Slattery earned a national ranking. Last year, MaxPreps put her on its 2020 watch list, which includes the top 150 players in the country. She will attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on a field hockey scholarship.
Photo by Steve Buchanan Photography
“She is the most dedicated player I have coached in 15 years on the high school level,” Severna Park Field Hockey Coach Shannon Garden says. “It seems like field hockey is all she does. Any day, you can find her up at school taking shots by herself. She is always asking her teammates to practice with her.”
TOWNE ATHLETE
Lila Slattery Severna Park High School Field Hockey
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By Tom Worgo
ield hockey consumes Severna Park High School senior Lila Slattery. Slattery stays involved with the sport all year long, whether it’s playing, coaching, or refereeing. She always seems to have a stick in her hand.
“Field hockey comes first,” Slattery explains. “A friend may ask me to hang out [but] I often say I have a field hockey practice or a game.”
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Working on her skills is critical to the 5-foot-4-inch Slattery, but she also enjoys coaching and refereeing. “I love coaching a lot because I am usually teaching third graders,” Slattery says. “They are just picking it up and it gives them a good foundation.” Still, Slattery’s main focus remains on the field and preparing to play at the next level. She understands it will be much tougher than high school and club.
“She is the most dedicated player I have coached in 15 years on the high school level. It seems like field hockey is all she does. Any day, you can find her up at school taking shots by herself. She is always asking her teammates to practice with her.” (15 goals, 9 assists) and junior (14, 8). She’s a very aggressive player. “Most of the time, it’s just being gritty and scrappy and staying with it,” Slattery says of the key to her scoring goals. “You have to get after the rebounds and stay with it.” Slattery has received plenty of accolades. She’s been chosen as first-team All-County twice and the Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland named her a first-team All-State selection in 2018.
“When I get to Northwestern, [it’ll be] such a high level of play,” Slattery says. “I don’t want to be playing catch up. I want to go there and already have all the skills I need to have. So, I am doing extra practicing. I just feel like I can always get better.”
“Her IQ of the game is incredible for a player her age in high school,” Garden says. “She can see plays unfolding even before they happen.”
Slattery started on the Severna Park varsity for the past three years, and she’s arguably the Falcons’ best player. She led the team in scoring as both a sophomore
“She is my go-to player on the field,” Garden says. “I rely on her feedback very much. When we have time outs, I will pull her aside and ask her what she thinks
Slattery, a team co-captain, is like an assistant coach on the field at times.