Women's U20 Field

Player Profile: Shonly Wallace - A Puppy Love Start to Lacrosse

Picture Shonly Wallace at eight years old, using her dad's lacrosse stick to play fetch with the new family puppy. Within a week, Shonly and her younger brothers, Davey and Sam, were signed up to play lacrosse. In their first box lacrosse game, the three siblings got to play on the same U8 team.

Ten years later and Shonly is an 18-year-old player on the Canadian Women's U19 Field Lacrosse Team.

"My experience with Team Canada so far has been amazing. I have had a blast! The entire coaching staff is so knowledgeable and they are great teachers of the game. I have learned lots playing under them and been encouraged. Everyone who is a part of this team are wonderful individuals," expressed Shonly.

"Making this team is the greatest honour I have received. To represent every Canadian citizen on the lacrosse field to the rest of World is incredible and very humbling. It has been a dream of mine since Canada won in 2015 and following along with their success. Every day I have trained since then, has had Team Canada Lacrosse at the forefront of my mind."

Shonly, who plays attack, was an assistant or a captain of her box lacrosse teams from 2013-2017. She was also a member of the Mission Secondary Boys Field Varsity Team from 2016-2018. Shonly has a long list of lacrosse accomplishments, including playing for Team North at the 2018 Under Armour All-American—where she scored two goals and was the only Canadian to play in 2018 game.

"Lacrosse is like no other sport in that you fully control and poses the ball in your stick. The possibilities are endless and there is no limit on creativity. It requires a high level of physical fitness, team strategy as well as individual skill sets. It is the greatest sport in the world," said Shonly.

In a few days you can spot Shonly on the lacrosse field wearing number 22, her lucky number.

"Twenty-two is a very special number to me. All throughout my career I was always handed the number two, usually because it was the smallest jersey. One season, a teammate of mine who was older got the number two so I decided to go with 22," Shonly explained. "That was my breakthrough season and where I really decided I wanted to play at the next level and I've been 22 ever since. I was number 22 my freshman year at Stony Brook."

This fall, Shonly will enter her second year at Stony Brook University, where she is studying business. Before that, she has an exciting August with the World Championship to get through.

"I have had so much fun playing with the best players in the world," Shonly said about her teammates. "We all speak the same lax language and felt immediately the chemistry and comradery being formed. All my teammates are great people and we get along really well. Our team bond off the field is crucial in order to be successful and it's nice to have that naturally. The way we are off the field is really going to help us do well at the World Cup."

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association     

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA's mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, NormaTec Recovery Systems, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, RockTape, OPRO and Baron Rings - as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:
 

Victoria Klassen

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302

Email: victoria@lacrosse.ca