By Scott Mammoser
Chelsey Frail, a senior who plays attacker on the Buffalo State College lacrosse team, became the Bengals’ all-time leading goal scorer April 2 in a 14-13 win at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
Frail scored her 82nd career goal, passing Kathleen Plis, who played from 1999 to 2002. Frail, who previously held the all-time assists and points records, came into 2006 with 74 goals, seven shy of the record.
“I honestly didn’t know I was anywhere near it,” Frail said of the record. “I never look at stats. We win as a team, we lose as a team, so I go by that. Depending on how the team’s doing, is how I feel.”
Other records held by Frail:
- single-season assists record (14) set her freshman year in 2003.
- most goals in a season (39 in 2004).
- most points in a season (48 in 2004).
- most shots in a season (99 in 2004).
- career assists (28 entering 2006)- 15 more than two players tied for second.
- career points (102 entering 2006)- 10 more than Plis.
The program came to BSC in 1994.
Her secret weapon
Frail’s secret weapon is a moved she calls “The Worm.”
“I’m not that fast, so I had to do something to throw my defense off,” Frail said. “I don’t move my feet, I move my upper body and they completely fall for it every time. It’s the funniest thing, it’s my role.”
Frail, who coined the name during her freshman year at BSC, believes she is so flexible because she took dance when she was younger.
Frail said her major weaknesses are her shot placement and thinking too much, which stresses her out.
“If I don’t think,” Frail said, “I just score.”
Frail used the example of a game her sophomore season at Fredonia in 2004. Ill with food poisoning, she scored six goals. Frail said she was able to do this because she had other things on her mind.
“She comes up clutch in big situations and really works hard,” said BSC Coach MegStevens. “She’s just a pure goal scorer. She can put the ball in the net when she wants to. As a senior, you’re looking to get better and better every year, and she’s definitely hit it.”
Frail has certainly been impressive, even though she had a late start playing the sport.
Growing up in East Rochester
Frail began playing lacrosse as a freshman at East Rochester High School. She said it was a late start for her because she loved field hockey and, as a seventh- and eighth- grader, the two sports both went on during the same time. But in high school field hockey was offered in the fall and lacrosse in the spring. She also played basketball in the winter.
Since there were only 83 students in Frail’s graduating class, it allowed for plenty of individual attention.
Frail’s mother, Kathryn Russell, credits the high school coaching staff for taking lots of time to work with each player individually.
“I’m so glad she went to that school,” Russell said. “I’m sure Chelsey’s the kind of kid who wouldn’t have played if she hasn’t gone to a larger school.”
Although not recruited, Frail was already planning on coming to BSC. In August 2002, Stevens, in her first year as coach, asked her if she wanted to play.
Now, four years later, her record-setting career is winding down.
Frail’s future
When she hangs up her spikes, Frail is hoping for a career in broadcasting.
“I love television,” she said. “I will be in television. I want to be behind the scenes, not in front of the camera. I want to move to New York City or L.A., some big city, get my name out there, starve to death and work my way up.”
Frail is expecting to graduate May 6, but she hopes to miss the ceremony because it’s the same date as the State University of New York Athletic Conference Final Four. She said she’ll miss her teammates and memories such as staying in hotels on road trips with them.
“I’m so close to my lacrosse players than any other friends,” Frail said. “You’re with these people 24/7. I couldn’t do cross country or something that was alone, I need team bonding.”
As of April 13, the team sits at 5-5 (1-1 SUNYAC) and is tied for third with five conference games remaining.
Frail’s best season was 2004, when the team went 10-4.
Chelsey Frail’s career statistics
Year Goals Assists Points Shots Games
2003 23 14 37 70 14
2004 39 9 48 99 14
2005 12 5 17 38 13
2006* 12 3 15 28 10
*through April 13.
Contact Scott Mammoser: Scotty8882@cs.com.
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