Bella Duffy: from Braintree High to Iona University

Bella Duffy is a goal-scoring machine; hence, it was no shock she committed to Iona University to play Division 1 lacrosse.

“No surprise she got attention; she is a tough player, which is what makes her an attractive player. Not only does she know what she wants, but she is also a lefty, and many schools look for lefties, which is definitely a threat for us: confuses defenders and opponents as she can use both hands and put it [ball] in really tricky,” said Varsity Lacrosse coach Jill Coehene. 

Bella getting involved in the sport of lacrosse was kind of a shocker, as she started in 3rd grade without ever hearing of the sport. 

“I started playing lacrosse in third grade because one of my friends was playing Lacrosse and I wanted to hang out with her more. I was like, Oh, all my friends are doing it, so I’ll do it even though I never ever heard of it before then.”

It did not take long for Bella to get comfortable with this sport; her love for it grew instantly.

“I immediately fell in love with it. I was like, ok, this is my thing, and I immediately knew this was like what I was gonna do, so I tried out for club in fourth grade and made my club team, and have been playing for them [Laxachusetts] ever since.”

Bella has always had the vision and goal of playing college lacrosse since the beginning. Duffy knew the path she would have to take to achieve this goal, but being successful in high school would be an essential stop. 

“Her freshman year was also my first year of coaching, so I did not know anything about Bella; I did not know anything about anybody. It was definitely a refresher seeing a freshmen kind of show everyone else [who had been on the team before] that just because she is a freshmen, she has to be on the freshmen team and she can make Varsity,” Coach Jill Coene claimed.

High school lacrosse is definitely an adjustment and takes time to get used to, but it did not take long for Duffy to find her rhythm and role within the team. Duffy contributes her freshman year to a time of growth as an athlete, as, for the first time, playing against older girls was a game changer.

“It definitely made me a better player my freshman year, as I went from only ever playing against girls my age to now girls 3 years older than me.”

After a successful first stint with Braintree High Lacrosse, Duffy’s second year in the blue and white jersey found even more success. As only a sophomore, Duffy has reached two major milestones that a high school lacrosse player dreams of: 100 points [a combination of assists and goals] as well as 100 goals.

“My 100th goal I got in our last game against Walpole. We had a game right before that, and I was at 99. My 100th goal went thru a hole in the net so the ref didn’t count it, but it went in. So our last game we were playing Walpole, and I was like, your kidding, we are playing Walpole [5th in the state], but I ended up having 5 goals that game.”

After playing club lacrosse with Laxachusetts for 7 years and Braintree High Lacrosse for 2 years, Bella is well experienced and ready to continue her journey into the college landscape beginning September 1st of her junior year.

Until September 1st of a recruit’s junior year, it is a world of unknown as they are not allowed to be contacted yet by Division 1 lacrosse coaches until that date; however, that does not stop coaches from watching potential athletes. 

“Had a decent amount of calls on September 1st; it was a good day for me as I actually knew what was going on.”

After some visits and offers from other colleges, it was not until the end of October and the beginning of November that Iona University contacted Duffy as a prospect for their program.

Bella and her parents had driven out to New York to visit the campus. They received a college tour from one of the girls currently on the team and ended it with a visit to Coach Lauren Kahn’s office. Duffy walked out that day with an official offer to play Division 1 lacrosse for Iona University; she even got to take a picture in a uniform.

“Iona came along; just something about it just got that feeling that this was right for me. The coach is amazing, and it is in the perfect location for me, 20 minutes away from New York City and 20 minutes from Long Island. The school is beautiful, and the team is amazing; it is everything I could of wanted.”

That “it” feeling never left Duffy, as attending and playing for Iona was all she could think about. Bella entered the new year and committed to Iona University within the first week.

When asked about her commitment, Bella went on with gratitude, “So thankful for coach Lauren, having Lauren who treated me as an actual person and doing what was best for me, and she did not give me a timeline. I took a month, as obviously it is my biggest decision of my life, and their was no reason why I don’t want to go here [Iona]. Literally, I can’t stop thinking about it…Go gaels!”