touch,
but Jess Dunn has also scored at will, netting 33 goals on 54 shots
(.611 shooting percentage) -- making the pair one of the best
scoring tandems in the nation.
Recording goals is only one part of the game, and Towson coach
Missy Doherty said both bring much more to the field that
doesn’t meet the average eye. Like Fratzke’s
team-leading 48 draw controls. (Her 300-plus during her career are
a Towson record.)
“She is the player that is getting draws and getting caused
turnovers,” Doherty said. “If she wasn’t doing
those things, I think I’d notice more. Her competitiveness
takes over. She is so consistent with her effort that it’s
hard to stop her 100 percent of the time. She wears people down,
and she’s going to keep coming after it.”
As for Dunn, a junior, Doherty said she wishes everyone could
emulate her shot.
“It comes with a lot of practice,” said Dunn, who has
33 goals (second on the team to Fratzke’s 34). “A big
thing for us is putting our shots away.”
Doherty, Dunn and Fratzke said the key for the team throughout
the final month of the season is to decrease on turnovers.
“We have to take care of the ball,” said Fratzke, who
is playing in her fifth year because of tearing an ACL last season.
“We have the speed, the defensive ability, but 20 turnovers a
game is not okay. We’re still a team that nobody can look
past, and that gives us such a competitive edge.”
Fratzke, who ranks among career leaders in nearly every offensive
category at Towson, has been a perfect role model for players like
Dunn. Her character is contagious.
“We really challenge each other to bring out our best for
the games,” Dunn said. “In all my years playing,
I’ve never seen someone who tries so hard. For Hillary, it
doesn’t matter about stats. It’s about that draw
control or that ground ball. She does whatever it takes to get that
ball back. Then you start thinking, I want to get that ground ball,
that draw control.”
While Fratzke, whose lacrosse resume speaks volumes, is
Towson’s Alex Rodriguez, Dunn is Derek Jeter, and the Tigers
are looking to make a splash in this year’s conference
tournament. You’d be hard pressed to find an offense with a
better combination to do so.
CAA Women's Lacrosse Notes
James Madison’s Casey Ancarrow took home
CAA Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors for her
five-point (3g, 2a) performance in a 10-9 double-overtime win over
Towson April 9. Ancarrow also scored a career-high five goals in an
18-9 win over Delaware April 11… On the flip side in that
game, Blair King scored a career-high five
second-half goals for Delaware…
Hofstra’s Liz Falco was named CAA Co-Player
of the Week for scoring a career-high tying four goals in a 15-7
win over William & Mary… Katie
Lawson scored her 100th career goal in
Drexel’s 17-12 loss to William &
Mary… On the other end of that game, Grace
Golden scored a school-record seven goals for
William & Mary… Old
Dominion goalie Sarah Geary registered a season-high 17
saves in a 16-8 loss to Hofstra.
