Connelly's offensive explosion leads attack

By AMANDA McTIGHE
Collegian Sports Writer

Just 58 seconds into the women's lacrosse game yesterday, junior midfielder Joanne Connelly started to hustle.

She scored the first goal of the game against Lehigh, and would go on to score two more to win a 7-6 thriller.

"This game was scarier than it was supposed to be, but we'll take the win," she said after the game at Lady Lion Field.

Scary or not, Joanne Connelly seems to always handle the pressure. Not only is she a starter for the women's lacrosse team, but she is also a member of the women's soccer team and is pursuing an engineering degree. Despite all these activities, Connelly still finds time to accomplish each one to the best of her ability.

"She plays all out, 100 percent everyday. It doesn't matter whether it's a game or practice," said senior lacrosse teammate Jill Pearsall.

When asked about her strengths and weaknesses, Connelly was very direct. One of her strengths is her ability to make things happen on the field. Her teammates refer to her as the enzyme because she initiates plays. Her hustle and her love for pressure also help her game.

" My weakness is mostly mental. I always let outside things bother me. I beat myself up a lot," she said.

Connelly started playing lacrosse as a freshman in high school with encouragement from her coach Candy Finn, who played both lacrosse and field hockey at Penn State.

"That was one reason that I chose Penn State. The other had a lot to do with the engineering program," she said.

Whatever her reasons for coming, women's lacrosse Coach Julie Williams is glad she did. She realizes Connelly's potential.

"She's growing and she's learning, but she's a go-to kid and she wants to do it. I love that she loves to go to goal," Williams said.

Connelly best described the 1995 season as unpredictable and said that there is always room for improvement.

"The season started out slow, but lately we've had a knack for pulling it out when we needed to,"she said.

The game against Lehigh yesterday could certainly be described as unpredictable. After beating the Engineers 18-3 last year, the close contest yesterday came as a shock to the Lady Lion squad.

"We played as individuals and not as a unit," Connelly said. "I think we took them too lightly."

But despite all of these factors, Connelly still managed to score three goals and lead the team to their third victory of the season. Williams agreed with Connelly's superb performance.

"I think she did a great job on draw control," Williams said after the game. The victory against Lehigh gives the Lady Lions a 3-3 record. Their next game will be on Saturday.