Lacrosse Wraps Up First Season
4/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Zach Libby, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - There have been plenty of "firsts" for Central Michigan women's lacrosse freshman Jocelyne Lemay, a member of the 25-member band of underclassmen led by coach Sara Tisdale.
The Chippewas close their inaugural season this weekend when they play host to Howard on Friday (6 p.m.) and Old Dominion on Sunday (noon) in a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference games at the CMU Lacrosse-Soccer Stadium. The Chippewas are 5-9 overall, 1-5 league.
Lemay ranks 11th in the Atlantic Sun with 29 goals and earlier this year became the first Chippewa to earn an individual weekly honor from the Atlantic Sun when she was named the league's co-defensive player of the week after CMU defeated Gardner-Webb, 16-4, for the first win in program history.
Lemay has grown a lot since the season opener back in early February, less than a year when she convinced herself that a university in a relatively small town in mid-Michigan was the right choice for her future.
How It All Began
Lacrosse is in the blood of Lemay, who resides in Peterborough, Ont., Canada, located about 85 miles northeast of Toronto and 300 miles from the city of Detroit.
Hockey is king in Peterborough, home to the Petes, the Ontario Hockey League's longest continuously operating franchise. Nearly 100 current and former NHL players have passed through Peterborough, and it was the rink that drew Lemay.
But the surface of the rink wasn't ice, but artificial turf surrounded by glass walls — box lacrosse.
"Box was very popular in my town," Lemay said. "That's what I grew up on, it's been increasing more in popularity over the years."
The dimensions of indoor lacrosse are vastly different from that of the outdoor game. The goals are smaller, there are fewer players on the field, and the space is limited, making for a more aggressive and physical style of play.
The first time Lemay held a lacrosse stick in her hands was at the age of 4. She didn't transition to the outdoor game until the eighth grade, after experimenting with other sports until she was 14.
"I miss the physical part of box," Lemay said. "But with field, I think it's more structured and you have to plan out plays and different aspects of the game. And now that I've continued playing field, I love it."
Central Michigan wasn't the only school to offer Lemay, who received full-ride offers from Robert Morris, Canisius and Gardner-Webb, among others. Tisdale did not take an in-home visit with the Lemay family, but the group traveled the 400 miles to CMU, her first visit to the university.
"We offered her immediately upon her visit," Tisdale said. "We knew that she had the potential to be a game changer for the recruiting class and the program."
Lemay was named Holy Cross Catholic's female student-athlete of the year in both her junior and senior years before going on to earn a spot on the Canadian Under-19 Women's National Lacrosse Team.
"Jocelyne was bringing experience to the table that others didn't have," Tisdale said. "She was competing against quality opponents on a world stage that you can't replicate."
Paving The Way To Prominence
The clock stopped at 34 seconds, with the home crowd and CMU bench jumping out of their seats with passion to celebrate the go-ahead goal on a chilly March afternoon, before the Chippewas claimed a dramatic 6-5 win over Virginia Commonwealth.
Lemay scored five goals in that game, including what proved to be the winner with 34 seconds left. It was one of the indelible moments of the Chippewas' inaugural season.
"It was huge for myself and the team," Lemay said. "I think it was big turning point for our team to see that we can play hard and compete with teams that have already established their program."
Lemay leads CMU in almost every major offensive statistic, including shots on goal (46), points (34) and success rate (50 percent) on free position opportunities.
"Lemay has been important not only in efficiency in the black-and-white numbers, but from a consistency aspect," Tisdale said. "She's trusted, she is one that players look to and respect and know that she'll make quality decisions.
"The other thing about Jocelyne I think is really great is when she does make mistakes, you see her turn it into high gear … a gear that you probably don't even know people have to either win the ball back on the ride to correcting a mistake on defense."
Lemay has not shouldered the load on her own. Among the other Chippewas who have stood out in Season 1 are Summer Abdalla, Riley Huda and Anna Schoonover, among others.
The three have combined for 84 points and 50 goals, forcing opposing defenses to spread the focus.
As for the player-coach relationship with Tisdale and Lemay, it's open and strong, agreed on by both sides.
"We trust her as an extension of our staff to communicate and help players get better," Tisdale said. "And I think the team sees her as that as well where she's trusted where they can go and ask her questions in a safe way and it's nice to know that they are going to get the same answer from her than if they came to us."
What's Next?
Two games remain for the Chippewas, who, with losses last weekend at Kennesaw State and Mercer, were eliminated from Atlantic Sun Tournament contention.
CMU will look to keep Howard (0-12, 0-6) winless then will attempt to pull the upset in the season-closing game on Sunday against Old Dominion (12-3, 5-1).
"You have a quality opponent you get to end your season with and set the tone for next year," Tisdale said. "And that's the mindset that we're going in with."
Lemay has a list of goals for herself before graduating with a degree in communication disorders, but along with the other 23 freshman, seeing a strong foundation come together would be the ultimate achievement.
There have been setbacks, sure, but there have also been plenty of victories, both tangible and otherwise. The Chippewas have stood their ground against a pair of Big East schools, a veteran Michigan team, and Atlantic Sun heavyweight Jacksonville.
It will take work to reach the next level, a lot of it, but the challenge has already been set and ready to be attained.
"Even if I'm not here in the next couple years, I hope the team continues to push and become the best in the conference," Lemay said.
