PressBox recently chatted with Towson men’s lacrosse senior Milana Zizakovic about developing as a lacrosse player in Canada, the biggest influences on her game growing up and more. The 5-foot-11 midfielder scored 44 goals, dished out 14 assists and picked up 17 ground balls en route to second-team All-CAA honors in 2024. Zizakovic is a native of Calgary and graduate of William Aberhart High School.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in lacrosse?
Milana Zizakovic: At first, I grew up playing a bunch of ice sports. And then a bunch of us one year decided to start playing box lacrosse. I think I was about 10 or 12 years old when that move started to happen. It wasn’t until I was 14 that I actually started playing field lacrosse with this club called ELEV8 in Calgary.
PB: How is developing as a lacrosse player in Canada different than here?
MZ: Playing lacrosse in Canada, especially in Alberta, lacrosse isn’t that big. I feel like it was hard to get a good group of people together, but we have a lot of box lacrosse teams, which I really enjoyed playing, so I feel like that’s translated really nicely to field in aspects of grit and ground balls and all those kinds of aggressive skills, I guess, has helped me definitely in the field game.
PB: What is box lacrosse?
MZ: Box lacrosse is just indoor lacrosse, so kind of what the men play with the big goalie. You’re playing inside, normally on an empty ice rink. You’re playing with men’s sticks as well, so that was something I really had to learn when I switched over to field was how to play with a women’s lacrosse stick.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
MZ: When I was growing up, it was kind of the time period where Maryland and UNC were normally in the championship game or winning the national championship, so I think watching players like Megan Whittle or Jamie Ortega play was really inspiring.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Towson?
MZ: At first I was looking to go to school wherever anyone would take me, and then I got a call from our previous coaches Michael and Sonia LaMonica. They really took a chance on me and offered me a really good chance here at Towson, so I decided to take that.
PB: Why did you choose to stick around after Sonia left for Virginia after your sophomore season?
MZ: That was a really difficult time period, deciding what to do. I feel like what kept me here was my teammates. It was a hard time with having your coaches leave, so I thought that the best decision would be to play with the people I love once again. This place has always felt like home to me. It always felt right being here, so I decided to stay.
PB: What’s your favorite memory so far at Towson?
MZ: My favorite memory is probably even just in practice playing with my teammates. I feel like the games will come and go and you’ll win some and lose some, but just being there with the people I love has definitely made me want to stay here and keep competing with these people.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Towson the town?
MZ: I really enjoy how everything in Towson is super close. It’s really easy to get around and all of my teammates live really close to me, so everything’s walking distance. When my mom comes to visit, we really like going to Pasta Mista for some food.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
MZ: I would say all of us are really, really close, but my closest friend would have to be Mia Rehkemper. We’ve lived together since sophomore year. We just decided to share a house together with some older girls and that brought us closer. It’s been good.
PB: Who was a player you looked up to when you first got to Towson?
MZ: I would say the first player that really helped me a lot was Julia Porter because she was also Canadian, so just having that familiar face and she was always so kind to me. Also obviously Blair Pearre because of just how amazing of a player and person she is. She was super fun to play with.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players going through the recruiting process, particularly Canadians?
MZ: I would just say trust the process. For me, I would go on as many visits as you can just to get a feel of the place because as soon as I came to visit Towson I just knew it was for me. It felt like home.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
MZ: My goal for after lacrosse is just to find something that I can still be competitive with and show my leadership skills as well. I really hope that I find a really good career in something that keeps me super focused and motivated.
Photo Credit: John Bowers
Issue 291: February / March 2025
Originally published Feb. 19, 2025