On Saturday, Syracuse women’s lacrosse player Leigh-Ann Zimmer may have the game of her life. But she’ll never read about it.

She doesn’t want to. She’ll never want to. And she never will.

Zimmer’s not illiterate, she’s just the type that doesn’t need the publicity. The preseason Big East Player of the Year comes from that rare mold of athletes that don’t care what newspapers or television media say. She’s quiet and unassuming — and that’s fine with her.

This weekend, Zimmer hopes her actions speak louder than her words as No. 8 Syracuse plays Rutgers at 4 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

‘I know how I play,’ Zimmer said. ‘I take it from what (head coach) Lisa (Miller) tells me. I don’t really like to see what other people have to say, and that’s good enough for me.’

So far this season, Zimmer has been receiving a lot of praise from her coach and the Big East Conference. She leads the conference in scoring for Syracuse (7-2, 4-1 Big East) with 33 points. Zimmer’s also a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy, which is awarded to the best player in women’s lacrosse.

In Wednesday’s 9-6 win over Notre Dame, Zimmer recorded four goals, an effort she modestly deemed a ‘decent game.’ Her first goal Wednesday was her 100th as an Orangewoman. Four times this year she has scored four goals in a game.

Zimmer will have to carry her normal load of the offensive duties Saturday against Rutgers (6-2, 0-1 Big East). The Scarlet Knights play a slow-down offense. In their 9-8 win over Pennsylvania on Tuesday, they attempted 17 shots. By comparison, Syracuse took 16 shots in the first half in its win over Notre Dame.

Rutgers’ offense moves with the speed of rush-hour traffic. But with no shot clock in women’s lacrosse, it’s perfectly legal, and it’s why the Knights are so successful. Last year, Rutgers beat SU, 10-9.

‘They slowed the ball down,’ Miller said. ‘That’s a game that is tough because you get bored and impatient.’

Rutgers lost to No. 6 Georgetown, 6-5, on Saturday. The reason it stayed close to the more skilled Hoyas was the Knights’ slow-down offense, which hardly let Georgetown hold possession. Meanwhile, Syracuse lost to Georgetown, 13-3, in a fast-paced shootout March 15.

The Knights are led by goalie Lyndsey Feldman, who was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week for her nine saves against Georgetown. For Feldman to duplicate that success, she would have to shut down Syracuse’s big three threats — sophomore Monica Joines, senior Kim Wayne and Zimmer.

Regardless of whether she reads it or not, Zimmer deserves praise. With 103 career goals so far — as a junior, no less — she will almost certainly break the SU school record of 127 set by Katrina Hable.

‘I don’t need a lot of publicity,’ Zimmer said. ‘I don’t need to be in the newspaper. I’m fine whether I’m in it or not.’

Published on April 3, 2003 at 12:00 pm