Villanova commit Amelia Ricciuti shining in senior season
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (BVM) — Ursuline lacrosse head coach Joe Frederick didn’t need much of an introduction to Amelia Ricciuti in his first season with the team. The young defenseman had already played a season on the varsity team as an eighth grader before Frederick arrived and it wouldn鈥檛 take long for him to notice the impact she already had.
鈥淚 knew about her through the youth programs [and] when I was a travel lacrosse coach,鈥� Frederick said. 鈥淔rom the very beginning, she鈥檚 been a leader on that team 鈥� through her work ethic [and] her example. She鈥檚 the first one at the field and the last one to leave the field. It鈥檚 hard not to notice that as a coach. It kind of stands out to you.鈥�
The experience of playing on the varsity team early on was important for Ricciuti, who has always had aspirations of playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. Playing against older competition would prove beneficial for the Koalas鈥� midfielder.
鈥淚t kind of gave me a chance to see what my competition is on a larger scale because in college you play all ages,鈥� Ricciuti said. 鈥�So, it was a chance for me to see what my future would look like if I ended up playing in college and it helped me develop quicker because I had to play against older girls.鈥�
After initially coming in primarily as a defenseman, Ricciuti has worked to grow her tools on the offensive side, becoming an elite threat with the ball in her stick. With her ability in all facets of the game, her coach associates Ricciuti鈥檚 skillset to a baseball player with all five tools.
鈥淗er first year and a half, she was used predominantly on defense,鈥� Frederick said. 鈥淪omewhere into her sophomore season we started using her as a midfielder and she has just absolutely blossomed as an offensive threat 鈥� I don鈥檛 know if there is a weakness in her game. She was recruited to play defense in college [and] there is nothing she can鈥檛 do. She plays defense, offense, she does the draw controls, she鈥檚 the team leader in ground balls. Just a phenomenal, phenomenal kid.鈥�
The switch to a larger role on offense has led to one of Ricciuti鈥檚 most impressive seasons yet. The senior midfielder has racked up 39 goals and 27 assists on the offensive end, while tallying 44 caused turnovers on the defensive side. Her success on the draw has led to staggering numbers, with Ursuline winning 76% of the draws when she is on the field.
The outbreak on both sides is no surprise for her head coach. He sees Ricciuti鈥檚 work ethic as a driving force in her success.
鈥淲hen it comes to athletes, you could be the most talented kid in the world but if you don鈥檛 have the drive, you don鈥檛 have the desire, it鈥檚 wasted,鈥� Frederick said. 鈥淲hat [Amelia] lacks in physical size, she magnifies in her desire. She鈥檚 a tactician, she鈥檚 a perfectionist, she鈥檚 always working on her game 鈥� Hard work beats talent when talent doesn鈥檛 work hard. Well here鈥檚 talent that works hard, so what鈥檚 the answer for that? 鈥楬ow do you beat that?鈥欌�澛�
The current 11-3 record posted by Ursuline has the Koalas out to one of their best seasons in program history. After a year off, Ricciuti acknowledges the team鈥檚 success can be attributed to the hard work her and her teammates put in during the offseason.
鈥淲e were off for like two years 鈥� so, it was a chance for us to develop,鈥� Ricciuti said of the layoff. 鈥淕oing into this season … we didn鈥檛 know if people took advantage of the time off and worked hard, or used COVID-19 as an excuse and kind of laid back a little. It was a chance for everybody on the team to get better or get worse, so our team thankfully used it to our advantage and we trained really hard together over Zoom during the time off because we wanted to do well this year.鈥�
When her senior season comes to a close, Ricciuti will continue her lacrosse career at Villanova. After establishing a connection with the school throughout camps over the years, Ricciuti knew the program was the right fit.
鈥淚 really love [Coach Julie Young], she鈥檚 one of the best coaches I鈥檝e ever been in contact with,鈥� Ricciuti said. 鈥淭he coaching staff is great and [it鈥檚] also an amazing school. The team when I visited was so welcoming, the campus is beautiful and academically they have a lot of support for athletes.鈥�
When she gets to the collegiate level her high school coach doesn鈥檛 want to put a cap on his star senior.
鈥淚 honestly think the sky鈥�s the limit for her,鈥� Frederick said.
