Nishimoto crafts a classic season at Libertyville

Hope Nishimoto is a big fan of art.

“This past year I took (advanced placement) art,” says Nishimoto, who recently graduated from Libertyville. “The art show was in May and each AP student got to display their art. Many people came up to me and said, ‘Hope, I had no idea you did art!’ I also love going to art museums.”

It turns out Nishimoto also is quite the artist when it comes to girls lacrosse.

A leader both on and off the field, Nishimoto was instrumental in helping march Libertyville to its most successful season in program history — a fourth-place finish in the Illinois High School Women’s Lacrosse Association state tournament.

To top off a masterpiece of a season, Nishimoto has been named the honorary captain of the first all-Daily Herald girls lacrosse team. Nishimoto was chosen from a pool of players from the Daily Herald’s coverage area, which includes 21 programs.

“For Hope it’s her devotion to the team,” Libertyville senior defender Katie Piazzi says. “She’s was on the varsity for four years and with it being her senior year she wanted to make a big splash and a good impression on everybody. As a captain, she built our team up. Overall she was a great player.”

Nishimoto took up the sport as a freshman and turned in very strong numbers this season — she scored 57 goals and was credited with 95 ground ball controls. But it’s what she did as a leader that turned even more heads.

“She is a great leader,” Piazzi said. “People could always depend on her. If they had questions about any facet of the game, she was there to help out in any way she could. She would notice if players were getting antsy on the field. Coach would call a timeout and Hope would address the whole team and tell us we had the skills and to just settle down.”

Liberyville coach Dana Brady marvels at the way Nishimoto immersed herself in not only the strategy of the game, but in making sure her teammates excelled in different situations.

“Hope was a strong leader on offense. She led by example in many ways,” says Brady, whose team finished second to Lake Forest in the North Suburban Conference. “Whenever we took on a new defense or offensive play, Hope would be the first to ask questions or make suggestions to improve the play. She is a very intuitive player and picks up new information quickly. She is happy to help others and show them the proper technique or form and encourages players to be confident with the ball, especially when we worked on one-on-ones to goal.”

Palatine coach Leslie Schock knew exactly who Libertyville’s go-to person was when the two teams squared off in the Fremd supersectional with a berth to the state finals on the line.

“She played with poise and was clearly the leader of their team,” Schock says. “She had explosive charges of speed and direction, which made her incredibly difficult to guard. She was all over the field. She was clearly in exceptional shape.”

Lake Zurich coach Julie Bryniczka notes her team also had its hands full in dealing with uniform No. 2.

“Hope had excellent shot placement and she was extremely quick and agile, which made it more difficult for our defenders and middies to keep up with her,” Bryniczka said.

Stevenson coach Janette Eichfeld adds: “Hope handles her stick well and plays with great confidence. She recognizes scoring opportunities many other players would miss. If the defense traps her, she is able to thread the ball to her teammates effectively.”

Nishimoto, who took time out of a family vacation to London and Scotland to do the interview for this story via email from the UK, enjoys the middie position because she’s in on constant action around the ball. Despite the vast mileage covered on the field, Nishimoto doesn’t feel her job is the toughest.

“In my opinion goalie is the most challenging because of the pressure,” she says, “but middie has to be where the ball is. You have to play defense, transition the ball down the field and also attack. The position involves a lot of running.”

In terms of her improvement in 2011, Nishimoto points to the defensive side of the field.

“During practice we emphasized doubling in the midfield and three different types of defense on the 8-meter,” she explains. “We also practiced how to defend a breakaway in the midfield. In order to be a well-rounded midfielder, it is important to be able to play all aspects of the position well.”

Nishimoto, an all-North Suburban Conference pick and an all-state honorable-mention selection in 2011, was asked how she would write a scouting report if she was playing against herself.

“She has speed and agility and is good at winning ground balls and transitioning the ball to attack well,” she says. “You also have to watch your back because she is good at causing turnovers. A negative is that she stands at only 5-foot-2 so she may not intercept a lot of passes.”

Now here’s a scouting report from someone that has gone toe-to-toe with her in recent times.

“I have played against Hope during our high school and indoor seasons,” Stevenson standout Rachael Banas says. “She is a strong player on and off her Libertyville team. She was the fastest player and the most skilled player who was always supportive of her teammates. When Stevenson played Libertyville, I noticed how she used her speed and quick stick skills to maneuver around our defense and take a sharp, well-placed shot at the goal. What makes her such an outstanding player is that she has learned many skills to add on to her lacrosse background. I can imagine with much success comes a lot of practice to make her the MVP and star player of her team.”

Nishimoto demonstrates her deep understanding for the game by how she views goal-scoring. She doesn’t have a favorite specific goal that stands out in her mind. Instead, she focuses on a particular type of shot.

“I can recall the feeling of hitting the upper left corner of the goal,” she says. “That’s kind of my sweet spot. You always feel good about your goal when you have good placement.”

Nishimoto also is adept at one of the key defensive skills in the game—ground balls.

“Getting your butt low and following through when you scoop up the ball,” are Nishimoto’s keys to picking up that ground ball control. “Running through the ball is probably the most important part. Because I am short, ground balls are kind of my specialty.”

But Nishimoto points out she’s made sure to focus her attention on both the offensive and defensive parts of the game.

”I always strive to be a well-rounded player,” she says. “That is what makes a good lacrosse player. My sophomore year I took private lessons with my close friend and teammate, Meghan Stelzner. Our private coach worked us both offensively and defensively whether we liked it or not. Being honest with yourself and working on your weaknesses makes a great athlete.”

Nishimoto has fond memories of the 2011 season—one where expectations from the outside were not as high due to the team graduating key players.

“It does mean more because we are so young,” she states. “Last year we lost 10 seniors — a huge blow to the team. It was hard for Meghan Stelzner, Molly Toohey, Katie Piazzi and I the most because we had played with those girls for two seasons. We were all really close, but the girls that came in this year were amazing and we all bonded really well and really fast despite most of the girls being new to the varsity.”

The team’s success this season boiled down to one commonality.

“We worked so hard this year in practice,” Nishimoto says. “Making the finals was a great reward for all that work. It also means a lot to me because it was my senior year. Taking fourth was a wonderful way to leave high school.”

Nishimoto hopes her legacy at Libertyville stretches beyond just lacrosse.

“I would like to be remembered as a team player who had good relationships with her fellow players, who encouraged them to each play their best and had a positive impact on her teammates outside of lacrosse,” she says.

She plans to walk on to the Liberty University (Lynchburg, Va.) women’s lacrosse team and intends to study special needs education due to her passion and love for helping people with disabilities.

Closer to home, Brady knows Nishimoto’s impact will be felt for some time to come.

“Her positive spirit and passion for the game spread quickly among the underclassmen this spring,” she says. “I know next year, while she will be continuing her education at Liberty, her memory will still have a lasting effect on our team.”

Piazzi uses some strong words to describe how much Nishimoto has meant to Libertyville girls’ lacrosse.

“She’s really important,” Piazzi says. “She’s kind of the heart of the program.”