When Devon Collins was in eighth grade, her friends all tried out for the lacrosse team, and naturally, she followed.

Each one made it to the junior varsity team, except Collins, who was cut from the team and had to play modified, a step down from JV where there aren’t as many cuts.

“It was kind of embarrassing for me because all my friends made JV and I was alone in modified,” Collins said.

But by the next year, Collins made varsity and had blossomed in her newfound sport.

Now, she’s in her senior year as an attack at Syracuse. Though she picked up lacrosse late, Collins has thrived with the opportunity she’s been given at SU. Having shifted positions on the attack, she’ll look to build on her three goals and four assists when the No. 3 Orange (3-0) hosts No. 9 Virginia (1-1) on Monday at 6 p.m. in the Carrier Dome,

“Devon is a very fast, very aggressive, just overall good attacker,” SU attack Kayla Treanor said. “She goes very hard … she can get to goal in just a quick little move.”

Because Collins was raised a soccer player, she had to adjust to stopping at every whistle in women’s lacrosse. She didn’t even understand offsides when she played lacrosse for the first time in eighth grade.

In soccer, an attacker has to be in line with the last defender as the ball is kicked, but in women’s lacrosse, offsides means that the offense can’t have more than seven players on or past the restraining line.

She also had no idea what the names of the positions meant, such as first home and second home or A-wing and D-wing.

“I was just really confused with all the rules I guess around girls’ lacrosse,” Collins said.

In ninth grade, Collins played club lacrosse in addition to varsity in high school. Though all of Collins’ friends were going through recruitment at the time, she didn’t know if she was good enough to go to a top program.

Her dream school was Notre Dame, and Collins committed to play there, until the head coach took a different player and told  Collins she couldn’t go to the school anymore.

Brent Rothfuss, her high school head coach’s brother, who played professionally in Rochester with SU assistant coach Regy Thorpe, contacted Syracuse.

“He was like, ‘Why don’t you talk to Syracuse? I’ll talk to Regy for you,’” Collins said. “And then we just kind of went from there and I was committed before I knew it.”

Collins started 21 of the 23 games her freshman year and worked alongside former SU attacks Michelle Tumolo and Alyssa Murray. Her role was to get to ground balls and support Tumolo and Murray.

On the field she saw the tenacity that Tumolo played with and wanted to emulate and impress her. Murray made sure Collins was in the right position during games.

“I didn’t even know I was going to start my freshman year, so that was like a really pleasant surprise,” Collins said. “It was just kind of exciting and an honor for me to be playing next to them and starting.”

Though Collins played three years primarily at the low attack position at Syracuse, she’s spending most of her time in the high attack position this year, with Maryland transfer Halle Majorana taking the role down low.

In her final season, Collins is looking to step out of the supporting role and take advantage of her new freedom on offense.

“I think you’re going to see her best this year,” head coach Gary Gait said. “She’s playing more relaxed, she’s focused … so I’m hoping for a big year for her.”

Published on February 23, 2015 at 12:02 am

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