Scoring her 200th career goal took a little longer than James I. O’Neill’s Bella Alberici expected, which made reaching the impressive milestone this week even more rewarding.
Alberici, a senior attack, reached 100 career goals as a freshman. However, the road to 200 was delayed after she missed most of last season with a knee injury.
“I have been waiting a long time, but it was exciting to hit 200 goals and reach the milestone with a great group of girls,” Alberici, a senior, said. “After being injured last year, I had a little bit of a mental block to start this season. But I’m at full strength now and having a lot of fun on the field.”
Alberici, who will play at the United States Military Academy at West Point next year, now has a school-record 206 career goals, including 26 this season. She is a two-time Section 9 Class C and D girls’ lacrosse Player of the Year. Alberici is the daughter of successful Army men’s lacrosse coach Joe Alberici, who has coached the Black Knights for 20 years.
Army spent two weeks last year as the top-ranked Division I team in the country and is ranked fourth this spring with a 12-1 record. Bella Alberici is grateful for the continued support that her dad and mother, Petra, have provided her during her career.
“My mom is my biggest supporter and drives me all over for practices and games,” Alberici said. “With my dad being the West Point coach, it was an interesting situation. But he was very respectful of my college decision process and only answered my questions about West Point. I think West Point is the best opportunity for me, and my entire family is super excited.”