By Tori Wittenbrock
Sports Reporter
GREEN BAY- Eighteen year old lacrosse player, Elli Coisman, has been quickly rising through the ranks in her athletic career the past three years, and is now preparing herself to take her skills and work ethic to the next level.
After just four years of playing lacrosse, Coisman has created a name for herself in becoming one of the best goalies in the state, and is committed to play Division III lacrosse in college at UW-Eau Claire.
“I first heard about lacrosse my 8th grade year. All I knew was that I wanted to try something new in high school and wanted to make some friends! I did find out that lacrosse is almost all running, and me particularly, I am not a big runner so I knew from the start that I wanted to play goalie. There was no doubt, and to be honest, I didn’t care that I was gonna get balls hurdled at me in a high intensity setting. It gave me adrenaline every time I thought about it,” said Coisman of her start with the sport.
Aside from her innate talent and dedication to her craft, Coisman said that it is not always easy to stay motivated, and that playing at this level requires a great deal of discipline.
“I have to hold myself accountable to get better, whether that’s watching film, and going over what I need to work on in and out of practices/games. As a captain, I’m responsible for the team and how they act at games and at practice. Taking a role as one of the captains is a big honor and a big role, but it brings out the leadership in everyone.”
Although lacrosse has not always been easy for her, Coisman said that she has a lot of passion for what she does.
“As a sport, I love the team work. Everyone has to communicate and do what they know how to do. It’s truly amazing watching a team with great chemistry play, it’s like they are all one,” said Coisman.
“Personally, in my position, I have to be able to lead my defense and keep them in high spirits. I’ve always been told I have an infectious personality and that’s what made me best for the goalie position. I keep my defense light and make sure they are always having fun. Because, why play a sport that you hate?”
It took a lot of work for Coisman to get where she is today, but some serendipity and a good outlook got her an opportunity in goal pretty early on in her lacrosse career, and Coisman said she was taken from that first game.
Learning curve
“My first year I played it was covid year. My first ever game I played, I had only practiced a few times and the starting varsity goalie had been quarantined the day of the first game of the season,” said Coisman.
“When I found out, I was freaking out in school not knowing what I was doing, but the end of that game changed my life. It made me realize my love for the game and that that was what I wanted to do. We may have lost 21-0, but I had fun, and my team had fun.”
“The shocking part too was that it was just all kinda natural instinct for me in goal. Yes, there were techniques I had to get down and the little stuff that I just hadn’t learned yet. But that first game, I had 16 saves out of 37 shots on goal. Straight out of the gate I had a 43% save percentage and that wasn’t really normal.”
Coisman has dedicated a lot of her time and energy into her sport, but said that she would never be where she is today without the support system that each of her coaches has given her over the years.
“Over my short 4 years of playing, I have played for 2 different club teams, my school team and I worked with a goalie coach down in Appleton. Every single coach that I have ever worked with has had some kind of impact on my life in and outside of lacrosse,” said Coisman.
“The coaches that impacted my experience the most would be my school coaches, John Uhl and John Zawlocki. They have given me so much insight and have always had faith in me through the years. They have truly helped me become who I am as an athlete.”
Breakthrough year
Only four years of her life have been dedicated to lacrosse, yet, her athletic career began long before that. Coisman is an experienced athlete and said that she has been able to use her skills and knowledge from other sports to become a well-rounded player.
“In the past I’ve played almost every sport in the book. I have a history of playing something for a few years and then feeling like I needed to change it, so I switched sports. I knew right away that lacrosse was the forever sport for me when I played my very first (and unexpected) varsity game. The atmosphere was adrenaline filled and I never wanted to come off that field.”
Coisman has seen consistent progress throughout her time playing lacrosse, but 2023 has been her biggest season yet.
In her previous three seasons, Coisman has won First Team All Conference Goalie. This season she won First Team All State in lacrosse, a huge accomplishment for a player who is relatively new to the sport.
“It was honestly a shock to me. I played my whole senior season with a broken thumb, and then ended up having to get surgery right before playoffs. The whole season it felt like I wasn’t living up to my full potential. Then I got the news and it was just such an incredible feeling. Receiving that honor meant to me that even though I had struggles going on, others still recognized the work and attitude that I put into the sport and my team, and that was an amazing feeling to be recognized.”
In addition to her accomplishments this season, Coisman was named Conference Player of the Year her sophomore year and All State Honorable Mention her junior year.
Excited for the future
Coisman said she has been working nonstop to maintain her level of fitness and skill to be able to perform at her best.
“I had practice every weekday throughout my season. As a team, we did cardio days every week, and those had definitely ended up being a big component in our winning season!”
Coisman said she is looking forward to her collegiate career and seeing where her future takes her.
“Currently I am undecided for my major, and I’m in between a lot of career options. Overall, I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my life and playing lacrosse at UW-Eau Claire. I’ll always be thankful for my team and coaches here at De Pere.”