Lawrence High School senior Yasmine Hachicha has worked her way up to become a quality lacrosse defender in the Colonial Valley Conference, which is an impressive jump from where she first started.
Initially, she was towering over little kids at a mini-camp the summer before 8th grade, and a year later she was telling an instructor she had no idea what the instructor was talking about.
It all started during her 7th-grade year in middle school, when Hachicha struck up a conversation with Jill Foret, her geometry teacher.
Foret has a long history with the sport, having started the girls’ lacrosse program at Old Tappan and coached at various levels in high school. She currently works for Rylor Lacrosse Camp, directed by her husband and Hopewell Valley girls’ coach Matthew Foret. She also has a long history with the Lawrence Lacrosse Club, so when she began talking, Hachicha listened.
The two had ongoing conversations about Hachicha’s athletic endeavors and when the middle schooler expressed interest in playing lacrosse as well as soccer, the teacher convinced her to try Foret’s low-pressure summer program just to learn about the sport. Hachicha was a bit surprised when she saw her fellow players.
“It was a camp of younger kids, who were far younger than me,” she said. “It was a small camp, maybe six people. I was a lot taller and older. I felt a little out of place.”
So much so, that after the first day she revealed some doubt to her mother about continuing. But mom told Hachicha she had expressed interest; the camp was paid for and she should stick with it. Hachicha returned, learned some basic skills and decided she enjoyed the sport.
“I was persistent, I wanted to get better,” she said. “I live near the high school so I would come out and throw against the wall just to get the feel for it. I wanted to play in high school and I didn’t want to be horrible.”
Thus, she attended the Nike Camp at the Lawrenceville School the summer prior to ninth grade. It was there that Hachicha discovered just how much she had to learn.
“I was obviously playing with a lot better girls, and they put me in the oldest group, which was the best group,” Hachicha said, still laughing at the memory. “I got separated from my friends, I didn’t know any of the rules. They put us on teams and we started scrimmaging, and I had no idea what I was doing.
“I was able to catch and throw the ball, I was able to communicate. But I didn’t know about the restraining line, or how to do a draw. My coach sent me up to do a draw and I said, ‘I don’t know how.’ She was dumbfounded. She just looked at me like ‘What? Are you serious?’ She says, ‘What are you doing here?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, they just put me here.” I was there with girls from all over the state. I was so out of place.”
But after being in the wrong spots at the wrong times for two straight summers, things finally came together for Hachicha during her freshman year. Despite the bumpy ride, she began to improve and understand the game.
After a year on the JV squad, Hachicha became a starting defender as a sophomore and was teamed with Jackie Drury, Jane Lin and Erika Allen. The sophomore was intimidated by the seniors, who sensed it and did something about it.
“They kind of took me under their wing and taught me the basics of defending and what to do and what not to do,” Hachicha said. “It felt nice to have that support. I knew if anything went wrong it was a great way to build my confidence. They pushed me forward and helped me a lot.”
Because of that help, Hachicha entered last year ready to step up and lead. She had proven herself as a defender, which is where she also plays for the Cardinals soccer team. By year’s end, she was in charge of marking the other team’s top offensive threat.
“She’s always had a work-hard mentality and that got her to where she is today,” coach Heather Phillips said. “She works really hard. She was one of our big defenders last year as a junior and she definitely became a leader on defense. They voted her captain this year.”
Asked about Hachicha’s strengths, Phillips said, “She has a lot of quickness and has very good instincts. She knows how to read the ball well, knows when to slide; and has a real knowledge of the game. She can also play midfield.”
But she’s not really thrilled about it.
“I’ve dabbled in midfield but that is a huge amount of running,” Hachicha said. “I give our midfielders a ton of credit. I don’t know how they do it. I occasionally play midfield but I usually hang back.”
Hachicha feels the key to being a good defender is having quick feet (“You have to move, you can’t be a pole out there”), a great vision of the field, knowing who is in the immediate area, and communicating with fellow defenders.
“I’m not the only one back there,” she said. “I obviously rely on my teammates to help me out. I don’t have a pair of eyes in the back of my head. This year we’re working very well together on defense and we all support each other.”
The support was obvious a few weeks into the season as the Cardinals were 6-2. Hachicha was also playing a little offense with three goals, but still takes pride in shutting down the opponent’s stud.
“It’s intimidating, I’m not gonna lie,” she said. “I like to not know in advance who I’m gonna mark. Usually on the day of the game, coach will give me a few insights on who to watch out for. But we usually have a good idea.
“Sometimes it helps to really talk them up in my head, make them this huge player so when I’m standing right in front of them I realize it’s a little more feasible, that I can mark them, I can do this. I try not to think too much into it really. And I know my teammates have my back.”
Lawrence lacrosse player Yasmine Hachica runs with the ball during a game against West Windsor-Plainsboro South last season. (File photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.),
