By the time Gianna Azara came along in this world, her future was already decided as lacrosse was woven throughout her DNA.
The youngest of five, Gianna watched her sister Ariana and brothers Louie, Anthony and Alphonse play the game for Hopewell Valley Central High. Injury halted Ariana’s career and she did not play at LaSalle, but Louie is playing for Montclair, Anthony is competing for Kean and Alphonse played two years for the Bulldogs boys team.
The “baby” of the group is holding up the family tradition quite nicely. Now in her junior year, Azara leads Hopewell in goals (28), assists (8), points (36) and draw controls (21). She will give the New Jersey Athletic Conference yet another Azara, as she has already committed to The College of New Jersey, a Division III powerhouse.
Much of her talent comes from those family backyard brawls, which were, let’s say, cutthroat.
“Very, very,” Azara said with a laugh. “It was crazy. They’re boys, so they play with way different rules, they give me the gloves and the pads, they go insane. They threw me in to play the goal.
“It definitely helped me. I still play with my brother Louie. When he comes home for winter break we’ll go on the turf as much as we can. I do winter lacrosse with the team but, in my down time I try to go with my brother as much as I can.”
Azara began rec lacrosse in third grade before moving to travel with Ultimate Lacrosse. Upon arrival at HVCHS, she scored one goal in limited time as a freshman, but upped her stats to 18 goals and 12 assists as a sophomore. She also made the varsity soccer team that year and is still on the pitch, but admitted “I realized lacrosse was definitely my favorite sport compared to soccer.”
It is easy to see her zeal for lacrosse just by watching her play.
“She’s a bunch of energy,” coach Sara Wagner said. “It’s all positive and constructive. She isn’t afraid to be herself. She’s always bubbly, yet focused, eager to do well for the team and for herself. She’s a great teammate in that respect and just a really enjoyable person.”
Azara says her energy comes from taking sports seriously.
“I just like to win,” she said. “Obviously losing is part of the game, it’s something that happens to everyone. But when you’re on that field you’re like ‘I want to win and I want to work hard for my team and I want my teammates to work hard for me.’ So I try to bring as much energy as possible. Sometimes we have a difficult game so I try to bring the energy higher and try to think of the positives that are in regards to the game.”
Azara is a positive in most games. She had a 10-point showing with eight goals and two assists in a win over Lawrence along with two five-goal performances.
“When she has the ball good things happen,” Wagner said. “She’s fast, she’s quick, she’s determined.”
And she knew that when 70-goal scorer Anderson Capucci graduated along with 20-plus goal scorers Maura Graham and Maya Joyce, that she would be counted on to step up. But her contributions had to be more than just offensively, which is why Azara will go from attack to midfield when necessary.
“The difference I see from last year to this year is she’s embraced the role of being a key attacker,” Wagner said. “But as the season goes on she’s also recognized that she’s more important to the team than just goals and assists. She cuts, she defends, she communicates on the field. She sets high standards for herself. So she’s doing more than being the go-to girl on attack.”
Azara has mostly been a scorer throughout her career, but has no problem dropping back. She realizes that stopping a goal from being scored is as important as scoring one.
“Defense is probably not my strongest suit, but the defense we have on this team is very strong, it’s probably the strongest part of the field,” Azara said. “Playing midfield is challenging because it takes a lot of running up and down the field. I like to get a stop and get a play on the girl as much as I can and work with the defense as much as I can.”
Wagner is impressed by the fact that Azara never complains or insists that she should always be up front. The player knows her skills are sometimes needed elsewhere.
“She understands the game,” the coach said. “She’s fast, quick and gets to the ball. To give the midfielders a breather she goes there and then finds herself staying there. She’s so good at it. She defends great, and I think that’s a skill she’s also sort of embraced this season, knowing we were gonna ask that of her. Whatever defensive formation we’ve played she embraces. She can re-defend in the midfield. If we lose the ball on attack she’s the first one to try and get it back.”
All the while, Azara is finding different ways to score, whether it’s a long shot from the outside or a drive to goal.
“She has a really hard shot and she’s not afraid to let it go,” Wagner said. “Sometimes it’s wide, sometimes it’s high because she’s just letting it go. We’re working on having her get her body in a better position so she can utilize that hard shot a little more. She’s got a spot she likes to hit, so we said ‘OK Gianna we’re gonna try a different spot because goalies are gonna catch on.’
Azara agreed with her coach and said “I usually shot it to the upper left. I’m definitely working on my low shot and about 50 percent of my shots go in different directions now.”
And while she can score from a distance, her drive is what makes Azara such a dangerous weapon. Wagner called driving “her thing,” and has tweaked the lineup in order to take defensive pressure off of her. She has quick dodging moves, and the coaches are working on her left hand so she can shoot from both sides.
“I think that comes from just doing it a million times,” Azara said. “Sometimes when I’m driving I get stuck. But my teammates understand they need to cut through. Defenses are gonna slide and the defenses we’re playing are very strong. Quick ball movement on attack to get the lanes open and set up the drive is definitely important.”
In Azara’s world, giving back is just as important. She is a member of the high school’s SNAC Club — Student Movement Against Cancer — which raises money to help families in Hopewell fighting cancer. She is also part of Turn Two, a lacrosse team-run organization that raises money to get sports equipment for people in need. She also gives people their food as a waitress at Orlando’s Cafe in Hopewell.
Between her lacrosse talent, her generosity and her grades, Azara was a perfect candidate for TCNJ. Hopewell resident Sharon Pfluger runs a national powerhouse that consistently competes for the NCAA Division III championship and Azara impressed with her skills at the Lions Prospect Day.
And yet, lacrosse is not what initially attracted her.
“They’re a very good teaching school, and I want to major in Elementary School Education,” she said. “It’s close to home. It makes it easier to see my family. I didn’t even (initially) think of TCNJ lacrosse. I looked at the school (overall) and then I thought I could also get on the team so I worked for it. I talked to the coaches and I ended up committing.”
So yet another NJAC team gets an Azara. It’s not surprising, since it was seemingly Gianna’s destiny from the day she was born.
Hopewell Valley junior lacrosse player Gianna Azara takes a shot at home against Phillipsburg on April 10, 2024. HoVal lost, 16-6. (Photo by Nate Berman.),
