Tuesday finally figured to be the day it sunk in for Monica Joines. The day it finally hit her that only weeks remain for her in college. That afternoon, the senior midfielder on the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team learned she landed her first job after graduation.

She will be working in Baltimore in sales management for Ferguson Enterprises, Inc., the number one distributor of plumbing and household fixtures in America.

But no, she said yesterday, it still doesn’t seem real.

‘I don’t feel like I’m grown up enough to be leaving here,’ Joines said.

Quite the contrary.

Joines is one of the most accomplished players, both on the field and in the classroom, to ever play in the eight-year history of the program. Along with fellow seniors Caitlyn Dragon and Courtney Palladino, Joines will play her last game at the Carrier Dome when No. 13 Syracuse hosts Notre Dame at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

If SU earns an NCAA Tournament at-large berth – only possible if the Orange (10-4, 3-1 Big East) defeats Notre Dame and Colgate on May 7, according to SU head coach Lisa Miller – it most likely won’t play a home game. If it does in the first round, it will be played at Coyne Field on May 12 due to graduation preparation.

‘I honestly cannot believe its my last game in the Dome,’ Joines said. ‘It’s been an unbelievable experience to come to Central New York and play in a beautiful arena like this.’

Despite not cracking the starting lineup until the last four games of her freshman year, Joines enters Saturday’s game with 121 career goals, seven shy of becoming the second all-time leader in SU history.

Though she reiterated yesterday that this season has been her favorite year, it has not gone as expected. In a good way.

It began in February with local media showering her with expectation. She was supposed to be the heir apparent to SU’s all-time leading scorer, Leigh-Ann Zimmer, who graduated last year. It made sense, considering Joines had put up big numbers lingering in Zimmer’s shadow for two years. Big East coaches named Joines Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Everywhere she was deemed SU’s entire offense, a position in which Zimmer often found herself.

Problem was, she wasn’t Zimmer. Joines is a dodger, a one-on-one player who plays from the outside, not like the overpowering inside presence that allowed Zimmer to dominate games. Before the season, SU head coach Lisa Miller discussed with Joines taking Zimmer’s spot as the Fat Man By The Crease, becoming a better passer and controlling games.

Then, in the season opener against Albany on Feb. 27, Joines stationed herself on the left wing. She’s been there all season. She never stands out in the offense, just one of seven equally important players in the attack. And that’s the reason for SU’s success this year.

‘Of course you want to have an incredible senior season with record-breaking experiences,’ Joines said. ‘But when it all comes down to it, it’s so much better and more fun to play on a team that is well-rounded.’

‘I think we’re a better team this year because we don’t have a superstar,’ Miller said after SU’s 11-4 win over Boston College on April 16, clearly referring to Zimmer. ‘Seven people assume the responsibility to get things done versus looking at one or two people. We’re harder to defend this year.’

It’s not like Joines’ numbers have decreased. After seasons of 34 and 40 goals, she has 35 so far this season. But with only four assists, she is 23 points behind the Big East’s leader. Not Big East Offensive Player of the Year numbers. Not even enough to be the leading point scorer for the Orange this season.

But that suits her just fine. Other players have stepped up. Dragon, an all-around offensive standout, shook a career-long injury bug to lead the team with 44 points. Junior attack Melody Agnew became the steady feeder behind the net. Fellow junior attack Meghan O’Connell developed as a slasher and pure finisher. And freshman attack Allison Furstenburg fashioned herself as a one-on-one player in Joines’ mold.

‘Definitely, (Monica) felt some relief with the way the rest of the attack unit has stepped up this year,’ said senior midfielder Courtney Palladino.

‘More than ever it doesn’t seem to be about statistics for her,’ said Marcia Joines, her mother.

Asked about the legacy she leaves behind on SU’s program, she started with a modest answer about herself before quickly equating her lasting impression with the team’s success.

‘I hope to think in a small way I’ve left a trace of a legacy,’ she said. ‘But it would be a legacy of our own as seniors to win the first NCAA tournament game (in SU’s history).’

Published on April 27, 2005 at 12:00 pm