If you look atop the NCAA DII Individual Leaderboard for Women’s Lacrosse, one name sticks out. Paige Murphy. Murphy, however, doesn’t play for a national powerhouse program, she suits up for the Emmanuel University Lions, an up-and-coming program competing in Conference Carolinas. Murphy leads all of NCAA DII in total goals (113), points (151) and goals per game (6.23). But that’s not the only interesting part of her story. Murphy is a freshman for the Lions, who started playing field lacrosse in her senior year of high school.
“I started playing box lacrosse when I was 12,” she said. “I picked up field lacrosse last year, so I’ve been transitioning from box to field which hasn’t been easy.”
The equipment, Murphy says is just one of the differences between the two.
“There’s a lot of differences,” she said. “Box is more physical. We wear full equipment, so when I was given just a pair of goggles and a mouth guard to play field, I didn’t know what was going on. The shot clock is 30 seconds compared to 90 and the field stick doesn’t have as big of a pocket. It took some time to adjust to playing field, but it’s cool to play both.”
Since she picked up field lacrosse late, the Calgary, Alberta, Canada native knew she had to do what she could in the recruiting process to catch the eye of collegiate lacrosse coaches.
“I made a highlight tape and was on sports recruiting apps,” she remembers. “Coach Brian (Little) was one of the coaches at an ID camp I did, so I got in touch with him through that and we communicated back and forth.”
After visiting Franklin Springs for a visit with her dad, Paige knew Emmanuel was the place for her. And now? She’s taking the NCAA DII Lacrosse world by storm.
What has the transition to playing collegiate lacrosse been like?
“I was nervous to play at the NCAA level,” she said. “It’s been exciting to see girls you’ve looked up to or even schools you’ve heard of, now playing against them. It’s been a great opportunity for me.”
Coming into the season, Paige was focused on helping her team in any way she could.
“I didn’t have any expectations or goals,” she said. “I was just here to help the program and do what I could see what we could do this year as a team. It’s been cool to be allowed to accomplish these things with my teammates.”
The biggest challenge for Paige has been learning the rules of the game.
“The strategies and how the game is played is different from box lacrosse,” she said. “Just trying to learn the rules has been the biggest thing.”
For her, her coach and teammates have been a great resource.
“I’m lucky to have a coach like Coach Brian, and I know if you ask any of my teammates, they’d say the same,” Paige said. “He’s understanding but also gets the job done and helps us work together toward the same goal. I respect that he takes everyone how they are. He doesn’t try to change anyone’s personality but instead respects us for who we are and our strengths and weaknesses.”
As for her teammates, Paige has leaned on the upperclassmen especially when she has questions and they’ve always been willing to help and give advice when needed.
On the field, the Lions sit at 13-5 on the season, 6-3 in conference play. They are currently ranked the #2 scoring offense in NCAA DII, averaging 18.20 goals per game. Their success this season has been a team effort, and you can sense it in the way they play together.
If Paige could give an incoming student-athlete a piece of advice it would be this.
“Live where your feet are,” she said. “Try not to worry about things that haven’t happened yet and take things a day at a time. The days are long, but the weeks are short so live in the moment.”
Paige and the Lady Lions are doing just that and if you ask us, they’re just getting started.