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WB's Shannon Smith heads to senior year Ñ and beyond Shannon Smith has put up some impressive numbers. She's the Barry Bonds of New York State girl's lacrosse. Last season she set the New York State single season scoring record with 129 goals as a sophomore, this season she netted 122. The West Babylon forward just finished her junior campaign and is arguably the best player in the state. She's on her way to setting the career New York State record of 443 goals and to getting a big college scholarship. "She can score in a bunch of different situations," said West Babylon coach Paul DiGiulio. "She has raw talent and has flourished since playing on varsity in seventh grade." The Eagle were seeded sixth in the Suffolk County Class A playoffs and lost to East Islip, 12-9, in the quarterfinals. Smith had three goals in the contest, and East Islip's Ariel Baer shut them down with three goals and two assists. In the first round, the Eagles, which finished 11-7 this season, beat Smithtown East, 13-9. Smith had nine goals, including career No. 400 with 9:28 remaining in the first half. Smith scores goals in chunks almost every game. Some players are lucky enough to score one or two goals, but she has regularly scored totals of eight or more. She scored 11 against Massapequa to start the season, 11 against West Babylon in the rivalry game, nine against Bay Shore and eight against Lindenhurst and Commack. As a seventh grader she scored 18 goals, in eighth grade she started her big surge with 59, as a freshmen she scored 80, last year was her record setting season and this year she was just shy of breaking her own record, which she most likely would have done had West Babylon advanced further in the playoffs. Through her junior season she has 408 goals and is the all-time Long Island point's leader with 609. She was an All-American this season and made the U-19 National Team. How does she score so much? At 5-6 she isn't a dominant physical threat on the field, but her deceiving moves allow her to cut through just about any defense. Aside from the usual grueling off and in-season workouts, Smith also has great field vision and can drop back as a strong defensive player as well. "She's going to be one of the best ever," DiGiulio said. This was DiGiulio's first season as head coach, but he could tell there was still a team effort from the beginning. It wasn't just the Shannon Smith show every game. "I told everybody it was a team effort. That we win as a team and lose as a team," he said. "We stuck with that motto. If they do have hard feelings about her scoring so much they haven't said anything. A lot of girls want to win and realize that she's a crucial part for that to happen." On the flip side, Smith creates a myriad of opportunities for her teammates to score. She is often double and triple teamed, which leaves at least one or two girls open at all times. "She makes the players around her better," DiGiulio says. "They have to keep up with her pace because she opens up chances."
While there's plenty of time before next season's recruiting hype starts, Notre Dame and Northwestern have shown interest in her so far.
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