Sept. 19, 2005

By Matt DaSilva, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

 

When speculation arose four years ago that Sue Stahl was leaving her perch atop the U.S. Women's National Teams Program, she squashed it, thinking someone with a "thick skin" needed to be in place "to take the heat."

 

Stahl took heat, alright - having her selection process downright scrutinized in the aftermath of the United States' first IFWLA World Cup championship loss in nearly two decades. Now, as the U.S. continues to figure out what went wrong this summer and what needs fixing, it will have to do so without Stahl.

 

In an uncharacteristically emotional display Saturday, Stahl announced that she is not reapplying for the position she's held for 17 years. She's leaving for real now, and taking her thick skin with her.

 

"I think that maybe some of these players may have played their last game for the U.S. They have certainly left quite a legacy," Stahl said during ceremonies at a national teams banquet Saturday night at the Wyndam Hotel in downtown Baltimore. "I thank them for their outstanding contribution to the U.S. program - for me too, because I too have coached my last U.S. game."

 

Australia snapped the United States' string of four consecutive World Cup titles with a 14-7 victory in a final which drew 6,820 to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. No host team, including the U.S., has ever won a World Cup.

 

"I had the best seat in the house," Stahl said. "That's all I know."

 

Stahl came on with the U.S. program in 1988 after seeing the U.S. lose to Australia - also on U.S. soil in Swarthmore, Pa. - in the 1986 World Cup. She was a spectator.

 

"I bet I could coach that team," she figured.

 

Stahl led the United States to a 28-3-1 mark over five World Cups, including four gold medals, putting an unprecedented stamp on international lacrosse. She was featured on the cover of Lacrosse magazine last January titled "A Coach For Life." Next season will be her 16th as head coach of NCAA Division I mainstay Old Dominion, where she has produced 108 wins and six All-Americans.

 

Prior to that, she was an assistant coach during the Temple dynasty of the 1980s.

 

"We are witnessing the end of an era," said Pat Dillon, chair of the US Lacrosse Board of Directors and a longtime college official.

 

"Something you learn early on if you're going to play for Sue Stahl is that the name on the front of the jersey is far more important than the name on the back," said U.S. goalie Jess Wilk, a four-time World Cup team member. "You learn that early. You learn to respect the game, play for your country, play for your teammates and do it with class."

 

Stahl faced criticism particularly for the selection process of the '05 team, which had eight players over the age of 30 and was humbled by the younger, faster Australians. She stood by her selections even Saturday, half-kidding in her remarks: "If I hear one more person tell me how old this team is, they're gonna wear it, `cause I'm no longer U.S. coach."

 

After an applause, Stahl admitted that "there's nothing worse in athletics to be good, and then when you have your last final test, it just isn't there." But citing a desire to spend more time at home with her two grandchildren, she figured the '05 loss would not mar an otherwise stellar international career.

 

"I'll spend a little time with those little shakers," she said. "I've got to teach them how to behave right and all that."

 

So said the coach for life.