Yee has breakout junior year

For Rowan lacrosse, the 2010 season has relied heavily on the supporting cast besides senior attack Alayna Morris and junior midfielder Alli Dickey. While both players have more than 24 goals, the emergence of one junior has given the offense some added firepower to help the Profs to a 9-5 record.

Junior attack Lauren Yee has been one of the Profs’ most improved players this season. After scoring only six goals and an assist in her first two seasons, Yee broke out this year with 19 goals and 16 assists in just 14 games, leading the team in scoring with 35 points. Yee, her coaches and teammates credit a dramatic increase in her confidence as the main impetus for her turnaround.

“I’m a lot more confident, and I feel a lot more comfortable in the game,” Yee said. “The attack that’s been in there since [two years ago] has really helped me to become comfortable, and has allowed me to fulfill the role I’ve gotten.”

Yee appeared in just 14 games in her first two seasons with the team. Now she finds herself on the field more often, after boosting her confidence.

“Because of the confidence, she’s got the playing time,” said head coach Lindsay Delaney. “She always had the skills, whether or not she believed it.”

Yee’s strong shot stands out in her skill set, a big reason why she’s scored 19 goals on just 40 shots. However, Delaney believes there’s more to Yee’s offense than just a powerful shot.

“I would say her vision [is her best skill],” Delaney said. “She sees the field well. She sees defenders well. She’s very smart. The shot comes because she knows how to do those things.”

Now that Yee has joined the starting rotation and become a go-to player on the field, she has also stepped it up with her leadership off the field. Not only has she helped the young players out to improve, Yee has assisted the team leaders in launching Rowan to its early strong start.

“She’s become a great leader, showing up for every game and being awesome at practice,” said senior attack and team captain Tori Hart. “She’s been a very vocal leader, and saying everything that she sees, which helps us a lot.”

As Yee continues to blossom as a growing leader for the Profs lacrosse team, she still finds areas she would like to improve, including her shot.

“My strong shot isn’t always as accurate as I want it to be,” Yee said. “I tend to be pretty accurate shooting high, but when I tend to shoot low, they tend to go all over the place. So shooting low is definitely one of my biggest goals to improve.”

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