April 12, 2018
By: Briana Zuccarelli, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- With the 2018 regular season coming to an end in just over two weeks, junior Kelly Daggett has had a standout season at the defender position. With that said, there is something Nittany Lions fans may not know, the last time she played on that side of the field was in high school.
Daggett played four seasons for Lancaster Catholic-Lancaster Country Day co-op squad in high school. During her time in high school she was named a two-time U.S. Lacrosse All-American and tallied 380 career goals.
When Daggett arrived to Penn State, she became an attacker who in her debut season started nine of the 21 games and had 12 goals and four assists. Last year, she started in 19 of the 20 games and finished the season with 15 goals and eight assists for a combined total of 23 points. However, with majority of the starting defense graduating, the coaching staff new their needed to be a few changes made.
"We had talked as a staff because we had a really young defense and one of our freshman defenders tore her ACL early in the fall," said head coach Missy Doherty. "So, it had been trying to find a good mix of team attackers that we felt could do a good job in one-vs.-one, quickness, clearing the ball and getting the ball out. So, we had been thinking about people, and thinking about Kelly."
After talking with Daggett and the rest of the coaching staff, they decided to transition her into the defender position. With Daggett on that side of the field, there would be a better mix of returners and new faces, all ready to work to stay at the top.
"I was shocked that they told me I would be doing that because I haven't played defense since high school," said Daggett. "So this season has been a whole new experience for me, but each day I'm getting a little bit better and a little more comfortable. Now I feel the whole defense, together, is playing as a unit."
With Daggett in the back, the team and coaching staff feel more confident in the leadership and experience for the defense. Daggett has taken her new role and also found a way to continue to be a leader, on and off the field. On the field, she has created at least one turnover a game and has made big plays to help the Nittany Lions win during close games.
"Daggett," Katie O'Donnell said with a laugh. "Daggett is a dagger. She comes up with these caused turnovers that really take the wind out of the sails of the other team which is awesome. The fact that she's transitioned from a low attacker to a low defender is just absolutely amazing and I have all the respect in the world for that girl."
When speaking with Doherty after games, the name Kelly Daggett has been said consistently with the sentence, "was huge for us today." Daggett has been looked to by her coaches as someone who was challenged by being thrown into a new position, but who took it and turned it into something great. Doherty explained that the transition made her into a better defender.
"It makes you a smarter defender when you really understand an attacker and she certainly has that understanding and experience," Doherty said. "I really thought she brought her experience very quickly into the scene and was able to translate the things she's scene in the past two years into play for this year."
Heading into the final four games, Daggett looks to continuing improving and making her teammates feel confident in her ability and leadership.
"It's honestly a great feeling," she said. "Moving to the end of my junior year and towards senior year and knowing that my teammates have my back and I can have their back too."