Attacker Alexa Capozzoli broke St. Joe’s career assists record. She wants to achieve more.

When Alexa Capozzoli was a freshman at St. Joseph’s, she was just trying to find her way in the Hawks’ lacrosse lineup. The attacker started the first game of the 2023 season against Maryland and earned another start the following game against Lehigh.

After that, though, her playing time was limited before a teammate’s injury bumped the Episcopal Academy graduate up the line, and she got the chance to prove herself.

“I stopped playing a little bit, and that definitely got in my head,” said Capozzoli, now a senior. “I felt like I kind of played with a little bit of a nothing to lose mentality where I was like, ‘If I have one chance on the field, I’ve got to just give it my all.’ And it kind of worked out.”

Capozzoli finished 2023 with 26 goals and 12 assists in six starts and was named Atlantic 10 rookie of the year.

Since then, she has become a staple for the Hawks. She made the all-conference team last season and was preseason all-conference this year. Through Monday’s games, Capozzoli was 10th in the A-10 in points (41) and seventh in assists (19).

The attacker also etched her name into history on Hawk Hill, breaking the program’s career assist record of 110 on Feb. 27 against Georgetown. She also hopes to eclipse the career record in points (245) and currently has 122 career assists and 220 career points.

“Breaking the record was super exciting,” she said. “I was really proud of myself for accomplishing something so amazing. I knew I was close, but never thought about it too much. The more I think about it, the more stressed I’m going to be when I’m playing. So I was just thinking, ‘If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.’ I just want to do the best I can in every game.”

Capozzoli’s feat also cemented her family’s lacrosse legacy. Her parents, Erica and Chris, played college lacrosse. Her mother was a defender at Massachusetts from 1993 to 1997, while Chris was a midfielder at St. Joe’s from 1994 to 1998. She also had aunts who played for Penn State and an uncle who played at Rutgers. The Capozzolis have seen their daughter grow since she began playing the sport.

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“It’s so important,” Erica said. “I feel like the end of all this lacrosse is going to have meant nothing but the lessons that you learned through being part of a team. Learning how to get through difficult times and good times, and how to handle yourself, are just good life lessons for your future.”

Alexa has had a lacrosse stick in her hand since she was a child.

Capozzoli began playing in kindergarten, alongside basketball and softball. But picking up a lacrosse stick felt different.

Both parents were part of their daughter’s sports journey. Her mother coached her in lacrosse until middle school. Her father coached her in soccer and basketball.

Ultimately, Alexa chose lacrosse to continue her athletic career, but St. Joe’s wasn’t on her radar until she spoke to assistant coaches Julia Braig and Caroline Steele, along with head coach Alex Kahoe.

“I’d never been super interested in it because my dad had gone here. I wanted to make a name for myself somewhere else,” Capozzoli said. “But then once they started saying I should look there, I was like, ‘OK, I’ll start reaching out.’

“The second I stepped on campus, I was like, ‘OK, this is the place for me.’ I was just telling them how much I loved it.”

Chris and Erica, who reside in Ridley Park, make an effort to be at every game. Even for away games, her parents try to be there.

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“There’s certain games where I look up, and if I know I’m having a good game, I’ll see my mom or my dad give me a thumbs-up,” Capozzoli said. “Or give me a, ‘Come on let’s go!’ if I’m off a little bit. … I know exactly where they’re sitting in every game. I always look up in the stands. It makes a difference for me in my game, knowing that they’re up there.”

With five games remaining, the Hawks are 5-6 overall and tied for second at 4-1 in the A-10. And while breaking records is nice, Capozzoli’s end goal is to help St. Joe’s earn a conference title.

“Obviously, I would love to continue scoring and assisting,” she said. “But my goal this year, being a senior, is to ultimately win the A-10 and go out with a winning record and win the most games that we can. Whatever way I can do to be part of that, I would love to do that.”