This Week:
Bethany Buzzell
Urbana, Sr.
Urbana's Bethany Buzzell, left, has converted 11 of 13 eight-meter free position shots.
(Jonathan Ernst For The Washington Post)
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_____Bethany Buzzell's Tips_____
1. Look at the defense. Buzzell looks at where the defenders are positioned. If she feels they can cut down her angle, she may shoot right away before giving the defense the opportunity to strip the ball.
2. Do your homework. Buzzell listens to the scouting report her coach gives on the opposing goalie. If the goalie's weakness is stopping low shots, chances are that's where she'll shoot it.
3. You don't have to shoot. Buzzell said teammates can be in a better attacking position, so passing to them creates better scoring opportunities.
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Lacrosse
Urbana Coach Bill Sardella said one of his favorite sounds on the lacrosse field is the chirp of the referee's whistle after senior midfielder Bethany Buzzell has been fouled close to the goal, giving her an eight-meter free position, the girls' lacrosse equivalent to a penalty shot.
"That's because if Bethany's gets a free position, I know there's a very good chance we're going to get a goal out of it," he said. "Even before she takes the shot I'm thinking about what we're going to do after she scores. She just doesn't miss from there."
At least not very often. Buzzell has converted the foul into a goal 11 of the 13 times she has been awarded an eight-meter free position, a staggering 84 percent conversion rate.
A player is awarded a free position when she suffers a major foul inside the eight-meter arc in front of the goal. Anybody inside the arc must go the nearest point on the arc's perimeter, with at least four meters separating them from the shooter.
When play resumes, the person taking the free position can pass or shoot but often runs toward the goal and attempts to shoot before the defense converges and knocks the ball away.
"The first thing I look for is what angle gives me the best chance to score and that's where I go," said Buzzell, who will play for Brown University next year. "It's a great opportunity because it's like a free goal. You have to capitalize on free positions because they are often the difference between winning and losing, especially when you have two good teams playing."
In boys' lacrosse, there are no free positions because players who are called for major infractions have to sit out for a period of time, giving the opposition a one-man advantage.
Sardella said having Buzzell (26 goals, seven assists), who can maneuver around defenders near the goal, which often results in drawing fouls, is a major reason why the eighth-ranked Hawks (6-2) have outscored their opponents 114-38 entering today's game against Westminster.
"Bethany has been excellent at drawing fouls, and there aren't too many girls who want the pressure of taking a free position and then making it as often as she does," Sardella said. "This isn't like a penalty kick in soccer where you get to shoot at a huge goal. With a free position, it's oftentimes a matter of inches."
