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Liliana DiNatale quit playing lacrosse in fourth grade because she didn’t like how the goggles felt on her head.

To fill its void, she played every sport her parents would let her, including cheerleading, gymnastics, softball and soccer. But in seventh grade, when all her friends were playing lacrosse, she put the goggles back on.

“I started playing lacrosse again and everything shifted,” Liliana said.

Now, as a junior, Liliana’s become one of East Syracuse Minoa’s best players. Last year, she totaled 45 goals and 72 draw controls, both of which led the Spartans and ranked top 15 among all players in Section 3 Class B. As a result, she’s received multiple scholarship offers to play college lacrosse, but is keeping the process private.

It was a gradual transformation, though. In middle school, Liliana mostly focused on soccer, convinced she would play in college. But her curiosity for lacrosse was unlike anything her mom, Karen DiNatale, had ever seen.

“She used to say, ‘There’s this girl on my team, and I want to be as fast as her’ or ‘I want to be as good as her.’ She was always just setting little mini goals for herself,” Karen said.

As a result, she joined 315 Elite Lacrosse in eighth grade. After being elevated to the junior varsity squad at ESM, she wanted to improve her left-hand control and shot. She fit in perfectly, 315 Elite head coach Eric Taetsch said.

“We’re looking for great athletes, and then we help transform them into great lacrosse players,” Taetsch said. “So she fit the mold with us, she had the speed and the athleticism and needed work on her skills. That’s what we’ve done over the last couple years.”

When Liliana joined 315 Elite in 2023, the club was in its third year, leading it to focus on multi-sport athletes. It was founded to give everyone a chance, according to its website. Taetsch sees how clubs traditionally take the top players, leaving lower-level players without a place to develop. Taetsch said 315 Elite was made to be that place. And Liliana benefited from that sentiment.

“(Liliana) took a break from lacrosse, focused on soccer, wanted to come back to lacrosse, and there probably wasn’t a ton of opportunity,” Taetsch said. “She found a home with us, and she’s excelled ever since.”

Liliana hasn’t given up soccer, though. She still plays at ESM, where she’s recorded 13 goals and seven assists this fall, powering the Spartans to one of the best records in their district at 7-0. She thinks her success in soccer has translated to the lacrosse field.

“It just makes me a better all-around athlete,” Liliana said. “It helps my speed and my stamina. It helps me see the game.”

Liliana isn’t pursuing a soccer scholarship anymore, even though she and Karen both joke she might play forever. She’s all in on lacrosse. However, soccer has helped her play freely despite the heavy weight of lacrosse recruiting.

This summer, when lacrosse ID camps and training wore her down, her escape to soccer became invaluable. Her mother said she’d come home from long days and not practice in the backyard, which was alarming considering she typically had a stick in her hand. Karen waited anxiously for soccer season.

“She just plays carefree,” Karen said of Liliana’s soccer career. “She’s just out here to have fun, she’s not working on a scholarship, and I think it came at the perfect time.”

Being able to fall back on one sport when another gets hard is a key part of Taetsch’s values. He even arranges 315 Elite’s practice and game schedules around fall sports, so his players don’t have to choose between them.

He admitted it was a process to catch Liliana up — there were gaps in her agility and footwork when she first arrived at 315 Elite. But Taetsch still saw flashes of determination that made Liliana the recruit she is now.

“She needed to be patient, and that was a challenge, but it motivated her to do a lot of extra stuff,” Taetsch said. “We reignited her love for lacrosse.”

A few weeks ago, after a 315 Elite practice, Taetsch told Liliana he wished he’d been her coach since she first picked up a stick. But both said Liliana’s path — with its pauses for soccer — helped mold her into the top player she’s become.

Published on November 10, 2025 at 11:27 pm
Contact Georgia: gphudson@syr.edu