Team USA: Falcone Moves to Next Chapter
by Brian Logue | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
|
|
Amber Falcone was named as the outstanding defender at the 2009 FIL World Cup. © Pellerins Photography |
Just a month after her North Carolina team fell to Northwestern in the NCAA Division I championship game last spring, Amber Falcone had a different kind of feeling – one of pure joy and triumph. Falcone quickly moved on and helped the United States win the 2009 Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup with an 8-7 victory over rival Australia in the championship game in the Czech Republic.
Falcone, a four-time All-American while at UNC, was named the outstanding defender at the event after helping Team USA surrender fewer than seven goals per game.
It capped a whirlwind few months, but also led her to her next challenge – a new position as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University.
"Coming into the World Cup, I wasn't sure if I wanted to coach," said Falcone. "I was considering it, but I wasn't sure. A lot of my [World Cup] teammates were coaches. They were so positive and said how they loved the life of a college coach."
Falcone, who also mentioned strong encouragement from her parents to pursue coaching, is helping Vanderbilt to a banner season. The Commodores have won 10 straight games to climb to No. 8 in the nation heading into Saturday night's game against the team that ended her 2009 season — Northwestern.
The transition has been smooth, with Falcone enjoying the close-knit team and the support of Vandy head coach Cathy Swezey and assistant coach Susan Ellis. One of the biggest challenges has been moving into a coaching role with players that are basically the same age.
"One of the hardest things was my age and drawing that fine line," said Falcone. "I came into it trying to be a little more tough and not their friend. I've had to find that balance."
The other big challenge is the frustration of not being able to go out on the field and do things herself. That's part of the reason she continues to play with the U.S. National Team Program, a program she hadn't paid much notice to until her junior year of college.
"We got the e-mail about tryouts and two of my best friends, Kristen and Kelly Taylor, said 'Let's try it, it might be fun.' All three of us ended up making the Devo team."
In the summer of 2008, Falcone was moved up to the touring team that went to the Czech Republic for the Prague Cup and then was one of the 18 named to the U.S. World Cup team. She continues to play with Team USA, most recently at the Champion Challenge event in Florida this past January.
"Winning a World Cup and coming off college, I wanted to chill out and stop playing for a little while," said Falcone. "It was hard to find my motivation and keep pushing myself."
But she did, and she needed to look no further than her U.S. teammates for that motivation.
"A lot of my teammates had been in my shoes, and they had all worked so hard to win a World Cup," said Falcone.
So she works out, sometimes sprinting on her own. She warms up Vandy's goalies. Anything she can do to stay sharp. And she'll keep doing it as long as the sport she began playing in third grade means the same to her.
"My mentality is that I'm going to take it year by year, and right now, I love it," said Falcone. "I love being a part of something bigger than myself. My ultimate goal is to make the 2013 World Cup team."
