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08/10/2017 12:00 AMNicolette Spotlow has clear-cut goals as a member of the Guilford girls’ lacrosse squad: She wants to maximize her potential in all aspects of the sport, while helping her teammates do the same. Nicolette accomplished both of those goals during a sophomore season that saw her find the back of the net time and time again for the Indians.
Nicolette, who is both an attacker and a midfielder, has been playing lacrosse since she was in kindergarten. After putting together a nice freshman campaign in 2016, Nicolette did anything but slump in her sophomore year as she scored 67 goals with 26 assists on her way to earning All-SCC First Team, All-State First Team, and New Haven Register All-Area accolades for Guilford, which qualified for both the SCC and Class M State tournaments.
“For me, I knew it was the time when college coaches really start looking at kids, so I knew it was my time to shine. It’s good to have goals for yourself and, for me, it was to get better at lacrosse, get noticed by colleges, and make my family proud,” Nicolette says. “I felt I really stepped up and was determined for success. When you work hard, you can have anything in life.”
Even though she’s been scoring goals in droves for the Indians, Nicolette knows that goal-scoring isn’t the be-all and end-all of being a lacrosse player. Nicolette realizes that there is a bigger picture with being a versatile player and a quality leader.
“Goals are important, but they aren’t everything in the game. You have to be a well-rounded player and good teammate,” she says. “You have to be coachable and pick up your teammates when they are down. You have to improve on what you did wrong and support your coach. You have to have confidence and not be afraid to make mistakes.”
In evaluating how her technical skills have progressed, Nicolette says that she’s become quicker on the draw and more accurate with her shot, in addition to sharing the wealth with everyone else more often. Nicolette adds that she’s also strengthened her mental game by learning how to stay on an even keel.
“I fell I’ve improved on my draw control, shot placement, and shooting percentage. I also used to shrug or get mad at refs when things didn’t work early on, but I’ve learned to keep it in and not get so angry,” says Nicolette, who was also a goalie for Guilford’s field hockey team that reached the Class M state final last fall. “Lacrosse is a mental game, so you have to keep your head in the game. I’ve also made sure to make more assists to help teammates get goals and give them the same opportunities to succeed.”
Wendy Epke was in her first season as the head coach of Indians’ girls’ lacrosse this spring. Epke says that Nicolette’s sharp snipe forces the opposition to constantly keep an eye on her.
“As far as a player, she’s a tough competitor. Every team we play against has her jersey number and tries their best to stop her. She’s got a strong, fast shot that makes any goalie nervous,” says Epke. “As far as her work ethic, she’s the kind of player that stays after practice each day to work on her own individual skills. She has aspirations to compete at the college level and works hard toward that goal each day.”
Looking ahead to the second half of her time at Guilford High School, Nicolette wants the girls’ lacrosse squad to build upon this year’s success now that the Indians have become a more tight-knit group following their first season with Coach Epke at the helm.
“We were all scared at first, because we didn’t know how it would go, but Coach Epke made us work together and learn how we each work together on the field. We did drills together and also bonded off the field. As the year went on, we started to have faith in ourselves and began to win,” says Nicolette, who thanks her family, along with all of her coaches, teammates, and friends. “I want to keep succeeding on and off the field. I also hope to play at a Division I school and get a good education. I also want to keep playing well with my teammates.”