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Ceci Earns All A’s As Three-Sport Lacrosse Player
Dave Ruden
08.12.2024
NEW CANAAN — Some elite female lacrosse players are two-sport athletes. Many also play soccer, with a season off in between. Some participate in hockey during the winter.
Few, however, are three-sport athletes, a practice that is becoming extinct in an age of specialization.
Then there is New Canaan’s Ceci Patterson, one of the nation’s top lacrosse goaltenders. She is rated fifth nationally in the Class of 2025 by Inside Lacrosse. Patterson is getting ready for her final season on the pitch with the Rams’ soccer team. Then she will try and help the basketball team build on one of its best seasons in program history.
One might think as a senior Patterson would prefer or feel the need to take her foot off the pedal of a demanding schedule and take a break to spend more time on her lacrosse game. But Patterson, who said she concentrated on soccer before moving here from Arizona in elementary school, would never consider making a change.
“I played everything growing up, I did gymnastics, water polo, diving, swimming,” Patterson said with a smile. “Basketball is the least amount of my time, but it’s such a fun sport and I feel like it’s like lacrosse the most. It helps build my IQ and everything. And I was really soccer focused until I moved here. Everyone plays lacrosse.”
Being multi-sport certainly did not take the edge off of Patterson’s game. Her play was a key reason the Rams went 21-1-1, winning both FCIAC and state titles. Their lone loss was to St. Anthony’s, which finished No. 1 in the country. That was also the only game the defense allowed 10 goals. The tie was against rival Darien, which New Canaan rebounded to defeat in both finals.
“Our defense this year was probably the strongest we’ve ever had,” New Canaan coach Kristin Woods said. “Ceci stepped up in multiple occasions.”
While some athletes are encouraged to focus on one sport, Woods said she loves that Patterson is a key link to the school’s overall success in female sports.
Asked if there was any area where playing three sports hurts her lacrosse development, Woods quickly interrupted: “No. NO.
“If they can play three sports and excel and be a leader and play different roles in each sport I think it makes them a better all around player,” Woods said. “They’re a true athlete if they can play three sports in high school.”
New Canaan’s girls soccer team went 9-6-3 a year ago. The girls basketball team was 16-9, becoming the sweetheart of the FCIAC Tournament by reaching the final as the No. 7 seed for the first time before losing to St. Joseph.
“We made history,” Patterson said. “It was just incredible. I love my basketball team. It’s a different group of girls, which is so fun. To have a totally different group of girls that I get to be around and learn from is great.”
One of Patterson’s teammates is her twin sister, Kallie. Her older sister, Ella, is a member of the Gettysburg lacrosse team.
Patterson said she started out playing in the field during lacrosse until the 6th grade, when she started splitting time in goal. By the 8th grade she was a full-time goaltender. Patterson soon realized she had found her proper home on the field.
“A lot of people were scared of the ball and I wasn’t intimidated by it,” Patterson said. “I definitely liked the goal more than playing the field. You have a lot of control. I like that you can quarterback the defense and just have a big play in the game and easily shift momentum. I just love the influence I have in a game.”
Asked how much she sacrificed as a lacrosse player being a three-sport athlete, Patterson said, “It’s definitely a lot in the offseason, especially with recruiting in the winter. I had to go to my basketball games while other girls were going to camps. It is hard to balance it all and try to focus, but I also think it is important not to be lacrosse year round. To have a break.”
The busy schedule certainly didn’t hurt Patterson with colleges. Highly coveted by the top programs, she decided on Notre Dame.
“I had a list going in,” Patterson said. “I wanted culture, then academics and then lacrosse. Notre Dame really stood out to me. It was an exciting process.”
While it seems like lacrosse season just ended, Patterson is gearing up for the start of her final soccer season next week. Then comes her last year playing basketball.
“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Patterson said. “These are my last seasons. I won’t be able to play any organized soccer games in the future. The same with basketball. Then it’s time to focus on lacrosse.”
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