Meaghan Allard, or “Mallard,” is a student at Souhegan High School, who has committed to play Division I lacrosse for Central Connecticut State University on a full athletic scholarship. I was recently able to sit down with her and ask her about how she got to where she is today and about the steps she took in pursuing her dream of playing her favorite sport at the college level.

How many years have you played lacrosse?

I have played lacrosse for seven years.

What is it about lacrosse that makes it your favorite sport?

I like that my teammates and I can work together to do something we all love, and we all bond together as sisters throughout each season.

Tell me about your high school lacrosse career so far.

So far, my lacrosse career at Souhegan has been amazing. I came into Souhegan my freshman year, new to the town and school district, and my team really helped me find my place here. My senior teammates during my freshman season were really intimidating at first because they were all so good, but they pushed me to be better and because of that, I grew up a lot that year. Last year, the seniors had a much different impact on the team. They were easier to talk to because I had already played with them before, and they knew how to lift me up whenever I was feeling down.

Did you always know you wanted to play lacrosse in college?

I didn’t always know I wanted to play lacrosse in college. I started playing when I was in 5th grade because I thought it would be fun. In 7th grade, our goalie broke her toe so I stepped up to be the goalie. From then on, that has been my position. It wasn’t until the summer before 8th grade that I realized people even played lacrosse in college.

What was your process of reaching out to colleges and expressing your interest in playing lacrosse for them?

As a goalie, the recruitment process is much different than the recruitment process of a field player. You can’t be as picky with goalies as you can with field players, because college coaches are looking to roster typically eight goalies each year. I had to email about thirty colleges and let them know my schedule for tournaments and hope that some would come and watch me play. The coaches weren’t allowed to email me or contact me until September 1st of my junior year. However, if they want, they can email either my school coach or my club coach.

How did you find out about Central Connecticut State University?

I found out about CCSU by narrowing my list of schools, and also because they contacted my high school coach, Maren Petropoulos, around the beginning of July. I talked with the CCSU coach over the phone and I loved how enthusiastic she was about the program.

When did CCSU offer you your scholarship?

They gave me my official offer on October 12, 2015.

How did you feel when you had received that offer?

When they offered me an athletic scholarship, I was so excited at the opportunity to continue my lacrosse career for four more years. There were so many emotions going through my head. I had doubts that it wouldn’t be the right school or that I wasn’t going to be good enough for their team, but I was able to push all of those feelings aside when I started to tell my friends about it and they encouraged me and assured me that accepting the offer was the right choice.

What is it that you liked about CCSU?

I liked CCSU because the campus is small and you can’t drive through it. Most of the students are commuter students so when the weekends roll around, most of the students on campus are athletes. I loved the team atmosphere and the way that the teams roomed together in dorms and sat together at meals.

What are you looking forward to the most about playing lacrosse at CCSU and at the D1 level?

I look forward to being able to make myself better and being challenged at a higher level of play. I look forward to improving my game and making friends who are just as passionate about lacrosse as I am.

Is there any certain person you’ve looked up to during your lacrosse career and guided you to where you are now?

I have looked up to so many people throughout my lacrosse career. Maren Petropoulos has pushed me to  better myself every single day, and she is always there for me during school or sports. Chris Jay is one of the coaches for my Souhegan team and he has taught me many techniques that have helped me improve and make better saves.