Simone Lazar joins Canadian national team
There aren’t too many higher honors than representing your native country in the sporting world.
Central Michigan freshman Simone Lazar has been selected to receive such an honor as a reserve for the Canadian junior national field hockey team.
“When we recruited her, one of Simone’s questions was could she still pursue her aspiration to join the Canadian national team, and we’re very supportive of what she does,” said CMU head coach Cristy Freese.
Lazar took part in the U-18 Canadian Cup during summer 2010 and was scouted along with 39 other players to be invited to a field hockey camp in August. The group was cut down to 24, and those advanced to the second round of tryouts in January along with an additional 16 players.
By the end of the tryouts, the junior national team was built of 18 players and six more were picked as reserves, including Lazar.
“Making the national team is like every player’s dream, so it’s just one step in the right direction for me,” Lazar said.
The team scheduled its first tour for March 13-20, when it will play a four-game series against the USA women’s U-19 team in San Diego, Calif.
Lazar said the team will schedule other tours in which they will rotate the reserves into the lineup, but “the CMU season comes first” when those tours coincide with the school’s schedule.
“During our fall season, her number one commitment is to us,” Freese said. “The times she may have some Canadian commitments that would be her first obligation would be when we’re not in season.”
Freese said that playing for the two separate teams would help Lazar in different ways.
“We think we’re providing ways for her to improve her individual game and make her better for the Canadian team, but I also think the Canadian team gives her a high level of play when she comes back to play at the Division I level with us,” Freese said.
The Etobicoke, Ontario, native made herself known in her debut season at CMU, being selected to the All-MAC tournament team. She started 19 games and appeared in all 20, picking up a team-leading three assists.
Her biggest shot came in the Oct. 2, 2010, game against Ohio, when Lazar netted the game-winning goal in a shoot-out at the end of regulation.
Her teammate, goaltender Anastasia Netto, took a similar responsibility in fall 2008, competing for the Trinidad & Tobago national team. During her time on the team, Netto played in countries that included Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay and the U.S.
“It gave her experience against a high level of competition and we gave her some better, individual goalkeeping practices to help her improve her overall game,” Freese said.
