Q&A With Lacrosse Coach Cathy Swezey

Q&A With Lacrosse Coach Cathy Swezey

2/8/2006

The 2006 Vanderbilt lacrosse season begins on Tuesday, Feb. 14 when the Commodores travel to face Mount St. Mary’s (Emmittsburg, Md.). Head Coach Cathy Swezey, entering her ninth year at the helm of the program, took time out recently to answer questions and give an inside look at the upcoming season.

vucommodores.com: What is the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s?

Coach Swezey: This year’s team has some much needed experience. Last year, we were competing with 19 freshmen and sophomores, and only had seven upperclassmen on our roster. As hard as they worked, it was difficult for the team to pull through in some of the bigger games.

This year’s team also has a lot more speed. From the defensive end to the attack, you can expect to see quicker feet and quicker ball movement.

vucommodores.com: Which players had the most impact on the team during the off-season?

Coach Swezey: Having Brooke Shinaberry back after her redshirt year has been nice. She has had a strong impact during our preseason. Offensively, Margie Curran has picked up where she ended last season in the Cornell game (5g, 1a). She will be a much bigger threat as a sophomore. She and Jenn Tapscott will not need to run the midfield this year, which will allow them to save their biggest plays for the attacking end of the field. As a whole, our defense has come back very strong. It will be good to have Heather Koutrakos back after redshirting her last year.

vucommodores.com: What sort of impact do you expect this year’s freshmen to make?

Coach Swezey: The freshmen are doing some great things for us. We anticipate having Cara Giordano in our starting lineup Tuesday, and certainly several of the freshmen have earned the chance at significant playing time. We’ve continued to bring in great student-athletes and it will be a joy to watch them develop.

vucommodores.com: What do you think of the rule change which has put hard boundaries in place?

Coach Swezey: We are very excited about the rule change. Some people are concerned that it will change the hustle aspect of our game, but I completely disagree. Now we are going to see players making athletic moves on the sidelines to save the ball, similar to a basketball player saving a ball from going out of bounds. I think it is great for the game and high-time that we penalize a team’s poor passing or catching.

vucommodores.com: Everybody loves offense. What can fans expect to see out of the 2006 Commodore attack?

Coach Swezey: Offensively, we have a feel like we did in 2004 (when the Commodores reached the Final Four). We have several threats and can score so many different ways. Our attackers can go 1-v-1, make a quick assist or run a play to get the ball to the goal. One of the areas that has improved significantly in the attack is our ability to score on the fast break — and that’s an exciting new element for us. I think the speed of our attack will be the most difficult thing for opposing teams to defend.

vucommodores.com: Speaking of getting into your attack quickly, how is the midfield shaping up?

Coach Swezey: We are very excited about the midfield. Not only do we have a lot more speed, we have depth like we have never had before. Most years we have only played 14 players in a game. This year, you will be able to see our midfield rotating in and out, which will allow us to stay fresh for 60 minutes. We are very pleased with the impact these girls have had and they will contribute significantly on both the attack and defense.

vucommodores.com: The old adage says that defense wins championships. What are your thoughts on Vanderbilt’s D this year?

Coach Swezey: Defensively we are as athletic as we have ever been. Although we are youthful, it was a successful preseason for our squad, and we feel that we have found the defense that works best for us. When our defense is on, opposing offenses will feel overwhelmed. The potential is there for this unit to be one of the strongest we have ever had at Vanderbilt.

vucommodores.com: Between the pipes, you have a pair of skilled goalies. What should we expect from the last line of defense?

Coach Swezey: Our goalie situation could not be better. Brooke is very excited to be back on the field, and does it show! She has great composure in the goal and anticipates well. She’s able to intercept passes and can outrun attackers to retrieve missed shots. Brooke also has the ability to handle the ball well — with her left and right — and can clear the ball a good 50 yards. We expect her to have a tremendous year. Rachel Woolford has played a significant role in our fall and preseason. She stepped in for us in the fall when Brooke was sick and did a phenomenal job. Rachel has great hands and gets to the ball quickly. We feel very comfortable knowing that she is our back-up and could do a great job for us if called upon.

vucommodores.com: Thank you for your time and best of luck this season!

Coach Swezey: We look forward to seeing everyone out at our home opener — Sunday, Feb. 19 at 1 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex.