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05/14/2014 12:00 AMLauren Cole says she eats, breathes, and sleeps lacrosse and that dedication certainly shows in her continuous scoring production for the Tigers.
After a sensational sophomore season that saw Lauren score 78 goals and 13 assists for 91 points to garner First Team All-SCC and Second Team All-State honors for the 2013 SCC runner-up Tigers, the junior is set to go beyond that threshold this spring-tallying 53 goals through 10 contests for 8-2 Hand.
"I put in the extra time when the stands are empty, so I can put in the goals when the fans are there in the stands during games," says Lauren, who is also in the top five in the state for points with 67. "I also go to the turf field at school with my dad on weekends and just do non-stop shooting."
Specifically on her scoring strategies, Lauren adds it takes a scientific approach on the field in analyzing the opposing defenses' tendencies and schemes to put it past the keeper and into the net.
"I try to just read the defense and the goalkeeper; I spend a lot of time practicing that also," says Lauren, who also plays for Nor'easter Lacrosse. "I see how they react to me, and then I work on re-reacting to them. If the keeper goes high, then I'll shoot it low, and I also try to try different angles on shots."
Only 2 ½ years into her Hand tenure, Lauren has amassed 137 strikes that found their way behind the netminder, yet she knows the only statistic that means anything is the final score after each matchup.
"I credit my teammates, because they make the passes, then I'm just one-on-one with the goaltender," Lauren says. "I don't even know how to describe all those goals; I just care about the scoreboard and winning."
What was an exceptional campaign last year ended on a sour note for Lauren, although she took the painful memory of a state-playoff loss to New Canaan and recycled it as fuel for this season.
"In that states game against New Canaan, I took six shots and didn't score on any of them. I took the stats from that game and put them in my gym in my basement as a reminder to get even better for this year," says Lauren.
Hand Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki mentions that his athlete's diligence is easy to see and that Lauren appreciates her steps toward scoring goals more than the final product itself.
“Lauren's work ethic and enthusiasm are contagious," says Siedlecki. "She scores a lot of goals, but takes more pride in being part of a nice series of passes and cuts to create goals than being the one to finish every time."
Lauren states that the dishes mean a lot to her because it's a matter of her mates making sacrifices, while she tries to also give younger players the same influence she had in their shoes.
"It takes a lot for your teammates to give up a potential shot on goal that may be good for them, and they have given up their own lanes for me. I wouldn't have this success without their faith in me," Lauren says. "I had great coaches growing up, and I saw through them that if you kick it into the fifth gear, you can get things done. I just hope to do the same and have younger teammates want to put in the time."
Following a close 15-13 loss to Cheshire in a rematch of last year's SCC Tournament final, Lauren and Hand are ready to take it to the next level this postseason.
"We are really optimistic for Cheshire again, and we all want it so badly this year," says Lauren, who thanks parents Karen and Steven, along with her brother Michael, plus her current and former coaches and teammates. "We are all very confident, and when we play our game, we can get it."
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