By Brandon Gould '13

Analysts today have become infatuated with numbers to prove who is and isn't making an impact on the field, but sometimes it's the things you can't record with a computer or a pen -- the intangibles -- that matter the most.

Junior defender Camille Passucci (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) has led the College's No. 4-ranked field hockey team (17-2) for the majority of the season from a statistical standpoint, but her most meaningful contribution has been much more than a goal here or an assist there.

“She is a team player and we couldn't ask for a better leader, especially in the center of the field,” said senior goalkeeper Shannon Syciarz (Garwood, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson). “She really controls the game out there.”
Sure, Passucci has had moments where she made all those that were watching aware of her abilities. Only a novice could have ignored her dominance in wins over Gwynedd-Mercy College (two goals and two assists), Cabrini College (two goals and one assists) and Manhattanville College (three goals).

However, it's been her abilities that can't be recorded by a number – leadership, stick-handling, and defense – that have really separated Passucci this season.

“She is explosive, she's dynamic, she has great stick work, she is multifaceted and she can do anything on the field for us,” said head coach Sharon Pfluger.

Passucci has looked at ease this season directing the Lions from one side of the field to the other, but the journey to get there hasn't been effortless.

Coming into the season, the Lions were hoping to feature one of the most fearsome offensive duos in the country with senior midfielder/forward Leigh Mitchell (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) and junior midfielder/Kathleen Notos (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) – who both excelled defensively last season as well -- but injuries quickly derailed that expectation.

A large gap was left and the Lions needed someone to step up and fill the void in Mitchell and Notos' absence.

Enter Camille Passucci.

The potential has been there ever since Passucci came to the Lions from Morris Knolls High School, but after years of hard work, it finally came to the forefront.

During the preseason, coaches and teammates could see that Passucci was becoming a leader and raved about what she could be capable of when the 2011 season started, and she wasted little time proving them right.
In the first contest of the season, a 3-1 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology, Pfluger moved Passucci up on the field to put her right in the thick of things, directing her fellow Lions on both offense and defense through constant communication.

Passucci also embraced the role of handling the penalty corner duties. The result was a veteran approach to each opportunity, two of which ended with goals scored by freshmen Erin Waller (Sewell, NJ/Washington Twp.) and Erin Healy (Spring Lake Heights, NJ/Manasquan). 

“(Camille) was a steady back player when she first came to us,” Pfluger said. “But, she's worked so hard and she's put so much into it. She is such a strong player and she has really thrived in this program.”

Overall this season, Passucci has a team-leading 15 goals on top of six assists and one defensive save.
“I think Camille is one of the fiercest competitors,” Mitchell said. “I think when she is on the field, she is just an animal. If she's in front of the cage, she's going to get the ball in, no matter what it takes.”

The only knock on Passucci's game is that only one of her goals has come in games against top-20 competition.
Take a quick look at the stats and a thought comes to mind, questioning whether or not she delivers in the biggest games of the season. Numbers would say that she doesn't, but Pfluger begs to differ.

“She covers so much of the field, she has defensive and offensive responsibilities and her ball handling has gone from one level to the next in one year,” Pfluger said. “I think she has to cover so much ground that she's not able to get up there to get through and pop a goal, but she might be the one feeding or creating. Maybe … she's the catalyst in the midfield that creates the play.”

Even though Mitchell and Notos have returned to the field in recent weeks, Pfluger sees the junior defender as the player who must continue to be the “glue” of the team moving forward. Whether the team needs her to help score a goal, stop an offensive surge, or handle a penalty corner, her role is integral to the success of the team.

“She's capable of handling that responsibility,” Pfluger said. “She's a great player and I think she can get even better, I really do. I think she will continue to thrive and she has even more growing to do, but right now she's outstanding.”