Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1494955
22 CAVALIER CORNER US Lacrosse High School All-American as a sophomore and senior, and an Under Armour All-American in 2019, 2020 and 2021, just to name a few. Battling a pandemic that eliminated her junior season and a highly competitive division in the Central League of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic As- sociation, Clark proved she was ready for the world of Division I women's lacrosse. When the time came for recruiting, the focus was not on her list of achievements. Rather, Clark wanted to let her own on-field performance dictate her worth. "When I got into recruiting it definitely was a little nerve-racking," Clark said. "I wanted people to notice me. So, I would always just go out there and try to play my game and not think about the outside factors." Clark made the most of the whole field as a midfielder on the prep level. Her aggres- sive defense combined with her powerful offensive dodges and shots seemed to be a perfect addition for the Hoos. Division I lacrosse is a vastly different beast than the trials of Pennsylvania 3A high school lacrosse. The style of play is faster, more technical and requires greater focus. Clark's confidence remained steady, though, as she made the transition. "My goal was to come in and get time on the field as a freshman," she said. "It was a really good fall. I was excited. I remember the Stony Brook scrimmage. I started and had a good amount of goals. I thought, OK, my goal is just to keep it up and to get bet- ter every day." Coming off the Stony Brook scrimmage, Clark lived up to her hopes. She recorded 6 goals in the season opener against Elon, paired with placing 7 of her 9 shots on target. Clark went 3 of 3 on free possession shots, taking advantage of every opportunity she had to shake the net. One caused turn- over and 2 ground balls finished off her first official stat line as a Cavalier. It's safe to say she capitalized on her moment. In retrospect, Clark felt like her collegiate debut contest versus Elon was just like any other game she had played. She knew her role and knew she wanted to perform at her best. "There's always nerves before every game, and they never go away," Clark said. "I just told myself that means I care. The adrena- line helps push me through it and it always feels good. A win feels good and having a good game feels good. It's what I play for." While the women's lacrosse team did not perform to their hopes in 2022, Clark's success and ACC wins over Virginia Tech, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Syracuse pro- vided a silver lining for their season. Clark recorded points in all of those games. In fact, she recorded points in 18 of 20 games a year ago. Her season high came against Stanford, when she tallied 8 points coming on 4 goals and 4 assists along with adding a groundball. With performances like this becoming somewhat common, it would seem like Clark transitioned smoothly into the new world of ACC lacrosse. She was excited for a new challenge to dominate. "I felt like I was ready to be here," she said. "I prepared a lot that summer. But once I got used to it, I knew how to prepare a little differently. I just worked harder. So, a little bit different, but I thought I was prepared." As has been the pattern in her career, that work once again paid off. In addition to her first-year record 64 tallies, 16 of which were free position goals, Clark finished her first season with 13 groundballs and 3 caused turnovers. That kind of performance tends to garner accolades. In addition to being named ACC Freshman of the Year, she joined the IWLCA All-South Region second team, ACC Tournament team, All-ACC first team, All-ACC Freshman team and received an honorable mention as an Inside Lacrosse All-American. Even Clark was a bit surprised by her initial success. However, that won't stop her from continuing this pattern throughout her career. Coaches and teammates expect a lot out of Clark. But she is her own biggest critic. She pushes herself to perform at her best be- cause her own expectations are sky high. "It was just a little shocking to me, hon- estly, but I feel like my hard work is paying off," Clark said. "That's always nice, but I just have to remind myself that the work is not over. I just want to keep raising the bar. I set the bar high my freshman year, so I intend to build on that." Her success garnered the attention of the rest of the lacrosse world. Clark started be- coming a top name on scouting reports as well as stat sheets. Coming into the 2023 season, she is well aware of this newfound attention. Her focus has not shifted under the higher-level scru- tiny from opponents. Clark is still prioritizing helping the team perform at its best and " If the defense slides early to me, a teammate is open. It's making me better, figuring out how to beat that. … But I like the pressure because I do expect a lot out of myself and out of the team." CLARK