Shannon KeoughLauren Alessi, sophomore field hockey player and 2008 Rookie of the Year, is a strong forward with goal-scoring abilities, as well as a tenacious defender.
“Lauren is aggressive and hardworking. She was on fire last year. She works great with her teammates and is an all around great athlete and a good person,” field hockey coach Jackie Neary said.
Alessi’s love for hockey started at a very young age.
“I remember in early grade school before she started playing roller hockey, she had a Nerf hockey set that she would play around with all the time,” Tina Alessi, Lauren’s mother, said.
Nicknamed ‘LA’ by her teammates and coaches, Alessi picked up field hockey in seventh grade after playing years of roller hockey.
“Field hockey is different from roller hockey. I had to go from playing with a stick in my left hand and move it to my right. It took me longer than the other girls at first, but I got the hang of it,” Alessi said.
After playing four years at Kingsway Regional High School in Woolwich, N.J., Alessi decided to attend Cabrini and continue to play field hockey.
“I knew when I was recruiting ‘LA’ that she came from a strong high school program. I knew she would be a great asset to the team,” Neary said.
“I had cousins that came to Cabrini and after meeting Jackie I knew I wanted to come here,” Alessi said.
Alessi was named Rookie of the Year after the 2008 season.
“I couldn’t have achieved any of the accolades that I did without the help of my teammates and the coaching staff,” Alessi said.
Lauren’s family has also been very supportive throughout her career.
“My parents come out to a lot of my games. My dad is always in the stands with his noise makers and his loud personality,” Alessi said.
“Lauren is a very driven and motivated young woman. She is focused and knows what she wants, sets goals and lines up a plan to achieve them,” Alessi’s mother said.
Alessi is also a member of the women’s softball team at Cabrini where she plays in the outfield; she still feels that hockey is her best sport.
Besides being a hardworking team player, Alessi likes to pull some pranks on her teammates.
“I do more pranking with the softball team, but I did do one on the freshmen field hockey players this year. I relaced their shoes backwards and tied them together, but its all in good fun,” Alessi said.
Alessi has two more seasons left with the Cavaliers and is looking to continue to improve. She is an assistant coach for the Garden Valley high and middle school winter indoor teams.
“It has always been hockey and it always will be,” Alessi said.
