March 10, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- There is no question that junior Steph Lazo has had much success during her time with the Penn State women's lacrosse team. With a number of Big Ten weekly awards and a starting spot on the team, Lazo is in a much different position than she was two years ago.
During her freshman year, Lazo did not see much playing time, especially after a strained achilles put her on the bench. After recovering from her injury and coming back her sophomore year, Lazo wanted to make a change in her game play.
She took the new season as a clean slate, as well as an opportunity to make improvements on her game and earn herself more time on the field.
"After coming back from my injury I felt motivated to play my best and prove to myself and the team that I had something to offer," said Lazo.
That motivation did wonders for Lazo, earning herself a starting position and becoming a leading scorer for the team.
Lazo attributed a lot of her success to her teammates and coaches, who made her realize her full potential and earn more confidence.
"My teammates really pushed me to get where I am today. They really motivated me to play to my full potential," said Lazo.
"My teammates and coaches instilled me with so much confidence. They sent positive vibes my way and made me believe I was fast enough to beat my defenders and play my best for the team," she added.
With the major improvements in her game, Lazo earned herself the title of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in April 2015.
Since then Lazo has only continued with her success. She has remained a leading scorer for the Nittany Lions and has had a huge hand in the team's numerous wins this season.
Lazo earned herself the title of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this past Tuesday after a nine-point total, five goals and four assists, during last week's games against Johns Hopkins and Loyola Maryland.
Lazo once again said she thinks her success this season stems from the support of her team.
"My teammates and coaches are endlessly supportive and we all work so well together. Our practices put us through healthy competition, which is beneficial to the teams performance," said Lazo.
Lazo looks forward to the rest of the season and is excited to face off with the many talented teams in her conference.
"The Big Ten pairs us with some great competitors and I'm excited about the challenge," said Lazo.
After earning a Big Ten Tournament win last year, Lazo has hopes of the team getting back to the top of their conference once again this season.
"Big Ten play is really exciting and this season after our Big Ten win we have a target on our backs," she said. "We were predicted to be second this season, but it really would be amazing if we could earn ourselves that number one spot."
The Nittany Lions currently have an overall winning record of 5-1, after winning their past three games against Johns Hopkins, Loyola Maryland, and James Madison.
Lazo and the rest of her teammates hope to keep up their winning streak in their upcoming game against Vanderbilt this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on the road.