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Carissa Medeiros
Goalie of the Week: May 12, 2003
Carissa in Sunday's NCAA championship game. |
Carissa Medeiros,
a senior at Stonehill College, is Goalie Nation's Goalie of the
Week. Carissa played two remarkable games in one weekend, leading
her team to win the NCAA national championship title. She made 15 saves
against C.W. Post on Saturday and 10 saves against Longwood on Sunday,
which allowed Stonehill to win each game by 1 goal. In the final 5 minutes
of the championship game, she made 3 stops from point-blank range and
prevented Longwood from scoring during the final 20:18 of the game. Not
only does the 2003 NCAA championship mark the first title for the Stonehill
women's lacrosse team, but it marks the first in any NCAA sponsored
sport in Stonehill's 54-year athletics history.
This season, Carissa has played 962 minutes, made 133 saves, allowed
99 goals, has a 6.17 goals allowed average, and a save percentage of .573.
Learn more about goalie Carissa Medeiros in our Who's
Hot in College profile.
Interview about the Championship Games
GN: What were you thinking about during each game?
CM: Honestly, during the 1st half of the championship game, I was saying
to myself "I am going to lose this game for them" I just didn't
feel like I was playing as well as I could and was really nervous that
I wouldn't pull it together. Then in the 2nd half I said "Carissa,
this is the last game of your career, let's do something memorable!"
GN: How did you feel after each game?
CM: Well, after the Post game I was thinking that this wasn't enough.
Last year beating Post was one of the best feelings I have ever felt,
partly due to the fact that we had never beaten them before, and also
because we had the chance to PLAY IN the championship game, not necessarily
to win it. This year playing in it wasn't enough for me or the rest of
my team. So when we won on Sunday against Longwood, the feeling was overwhelming.
I really didn't think we were going to pull it off until we tied the game
with a couple minutes left in the 2nd half. It was an unbelievable feeling
because we won a national championship, and because the game was so intensely
close.
GN: Before each game began, did you know that this was your day
to excel?
CM: Actually, I knew that I HAD to excel in order for us to win but I
wasn't 100% positive that I would do it. Before the Post game, I was thinking
that I always have my best game against them so I wasn't as concerned,
I knew I would pull it together for that game but the Longwood game was
a different story. The last time I had played them was the beginning of
my Junior year on spring break and it wasn't one of my favorite games.
We also hadn't seen them in action during the current year so we kinda
had to go out there blind. I honestly wasn't sure that we could do it.
GN: How did you mentally prepare for the games?
CM: I tried to think of the weekend as just 2 more lacrosse games, that's
it. Not as the be all end all National Championship Tournament, just as
regular old lacrosse games. That really helped keep the pressure and intensity
of the weekend down as much as humanly possible.
GN: Do you have a memorable save, whether from that weekend or
another game this season?
CM: Yeah, I guess my favorite saves are always against Trish Moran of
C.W. Post. She is just such an amazing attacker whose shots are the hardest
to save out of any other player I have encountered. Last year my favorite
save, actually my favorite save of all time, was on one of her shots in
the Semi's where I was completely out of position when she shot but I
just extended my stick out of know where and saved it. This year it was
also one of her shots in the Semi's. She had just scored twice off of
8 meters with a hard bounce shot, my weakness! Finally my coach said to
me "Make the adjustment!" and I did. The next time she shot
it, I saved it and it was a great feeling.
GN: Have you gelled with the defense?
CM: Completely, I will miss them so much. Even thought our defense for
the most part was always being switched around, the core players I could
always count on. They would be there when I needed to get a quick clear,
when I desperately wanted the ball out of our restraining line, when I
just wasn't having one of my best games. They backed me up just as much
as I backed them up. I will miss playing with that group of girls more
than any others.
GN: What random details can you tell us about the game?
CM: Well, I can remember hearing the crowd when we scored the game winning
goal at 11 seconds left. They were out of control! Immediately after the
goal there was a time out and I remember the look on all my teammates
faces. It was pure amazement. I couldn't stop shaking. It was unreal.
GN: How does it feel to complete your college lacrosse career
with a NCAA Championship title?
CM: I could never picture a better ending to such a magical year. We had
a 17 game winning streak, that is unbelievable in itself. In my wildest
dreams I didn't think that I would ever be a national champion. I still
don't think I fully appreciate what that means and what we as team and
individually have accomplished. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity
that we will share with each other for the rest of our lives, I am so
grateful that I was able to be part of it and leave with no regrets!
Goalie of the Week: Archive
2003 SEASON
Carissa Medeiros
- May 12, 2003
Matthew Wheeler
- May 5, 2003
Andrew Goldstein
- April 28, 2003
Meg Dentler
- April 21, 2003
Tillman Johnson
- April 14, 2003
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