A Record with a Different Meaning
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
|
| Lauren Carrier is in the NCAA record books for scoring
at least one goal in 46 consecutive games - a feat she accomplished
on March 5. When she looks back on her lacrosse career, just
stepping on the field for her senior year will be Carrier's
biggest accomplishment. © John Strohsacker |
Lauren Carrier saw the space she was looking for late in the
first half.
Face-guarded for most of the first stanza by a Washington College
defender, Carrier utilized a pick by one of her St. Mary's (Md.)
teammates and broke free in front of the goal. She collected a pass
from Kelsey Branch and beat the goalie to give the Seahawks a 6-3
lead.
And make history.
It was on that goal that Carrier, a senior for St. Mary's, set the
record for most consecutive games with at least one goal at 46 - a
mark that started her rookie year during an April 15, 2006 loss to
Mary Washington.
As her teammates mobbed her, Carrier thought very little about the
record. Rather, she thought about the tortuous four months since
crumpling to the ground last fall while playing for the Seahawks
women's soccer team, her anterior cruciate ligament in tatters.
"Breaking the record was just icing on the cake," said Carrier,
pausing to settle her emotions. "I just really appreciated being
out on the field far more than I was thinking about a record."
When she did suffer her injury on Oct. 15 against Virginia
Wesleyan, it appeared as though her lacrosse season was doomed, as
well. With just four months - the earliest time a player can
reasonably return from an ACL tear - until the first lacrosse game,
Carrier's lacrosse career, and the record, was in serious
jeopardy.
But there was Carrier rehabbing her knee twice a day all through
the winter, the sweat often indistinguishable from the tears. It
was a nice coda on her soccer career when she was named the Capital
Athletic Conference Player of the Year despite playing in just 11
games, but Carrier wasn't about to let that award make up for the
loss of her lacrosse career.
On Feb. 18, just three days before St. Mary's first game of the
season against nationally-ranked Washington & Lee, Carrier got
the green light from her doctor to give it a shot.
For the first time she was able to play in front of Kara Reber, the
coach of the Seahawks who was hired in the offseason, and tried to
prove that she was worthy of playing for a ranked team, as St.
Mary's was No. 15 in Lacrosse Magazine's preseason
poll.
She managed to score one goal against W&L, and followed that up
with four goals against Wesley and three markers versus a ranked
Dickinson squad, tying her with Scranton's Liz Baumbach, who scored
in 45 consecutive games from 2001-03.
After having a Washington College defender shadowing her for the
first 24:32 of the game, Carrier finally saw her chance at
history.
Although she had only seen Carrier play for a couple of weeks,
Reber understood what allowed Carrier to not only smash the record,
but work so doggedly to get back when no one would have questioned
her if she put her lacrosse stick in the corner for good.
"I believe one of the main reasons she has been able to break this
record is because of her hard work and determination," said Reber,
who has guided the Seahawks to a 6-1 start. "When Lauren sets
her mind to accomplishing something, she gets it done."
"It's really hard to explain how I felt," said Carrier, remembering
back to the post-goal celebration. "I went through so much and I've
come so far, and finally getting there was just a sigh of relief.
I'm finally doing this."
Putting the record to bed should be a boost to both Carrier and St.
Mary's. Instead of trying to force the ball to Carrier, which led
to numerous unnecessary turnovers, the Seahawks can play their
game. And instead of worrying about her name in a record book,
Carrier can enjoy what she worked so hard to accomplish.
"I have to appreciate every game I get to play in," she said. "I'm
not worried about scoring a goal, I just like being out on the
field with my team."
