First as a youngster and then as a lacrosse star at Woodson High School, Fairfax Station native Megan Cassara remembered attending winter lacrosse camps at nearby George Mason University.
And now, after playing the sport for four years at the University of Maryland, Cassara has come full circle, recently accepting a job as an assistant coach for the Patriots women’s lacrosse team.
She will join the staff assembled by first-year coach Lauren Rywak, who actually coached Cassara in high school as the Cavaliers’ junior varsity coach.
“This is where I first learned to play lacrosse,” said Cassara, a 2004 U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American. “When I heard that Lauren was in the area and was going to be the new head coach, I was thrilled just because I had that connection.”
As a defender at Maryland, Cassara appeared in 60 games with 22 starts, totaling 40 ground balls and causing 17 turnovers. During her senior year, Cassara set career highs in caused turnovers (11), draw controls (5) and ground balls (18).
At Mason, Cassara will work primarily with the team’s defenders and its goalkeepers.
“It’s kind of rare to find a coach that was a defender,” said Rywak, whose inherited team finished 12-5 last season, losing in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals to Towson. “I don’t think you find those a lot.”
Joining Cassara on Rywak’s staff will be Maryland teammate Kelly Kasper, who led the Terrapins with 87 points (43 goals) last season and will work with the team’s attackers.
<b>OUTSIDE OF HER</b> knowledge and experience, Cassara supplies the Patriots with another valuable asset. As a native Northern Virginian, Cassara will be counted upon to localize the team’s recruiting process.
“A lot of recruiting classes have people come from out of the area,” the 23-year-old Cassara said, “so if I try to help bring some local talent I see here, it’d definitely be a big help because I never got to see that when I was in school.
“I was one of the only people at Maryland who came from Virginia, so I would definitely like to help out by getting a lot more local people into this program and getting them seen at the Division I-A level.”
Another hurdle that Cassara will face revolves around the immediate transition she must make from her graduation this past spring. Though she has served as a volunteer assistant coach at Herndon for the past four years, it was only a few months ago that she earned a bachelor’s degree in family science.
But Cassara, who’ll meet the challenge head on, has already found a practical application for her youth. “I know it says that I’m part time, but I feel like this is a full-time job for me,” she said.
“It’s nice to know that [the players] can trust you and come to you for a lot of questions that maybe people who have been out of college for a long time maybe couldn’t remember,” said Cassara. “It’s a little challenging, but it’s really a lot of fun.”