Cornell Sophomore Attacker Supplies Offensive Fire Power

With two assists in this past weekend’s game against Colgate, sophomore attacker Lena Russomagno demonstrated her swift skills with the soccer ball. There was no doubt in the mind of head coach Danielle LaRoche when she named Russomagno one of three captains to lead the Red in 2008.
“There’s times when she does stuff with the ball or does stuff with shooting or finishing, I don’t know how she does it,” LaRoche said. “I can’t explain it. I can’t coach it. I can’t teach it. I wish I can.”
During her first year at Cornell, Russomagno played in every game and started in 12 of those matchups. Throughout the season, she accumulated 14 points off of six goals and two assists, making her the Red’s leading scorer.
“She is somebody that will put the game on her shoulders and make stuff happen,” LaRoche said. “She is just a well-rounded student-athlete who works really hard every single practice, holds her teammates accountable and speaks her mind, and we absolutely love having her.”
Besides playing for her high school, Russomagno played for a club team. With the Spirit United Gaels, she competed against some of the nation’s top competitors.
“[This summer] I went back and played with my club team,” Russomagno said. “I played for one last year, which was really fun to all get back together with everyone.”
Russomagno’s two goals of the season came in the opening matchup against Oakland at the Puma/St. Bonaventure Invitational, where she was selected to the all-tournament team, along with her freshman teammate Brook Chang.
The strong start has maintained Russomagno’s position has maintained as the Red’s points-leader, with six.
“I wish I could take credit for recruiting her,” LaRoche said, “but she was recruited before I got here. She is someone we need on the field every game.”