At 5 feet 4, Amber Falcone doesn't look all that imposing for a lacrosse defender - until you watch what the North Carolina senior can do to an opponent.
"I always say she's 5-foot-4 playing like 6-foot-4. She is really tough," said Courtney Vaughn, her high school coach at Winters Mill.
Other than height, Falcone is blessed with every asset to be a top defensive player in NCAA Division I women's lacrosse. She's physically strong and has great speed, superb instincts and no off switch. She's also left handed, a bonus against right-handed attackers.
"As a low defender, she's the whole package," said Maryland assistant coach Quinn Carney, who played with Falcone on the national team last summer at the Prague Cup, a tuneup for next month's World Cup.
"She's not just technically good. She's poised. She doesn't lose her composure and go for crazy checks. She bodies up. I'd go so far as to say she's one of - if not the best defender in the country."
One of five Tewaaraton Trophy finalists, she is almost certain to become North Carolina's first four-time All-American.
This weekend, Falcone will play in her first final four, leading the third-seeded Tar Heels against No. 2 Maryland in Friday night's semifinal at Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University. Then she will start her summer at the Federation of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup in Prague, June 17-27.
Often overlooked as a high school player because Winters Mill had just opened and many of her teammates had little if any lacrosse experience, Falcone blossomed immediately in Chapel Hill.
Tar Heels coach Jenny Levy spotted her at a summer lacrosse tournament and was impressed by her physical game as well as her many intangibles.
"I think what separates Amber from everybody else is her mentality. She's fearless," Levy said. "You always know what you're going to get from her as far as effort and energy and her focus. There's nobody that scares her, and I really like that."
Falcone, 22, has shown that fearlessness throughout her career. She leads the Tar Heels in ground balls (50) and caused turnovers (30), but she is best known as a shutdown defender.
Originally a midfielder, she earned a starting spot on defense as a freshman when she began shutting opponents down.
"We kept giving her top matchups and she kept taking care of them," Levy said. "Then we started thinking, 'She's got these big marks but she's rotating on and off the field as a midfielder. We can't afford to have her on and off the field, so we've got to put her on the line to keep her on the field defensively.' "
