Q and A With New Head Coach Liza Shoemaker
August 21, 2002 | Women's Lacrosse
On June 29, Liza Shoemaker was named the second head coach in the Boston University lacrosse program's seven-year Division I history. An assistant coach at Towson for the past three seasons, Shoemaker brings a wealth of experience to B. U. She is a four-time member of the United States Women's Lacrosse National Team, and was a three-time All-American as a midfielder at Delaware, leading the team to two consecutive America East championships.
She was the recipient of the NCAA Woman of the Year award for the state of Delaware, an award which honors student athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics, and community leadership. An ambassador for the game of lacrosse all over the world, she has taught the fundamentals of the game at camps throughout the U. S. In 1995 she traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to teach the sport to Japanese students.
Shoemaker serves on the board of the Baltimore chapter of U. S. Lacrosse, and is a co-chair for the STX Festival, during which she supervises the annual North/South All-Star competitions as well as high school and youth games.
Below are excerpts from the August 20th interview with Shoemaker:
Q: You are familiar with the America East conference having been an assistant at Towson. Where do you see B. U. fitting into the realigned conference this season? A: I think we have an advantage because we've been in the conference since for a few years. This program basically started from scratch in 1996 and has moved up among the top teams in the country and we play a dominant style of lacrosse. Our future lies in continuing that trend. The biggest thing about this team is their athletic ability. My goal this season is to fine-tune that athleticism so that they're not just great athletes but they're great lacrosse players. I've seen some shining moments when I've watched them on film and seen them play in the past.
Q: Have you had the chance to meet the team and talk about the upcoming season? A: We had a captains' meeting in early August that went extremely well. We'll have another one in late August. The one thing that they are excited for is a little bit of a change. They had a rocky season last year - starting out number six in the country and not finishing the way they wanted to finish. They are looking for a catalyst that is going to get them back up to the top and keep them there. With my experience within the conference, I feel that I know what we need to do to dominate the competition in the conference and out of it.
Q: Given what you know about the team, do you see yourself putting your imprint on the team early on? A: I think they've come a long way with what they have already and that they are already a great team. There are some things that need fine-tuning. They play a great high-speed transition game. I'd like to maintain that but I'd like to see the ball in the air more and to see the passing a little more crisp. This team has the potential to make it to the national tournament and they just need to make sure they're doing the little things well.
Q: Offensively, the top three scorers are gone, but the cupboard isn't bare. Is there much need for tinkering or will the status quo prevail? A: One of the things the B. U. teams in the past have always had is a green light to go to the goal. Anytime anyone got the ball they were hungry for a goal, and that's the attitude we still need to have with this team. They all feel capable of going to the goal and scoring and they want that opportunity. What we are going to need is for a few people to step up to replace those three loses, and I think we are going to find that in our senior and junior classes. We have some capable athletes who can score goals when we need them to score goals, but they also need to be able to work within the framework of the team - knowing they can take the ball to the goal one-on-one, but seeing what is created off of that. I think our off-the-ball movement is something we need to work on, so that when we have Kristin Abruzzese taking the ball hard to the goal we have someone peeling around the crease, we have that off-the-ball movement so that we have more opportunities than just the one-on-one move.
Q: How much does the return of midfielder Ericka Hergenroeder mean this season? A: I'm really excited to have her back. She tried out for the U. S. National Team this summer and I was extremely impressed by her. She has the desire to go out there and get it done, and that's something that this entire team will feed off of. It really just takes one person with that intensity to raise the level of play of the entire team and she has that 'go get it done' attitude.
Q: The defense returns First Team All-Conference performers Brooke Barrett and Gabby Juocys. Is this going to be the strength of the team? A: Absolutely. Our veterans are back there on defense. They are used to playing with each other. I think when you're anchored by a goalkeeper as dominant as Brooke is, you're going to do well. I've got some new ideas I'd like to try out with this defense as far as having a number of different looks. I just can't wait to get rolling, to see what this defense is capable of. We have a lot of talented underclassmen that are going to be able to come in and mesh into the system well. I'd really like to get a lot of people playing time this year. We need to do that because we lose the bulk of our team after next season because we graduate five players. So I think we need to give people the opportunity to play and get them to feel the Division I tempo.
Q: You're a four-time member of the United States National Team, and with that comes a lot of experience. How much are you going to draw from that wealth of experience? A: I'm constantly drawing from my experience with the national team. It's an amazing experience when you're surrounded by the best players in the country. You see not only what you're capable of doing but how the game is changing and developing. There are many things I can bring back with me and try to develop in our team. Having the opportunity to work with such renowned coaches is such an advantage. I think I'm also at an advantage because I'm still playing on the team, and there are constant rules changes that I'm playing with, rules such as the restraining line. There are many coaches who've never played with that, so it does give me an edge competitively. I know what these kids are going through and I know what the challenges they have to deal with.
Q: How much pressure is there to maintain the team's level of play? A: I think any competitor is going to put more pressure on themselves. There is pressure, and I think it's great pressure. I know how good this team can be, and it's my job to take them there and bring out the best in each of them. That's what I love to do, to figure out what there potential is and the best way to tap into it. I'm not going to accept anything less than exceptional play from them. They're capable of it because I've seen it on tape and I've seen it in person and I expect to see it everyday in practice.
Q: How excited are you to play in the renovated Nickerson Field? A: I think our facilities are amazing and the new field is great. It's a smooth surface, it's much more forgiving on your body than turf is. In short, it's a field that's made for soccer and lacrosse. The game of lacrosse is great on turf because it's fast, but I think the new FieldTurf is going to give us the best of both worlds. It's got the speed and bounce of turf but it's got the comfort of natural grass. Being able to play in a stadium like Nickerson is just an experience in itself. Seeing the lights and the stands around you really makes you feel like your center stage.
Q: You've been on the field many times as a player and assistant. How do you envision your first game as the head coach feeling? A: It's showtime. This is what I've been waiting for. It's great because any kind of clutch player wants the ball with five seconds left in the game, and I feel that is what coaching is like. I want the ball. I want the chance to lead this team. It's the next best thing to playing. I'm excited for the season to start.
