The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Elizabeth Wang
Murrieta Mesa, Senior
When Elizabeth Wang first took a stab at playing competitive lacrosse, the operative word in her mind was, “Huh?”
Three years later, lacrosse has a word for Wang. Wow.
Once baffled and frustrated by the terminology and intricacies of the sport, Wang has made it her own. After playing in the shadows of Murrieta Mesa’s former stars, she emerged this season as an elite two-way player, leading the Rams to another Southwestern League title and the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.
Scoring 72 goals in 25 games and leading the Rams in draw controls, Wang has become the third straight Mesa player to be chosen IE Varsity Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year.
If someone would have suggested this level of success to Wang a couple of years ago, “I probably would have laughed in their face,” she said.
From the time she could remember, Wang’s plan was all about soccer. She added lacrosse as a second sport, but had a hard time grasping it, often finding herself telling someone giving her instruction “I don’t know what you’re saying.”
For a good while, Rams coach Molly Sovacool’s faith in Wang ran far ahead of Wang’s faith in herself. What Sovacool saw was Wang’s speed, her ability to play with both hands as dominant, her aggressiveness and her willingness to work and learn.
After her freshman season was lost to the COVID pandemic and her sophomore year being mostly a learning season, Wang settled in as a solid defender last season. The offensive skills were there, but Wang’s confidence on that side was not.
“On defense, sometimes I’d intercept the ball, take it down and take a shot,” she said. “But I’d sprint back down the field because I was terrified to be on the other side.”
When Sovacool moved her to the midfield this season, asking her to take on a leading offensive role, Wang was confused. The results, however, proved Sovacool correct.
Wang has achieved her success in the face of dealing with Type 1 diabetes. She deals with dramatic spikes and dips in her blood sugar. The strongest effects often don’t occur until well after competition or practice, when dips cost her a night’s sleep.
“To my teammates and parents in the stands, I’m sure I’ll always be known as the girl who runs over to the sideline to chug a juice box between plays,” Wang said. “Thankfully, sports has given me a chance to educate and advocate for other Type 1s who may be coming up behind me.”
Ahead of Wang is a new career at Carroll College in Wisconsin. Even though she described lacrosse as “a light in my life,” Wang said she did not choose a Division I program because “I don’t want athletics to run my life.” Waukesha seemed to be a perfect city to continue her career and pursue a future in pediatric nursing.
Sovacool, meanwhile, ponders a post-wang future.
“It’s just going to feel so different without her. She found a way to make lacrosse more than a game and the team more than a team. More like family.”
For Wang, her career came full circle this year. Previous Inland players of the year Lauren Kuschel and Carson Dickey, players Wang said she was once completely intimidated by, came to watch the Rams play and offered advice and encouragement.
“Lauren said, ‘You’re going to do good things,’ ” Wang said. “That was pretty cool.”