When senior Kate Breslin first decided to attend Virginia and join the women's lacrosse team, there was no question that she would be a great addition to the Cavaliers and would help raise the expectations of the team. No one realized, however, what great achievements would follow.
Two ACC championships and one national title later, not to mention a runner-up finish in a national tournament, Breslin and the rest of the Cavaliers are heading into their last two games before the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
In high school, the senior midfielder set records in her hometown of Manhasset, N.Y. for goals in a single game, season and career. Since coming to Virginia, that trend has continued, as Breslin currently leads the team in goals (40).
"We knew coming out of high school she was a prolific scorer," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "She has great hands, the ability to shoot, as well as speed, so we knew that she was going to be a person we were going to really want to get into our attack. She's done a great job of really rounding out our game. Not only is she our leading goal-scorer, but our leading assister right now."
Posting a team-high 22 assists so far this season, Breslin has proven her ability to put the ball in the back of the net, as well as find the open man (or woman) to allow her teammates better looks at the goal.
As to why she has been so successful with the sport, Breslin only gives credit to others.
"I definitely think a lot of my success is because of my teammates," Breslin said. "I have surrounded myself with some of the best players in the country ... and [this] helped me to improve my game as much as possible."
Breslin understands that because the Cavalier defense is one of the nation's best (the team is nationally ranked for manning one of the best scoring defenses in the country), and she also has the privilege of preparing for other tough defenses during practice.
"I think also the fact that our attack is just very well-balanced, I feel confident looking to other players," Breslin said. "Whoever's standing next to me is just as capable of going to goal, shooting, whatever, just as much as the next person."
Currently, Breslin is taking advantage of college life and the college game, as she and the second-ranked Cavaliers look for their third ACC championship in four years. Once she graduates, Breslin is "probably going to coach during the summer for a summer league, and then after I'm going to look for a career in sports marketing."
But don't bother her with making future plans just yet. ACCs start a little over a week from today.
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