New Kid on the Bluff: Caroline Lacy

Four hundred and twenty-eight miles away from the Bluff is a neighborhood on Long Island known as Blue Point. That neighborhood is where the 18-year-old starting center-midfielder for the Dukes calls home.

Caroline Lacy, a true freshman, attained the starting job after her masterful performance from the bench in the first regulation game of the year.

Coach Al Alvine explained why she earned her starting position.

“Her vision and her ability to impact the game [are what assisted her in getting the starting job],” Alvine said. “A couple of games she has played 90 minutes, the whole game, so there are a bunch of things that we saw in her right away from the start. She has pushed her way into the starting lineup by virtue of those performances.”
There was some doubt if she would even be a Duke before the season started. Tim Zundel, the Dukes' former coach, recruited Lacy, but as with any coaching change there was a lot of uncertainty when Alvine was hired.

“She was somebody that we wanted to keep, it is always tough when you have commitments and then the coach leaves and those kids are under a lot of pressure because they don’t know where they stand with the new coach,” Alvine said.

Alvine would have recruited Lacy himself had he been given the opportunity.

“That is the type of player that I like. She is good with the ball, technical but, above all else, she came in and she was probably in the top three in terms of fitness on the team and for a freshman to do that was pretty remarkable,” Alvine said
After being inserted into the starting lineup Lacy flourished, proving she deserved the spot. In seven games played, she has seven shots including four shots on goal and when she finally was able to find a rebound inside the box, she pounded it home for her first collegiate goal against Robert Morris on Sept. 2.

She learned the game from her older sister whom she always looked up to and tried to emulate. Her sister, five years older, played collegiate soccer as well. So when she rose to the top on her high school and club teams it was an easy decision to go to Duquesne.

“There are a lot of different things, but [the transition] has been cool, to feel something different than what I am used to in Long Island [is nice],” Lacy said. “I love Duquesne I am having a great time already. The other freshman Allie Holland is my roommate … We are good friends, too.”
Coming in Lacy already had a familiar face from home on the team. Although Stephanie Colon is two years older, her presence on the Dukes helps Lacy out a lot.

“She was always working hard and she is a center-mid and she is just a great player and I admire her a lot,” Lacy said.

“[Lacy's admiration] makes me very happy because she is one of my favorites. Hopefully I can be a good role model and someone she can look up to,” Colon responded.

Colon is excited to see the improvements that Lacy has made and is continuing to make.

“Her confidence is getting much better and much higher. She is taking more shots and really becoming the player we need her to be on this team,” Colon said.

All freshmen endure some laughs at their expense and Lacy is no different.

“She really loves it when we all call her Carol,” Colon joked.

To get to know Caroline Lacy better I asked her a simple question, but her answer says more than I could ever write about the kind of player she is.

“Would you prefer to stop a game deciding goal or score it?” I asked.

“Can I do both?” Lacy responded with a laugh.