Freshman Midfielder Sydney Nissen (‘28) has quickly made her mark this season, earning a spot on the Amador Valley Highschools varsity girls Lacrosse team and becoming an essential member to the team.
Beginnings
Her interest in lacrosse began at a very young age, influenced by watching and learning from her older sister.
“My interest in lacrosse started when I was little because my cousins and my sister both played. My aunt got me and my sister to play when I was in kindergarten, and my sister was in third grade. Playing with her kind of pushed me to play more, and it became my main sport,” said Nissen.
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Nissen not only plays for Amador but also competes on a club team, which has helped prepare her for this high school season.
Upon entering Highschool, Nissen has promptly become a valuable member playing midfielder on the team, and emerging as one of the top goal scorers. She credits some of her success to her sister.
“I think my sister contributed to [my scoring] success, because she pushed me harder, and she taught me to be more offensive, because growing up, I played as a more defensive player, but she trained me to try to play both ways, because I have the endurance for that, and she made me a better shoot in that way,” said Nissen.
Challenges
Despite her current success, Nissen’s journey to a starting role required persistence.She had to put in the work in order to prove herself to her coach and teammates.
“The most challenging part was [of joining the team was] fighting for a starting position. During the start of the season I was on myself a lot and because I am shorter on lacrosse, you get hit a lot, and I just had to learn to be more aggressive and build into that,” said Nissen.
In addition to the pressures of school athletics; Nissen plays alongside her sister and is coached by her father.
“I would say it’s a good balance. With my dad being the coach, it definitely pushes me more than a normal coach would because he knows my limits. I would also say, sometimes I butt heads with him, but I like how he’s a competitive coach, and he’s very straight to the point,” said Nissen.
Teammates
Even though she is the youngest on the lacrosse team, her uplifting attitude and positive impact make her loved on the team.
“I think she’s definitely a great lacrosse player. She has a great lacrosse shot, and she’s really fast on the field too. She’s just overall, a great player and even though she’s a freshman, she’s close with all of us. She’s not afraid to be herself on the team, which I think is really great,” said Maddy Zuanich (‘27), lacrosse teammate.
