March 2, 2007
It's said that variety is the spice of life. If that's true, then Sharon Pfluger's women's lacrosse coaching career must be about as flavorful as a glass of ice water.
In the last 20 years -- all as the head coach at The College of New Jersey (or Trenton State, as it was once known) -- Pfluger has won 11 national titles, including the last two. To adequately sum up the level of success she and the Lions are used to, it might be better to illustrate their worst seasons:
The quickest TCNJ has exited the NCAA tournament has been in the semifinals (i.e., the Final Four) and the most losses a Pfluger-coached team suffered was three in 1986 (13-3, national runner-up) and 1990 (12-3, semifinalist). Those two seasons comprise over a quarter of the losses (23 total) Pfluger has suffered in 20 years.
There has, admittedly, been a little spice for TCNJ during the last two seasons, at least at the beginning. In '05 the Lions lost the first two games of the season only to win the next 15 and their 10th national championship plaque. Last spring, it was a 2-2 start that had people wondering if the magic was over. Thirteen consecutive wins -- including victories over the Nos. 1, 2 & 3 teams in the country in the last three rounds of the NCAAs -- led to more Walnut and Bronze.
It wouldn't be too far off to say that Pfluger and the Lions own women's Division III lacrosse. On the cusp of another season, certainly there must be some pressure, if not an outright fear, to continually finish on top, right?
"It's not a fear of failure type of a thing," clarified Pfluger. "When we do have that, it's only destructive. It's more: We were there last year, and we want to be there again.
"It's not, `Oh, what if we don't do that!' We've been in so many situations where we just can't have that. The regional championship game is so intense, and one wrong move at the wrong time and you go away not winning that game. I think if we have that fear of failure type of an attitude, we won't get through those games."
How about complacency? Surely there is a sense of entitlement when wearing the blue uniforms that are always cheering after the last game of the season. To some degree, but the Lyon coaching staff isn't afraid to crack the figurative whip. While Pfluger is an even-keeled coach, she's willing to `preach,' as she calls it, if she thinks they are in need.
"It depends upon the year," admitted Pfluger, who brings a 306-23-1 record into '07. "The last two years we've lost in the regular season and we kind of learned that lesson quickly. I didn't have to preach to them. I did my fair share of talking, don't get me wrong, but it was, `Okay, you absolutely have to give your very best every game and you can't rest for one second because we are gong to see the best of everyone.'
In 2005 we had a loss and a couple of days later we had another loss and I said, `You guys, hello?!" It was a great slap in the face. The same thing happened last year. We are going to see the best of everyone because everyone wants to beat us. I think it's a mix. The players understand, but I don't sit back and not say anything. If I feel in my gut that they are starting to say that, then I do. The more we work the more respect we gain for ourselves, and the more respect we show our opponents."
Pfluger has the ultimate respect for the teams on her schedule, and well she should because she is facing a schedule littered with ranked opponents -- one of the necessities of playing as an independent. She will also be doing it with four monstrous holes to fill in her line-up.
The losses: Lauren Dougher, the best player in D3 the last two years; Bridget Bigley, a big game player who always finished; Meredith Spangler, a lockdown defensive player; and Meghan Marquardt, who emerged as one of the best goalies in the country.
Pfluger talks with pride when she speaks of those four and she is truly happy for what they have accomplished, but you don't get the sense she misses them, per se. Part of the fun of coaching is seeing youngsters rise and attempt to fill the roles of giants, even if there are some growing pains.
"We've already sensed those little pangs at practice and I think that's just a natural situation when you lose really strong players," said Pfluger. "New leaders need to emerge and I think my juniors and seniors are great leaders, but you have to go through that process and understand that Dougher isn't going to come up and slice one to the top corner right now.
"Last night I addressed it a little bit, and I told them that this is their season. Last year is history and no one can change history, but now we must concentrate on what we're doing this year. I think they're really motivated and we've been in this situation before. We've lost some really big players; it is just part of the whole growing process.
"Will we feel some pain? Yeah, I think we will, but that's just what all this practice is about -- establishing the 2007 team."
There very well may be some pain early on for Pfluger and TCNJ, but if the last 20 years have been any guide, others will be feeling the pain come May.
Contact Jac Coyne at jcoyne@uslacrosse.org.
