April 24, 2008
When the final horn sounded at St. Bonaventure's McGraw-Jennings Field this past Sunday, it marked the end of an era in La Salle lacrosse. Senior Emily Bonczek walked off the field for the final time, having secured her spot among the all-time greats to play for the Explorers.
Bonczek entered this past weekend with 197 career goals and averaged 4.21 goals per game through the first 14 contests of the season. With those numbers, it seemed a foregone conclusion that by Sunday afternoon she would become just the second player in program history to reach the 200-goal milestone. Unfortunately, goals were hard to come by for Bonczek and her Explorer teammates over the final two games, as the senior ended her career stuck on 199.
Despite falling just short of 200 goals, Bonczek will still leave a lasting mark at 20th and Olney. She ranks among the career leaders in most major offensive categories. Her 65 career games played ties her for first in program history and she trails only Jami Wilus in both career goals and career points (215).
Earlier this month, she became just the second player to reach the 200-career point plateau. She ranks sixth all-time in draw controls with 74 and tied her career-high with 61 goals this past season. Bonczek led the Explorers in goals each of her four years wearing the blue and gold.
In the Atlantic 10, she led all players in goals, goals per game and shots. She was the only player in the conference to reach the 60-goal mark. Her 4.06 points per game ranked fifth in the conference and she was named the A-10 Player of the Week for the week of March 10th.
On the national scene, Bonczek finished the season tied for second in goals per game, with 3.81. Her 61 goals tied with three other players for tops in the country.
