 "Photo: THE REVIEW/Andy Bowden")
Junior Ali Libertini’s proudest moment on the field is not the 11 goals she has scored this season or the two letters she has earned playing midfield on the women’s lacrosse team — it is losing a critical game in last year’s CAA championships.
“During the championship last year when we were down by a lot but we came back,” Libertini said. “We never stopped, we never gave up. We lost, and that sucked, but my most proud moment was not giving up.”
With the most goals on the team this season, Libertini hopes to repeat last year and lead her team to the 2010 CAA championships, but this time she expects to win it.
“We’re definitely going to make it to the championships,” she said. “We’re going to take it. We’re going to win it.”
Head coach Kim Ciarrocca said Libertini has grown to become a crucial part of the team’s offense over the past two seasons, and has bore a significant portion of the team’s goals and assists.
Currently Libertini has 13 points on the season and Ciarroca is expecting her to score 30 goals and 30 assists by the season’s end.
“She’s a very flexible player,” she said. “She was a set-up player but we moved her up, gave her more responsibilities. If she’s not scoring goals she’s definitely feeding goals.”
Ciarrocca said Libertini’s strengths lie in the mental analysis she does of the opposing team’s maneuvers and the weaknesses of its players.
“She’s a very smart player,” she said. “Her strength is her ability to find open ground and break down a defender.”
While she is breaking down the other team, Ciarrocca said Libertini never forgets to help her teammates keep their heads held high.
“She’s a very emotional, exciting player,” Ciarrocca said. “She yells a lot on the field, she’s always encouraging her teammates. She’s probably one of the best motivators we have.”
Libertini started playing lacrosse 12 years ago and is the third member of her family to play lacrosse on a college team. Her older sister Julie played for University of Maryland Baltimore County and her sister Laura played for Delaware from 2003 to 2006.
After recording only two goals in the 2008 season, Libertini went on to score 16 the following year. She said she has seen her play improve dramatically over the course of the present season.
“I’m definitely more confident now and definitely more mature than I used to be,” she said. “I used to be so nervous before games, but that confidence I have now has definitely helped out our team.”
Libertini said she credits the camaraderie amongst her teammates for her current success on the field.
“This is the closest team we’ve ever had,” she said. “We’re so close, it’s like having 31 sisters. We have great captains and everyone’s morale is really high.”
Taking a leadership role on the team, Libertini said she tries to maintain the team’s high spirits both on and off the field.
“After goals, I try to get everyone’s head up and get everyone excited,” she said. “If we’re not doing so well I try to give little motivating speeches, just sort of pull them back.”
Libertini said besides making the CAA championships, her personal goal for the season is to get her shooting average above 50 percent. By keeping her own play strong, she said she hopes to encourage her team mates to perform their best on the field.
“I just hope to pull my weight and do my part,” Libertini said. “It’s all give and take.”
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