Lisa Stoia: The Complete Package
September 08, 2003 12:06 PM | General
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August 30, 2003
Growing up the youngest of three children didn't bother Lisa Stoia much. Neither did being the only girl. In fact, the senior women's soccer player wouldn't have had it any other way. If not for getting slide tackled by her brothers in the backyard, the All-America midfielder might never have developed into the dominant soccer player that she is.
In three seasons at WVU, the Shirley, N.Y., native has stamped her name all over the women's soccer record book and earned numerous honors and accolades in the process, including last year's BIG EAST midfielder of the year award.
"I remember playing in the backyard with them (brothers Cosmo and Richie) and they'd always take me down. I'd have these nicks and bruises all over," Stoia recalls. "I'd go running inside crying to my mom and she would say, ‘Lisa Marie if you want to play with the boys, you're going to have to be tough.' Before she could even finish talking, I was running right back outside."
It is the innate toughness that separates Stoia, a four-year starter at center-mid, from her peers. She is a ferocious attacker, a tenacious defender. The complete package.
"Technically, Stoia is one of the best center midfielders in the country," says Mountaineer head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. "She finds small seams in defenses and forwards on the run. Defensively, she will do whatever it takes to win the ball back."
Soccer coaches across the country, not just Izzo-Brown and her staff, are aware of the gem the Mountaineers have in the sport management major. Ask Mark Krikorian, head coach of the WUSA's Philadelphia Charge. Or Jay Entlick of the league's Carolina Courage. Both took advantage of the new NCAA rule allowing collegiate players to train with professional teams. Stoia, along with fellow senior Chrissie Abbott, spent three weeks in Philadelphia with the Charge and one in Morrisville, N.C., with the Courage. The rule allows the professional franchises to invite six players at a time to their camp. The six can be different every week or the same all season long. Stoia spent the majority of her summer in Philadelphia, staying put while others dashed in and out at the coaches' request.
"The biggest thing I learned from being there was that the intensity level at the next level is just tremendous," Stoia says. "The practices go an hour to an hour and a half, max, and when you walk off the field it feels like you've just gotten done with a five-hour practice."
The intensity level is just one aspect of the game that Stoia was re-introduced to during her weeks on the Charge's practice squad. It was good though, learning it over again. Every premiere athlete can benefit from a re-evaluation of her talents, and that is what the experience has given the all-time West Virginia season assist leader.
"I've learned that at each level you adjust, try to excel and then find a comfort zone," explains the NSCAA second-team All-American. "Once you get to a higher level, it's hard to realize that you have to continue to develop aspects of your game that you have already excelled in.
"I always knew that there were things that I needed to work on, but I've learned a lot about what I need to improve and I think knowing that will help this season."
There is no doubt that spending a month playing soccer at the most elite level will help the already talented Stoia. She is in the top 10 of nine WVU all-time lists, and if all goes as planned, the benefits of her experience will carry over to her team as it prepares for the upcoming season.
"I'm feeling pretty confident about the team," Stoia says. "Each year we've gotten better at developing our team chemistry. On and off the field, everyone has a different personality, but once we step between the lines, everything comes together."
A solid team chemistry goes a long way toward winning matches and the 48-14-2 record that West Virginia has posted during Stoia's tenure is indicative of the impact her presence in Morgantown has had on the growth of WVU's program.
Seeing the end of her time at WVU in the not so distant future, Stoia thinks a lot about everything that has become of her since she arrived here three years ago.
"Awards are always something nice to achieve, and I'm so overwhelmed by what I have done here," says West Virginia's senior leader. "But, I want to walk off the field knowing that I've done everything I could to make my team and myself better.
"There's been many moments that I've had that I'll never forget, but I don't think there's anything that can compare to the four years that you spend in college. I'm finding out who I am, who I want to be and where I want to go with my life."
From playing with her brothers in their Long Island backyard to engineering her team to the NCAA tournament for the past three seasons, thus far, it is a life filled with many unforgettable moments.
Lainie Guiddy is a graduate assistant in the WVU Sports Communications Office.
