Towson women’s lacrosse sophomore Milana Zizakovic recently chatted with PressBox about working to get recruited out of Calgary, her advice for younger players in Canada and more. The 5-foot-11 midfielder posted 21 goals, 8 assists and 53 draw controls for the Tigers in 2022 en route to CAA All-Rookie team honors. Zizakovic is a native of Calgary and graduate of William Aberhart High School.
PressBox: How did you become interested in lacrosse?
Milana Zizakovic: At first, I didn’t play lacrosse until I think I was Grade 9. And then I started becoming interested because all of my other friends started playing, and I saw that there was an opportunity to play in the States. That’s what kind of got me into it.
PB: Did you play hockey before that? If so, how are the sports similar?
MZ: I played hockey from the age of 4 until I was 16, and then I transitioned to lacrosse. I played center. … I would say they’re similar in the way that it can be very fast-paced and in transition having to think on the fly.
PB: Who were the influences on your lacrosse game growing up?
MZ: I used to watch Taylor Cummings in lacrosse and how great she was at Maryland, and that definitely inspired me. Another player at Maryland was Megan Whittle, so those players really inspired me to try to be as good as they were. … I had Kevin Morey as one of my box lacrosse coaches and Russ Peiche. They really inspired me and gave me the tools at a very young age, saying that I had the ability and the athletic ability to go really far in this sport. And then I also played for my club. It was called ELEV8. Those coaches both played in the NLL, and they were super inspiring and helped me get my scholarship here.
PB: How many months out of the year are you able to play field lacrosse in Alberta? What was the recruiting process like?
MZ: Outdoors, full-field lacrosse, we could only play from the summertime to November normally. … We would put a travel team together, Grade 8 to post-grad year. We would train all fall, and then in November we would go to the Presidents Cup tournament. I believe it was in Florida at the time. So we would go to that one recruiting tournament, and then you get your film from that. That’s how Towson recruited me, and that’s how a lot of girls get recruited is from those games because we don’t have anyone to play within the area.
PB: Why did you choose to come to Towson?
MZ: I chose Towson because they were the first school to really believe in me, and they saw that I had a lot of potential. I know it was a big risk for them to take me considering back at home we don’t play field lacrosse a lot so it’s very hard to get recruited and get looks, but they took a chance on me so that’s why I chose Towson.
PB: Did your experience working out with Team Canada help you contribute right away at the college level? (Zizakovic was on the training roster for the Under-19 team in 2018.)
MZ: I think it helped a lot in the speed of the game. Coming from high school to playing at that high level, it definitely helped me transition to how fast the game play is. Also playing against other girls who are just as good as you or better than you, it can definitely be very hard mentally to overcome that when you’re not the star player anymore. But playing with Team Canada and doing those training camps really gave me the confidence that I can play with these really good players.
PB: What did it mean to you to make the CAA All-Rookie team?
MZ: It meant a lot to me. I wasn’t expecting to even play when I came to Towson, so the fact that I was able to work my way up and ended up getting that award was super amazing. It was definitely with the help of all my teammates and coaches who all believed in me, so it meant a lot.
PB: What’s your favorite memory at Towson so far?
MZ: I think my favorite memory was when we lost [the CAA championship game to Drexel in overtime in 2022]. Although we lost, that game really showed how much everyone cared for each other and that we were willing to do anything that it took in that game to win, even though we didn’t. Everyone was just so amazing, teammates supporting one another. It really all kind of came together in that game.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Towson University?
MZ: My favorite thing about Towson University is my teammates and friends. It was super intimidating coming to Towson from another country and being alone, but it was an instant family and an instant friend group. Every single day I have with them, I love them more and more. It’s just been so amazing.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Towson the town?
MZ: My favorite thing about the town is that everything that I need to be accessible — whether that’s grocery stores, classes, food and restaurants — everything is super close. And because I don’t have a car or any way to get around, it’s super easy to get to all the places I need to get to.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
MZ: I would say my best friend on the team is Mia Rehkemper. The story behind that was just we weren’t super close right away, but then … it was just a nice connection. She was always super positive with me, and we’d just laugh every day and have a great time.
PB: Who’s a player you looked up to as a freshman when you first got to Towson?
MZ: I looked up to [midfielder] Blair Pearre just because of her work ethic, for sure. Every day she would hustle. Every game she would hustle, put her body on the line and do everything that she needed to do to be the amazing player she is. That’s definitely super inspiring. I find that I’m more inspired by how people play and the hustle that they have rather than words, and I definitely think that she speaks with how hard she works rather than with words.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players in Canada looking to get recruited?
MZ: My advice to them would just be keep putting in all the little work that ends up working in the end. Every time that you can look back on film and watch that, anytime that you can hit a wall, anytime you can use your off hand and practice those things, just keep trusting the process and all those little things will add up in the end.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
MZ: My goals for after lacrosse are to keep the same intensity and passion that I have for lacrosse and put it into a job and career and family and just keep being the person that Towson has molded me to be.
Photo Credit: John Malamphy
Issue 279: February/March 2023
Originally published Feb. 15, 2023