The stress fracture in Stephanie deLaforcade’s left foot was starting to heal, but she suited up anyway. The all-state midfielder couldn’t miss her high school senior day in May 2017.

Though deLaforcade missed the last half of East Lyme’s (Connecticut) lacrosse season during her senior year, she knew that final game was her last chance to play lacrosse competitively. She was also an all-state soccer player, and had already committed to Maryland for that.

East Lyme’s lacrosse coach Phillip Schneider encouraged her to lace up her cleats and pick up her stick. Just minutes into the game, deLaforcade found an opening. She couldn’t run at full speed, but deLaforcade caught a pass in front of the net and scored the final goal of her lacrosse career.

“Having that last moment really just meant a lot to me,” deLaforcade said.

After choosing soccer and spending one year at Maryland, deLaforcade continued her collegiate career at Syracuse. Last season, as a redshirt freshman, she played in all 18 games for the Orange. Now, she’s using the athleticism and versatility learned through lacrosse to become a key reserve player for an injury-ridden Syracuse (3-2-8, 1-4-1 Atlantic Coast) in 2019.

“The one thing we’re looking from her is a spark,” head coach Nicky Adams said. “When (Sydney) Brackett comes off or (Marisa) Fischetti comes off, we need somebody to come in and cause havoc.”

This season, the Orange have struggled with gaining possession, but deLaforcade has been able to help because of her background as a lacrosse midfielder. Adams said she has been impressed with deLaforcade’s ability to absorb information and make adjustments on the pitch. deLaforcade scored once for the Orange last year, but now her role is more possession-based.

For deLaforcade, as well as all of Adams’ forwards, the goal for the rest of the season is to continue to improve at holding the ball while completing the first pass to set up offensive rushes. Her multi-sport experience makes this a natural skill.

“When I might not have the ball, I’m seeing where passes might go or seeing where there’s gaps and I’m already looking for that,” deLaforcade said. “So I think that really carries over from lacrosse into soccer.”

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Before college, deLaforcade’s focus had always been soccer, playing on club teams her whole life. But she also quickly rose through the lacrosse ranks. Schneider said she made the varsity team as a freshman, a rarity in his program.

“She was our best midfielder, our best draw control player, our best athlete, our best scorer,” Schneider said.

While she was recruited for lacrosse by several smaller schools including Siena, she received more attention for soccer after she was named the 2016 All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year by a local newspaper for breaking her conference’s single-season record with 42 goals.

During her recruitment process, deLaforcade developed rapport with then-Northeastern head coach Tracey Leone. But when Leone resigned in January of 2016, deLaforcade’s interest shifted to Maryland, where Leone’s husband had just been hired as the Terps’ head coach.

deLaforcade committed to Maryland, but didn’t appear in any games during her lone season there. She said “it wasn’t the best fit” between her and UMD’s coaching staff.

“I was more of a possession-type,” deLaforcade said. “That’s what I’ve always played and he wanted a ‘go-go-go,’ very direct which wasn’t necessarily what I was used to and it was just a tough transition from him.”

Frustrated by her freshman-year experience, deLaforcade decided to transfer. Phil Wheddon, then SU’s head coach, convinced the forward to come to Syracuse. Now under Adams, deLaforcade “couldn’t be happier” and said the change was better than she ever hoped.

For deLaforcade, a sense of team bonding has always felt stronger on a soccer pitch compared to the lacrosse field — it’s part of the reason she fell in love with soccer. Under Adams, the culture has only improved that. It’s made the process of transferring and adapting to her role easier.

“I mean I do love lacrosse,” deLaforcade said. “I do miss it a lot, but something about soccer couldn’t keep me away.”

— Asst. digital editor Arabdho Majumder and staff writer Tim Nolan contributed reporting.

Published on October 15, 2019 at 10:00 pm

Contact Eric: estorms@syr.edu