Cornell University Athletics

Coach Graap on Lafferty
"Deirdre is a three-year starter who has the ability to make her mark in the league and in the nation. She is capable of leading the defense. Deirdre has the spark and her moving toward becoming a consistently excellent defender will make her even more of a presence."

As a junior
Lafferty played at a high level throughout her junior season in 2008, scoring two goals and ranking among the team leaders in ground balls (23), caused turnovers (11) and draw controls (10). The 23 ground balls ranked third on the team, and she was one of four Big Red players to start every game. Lafferty won a career-high five ground balls in the season-opening win at Colgate and earned three ground balls with two caused turnovers against NCAA finalist Penn. She also won five draw controls in a win at Harvard and closed the year with two ground balls, two caused turnovers and a draw victory against Notre Dame. She netted goals against both Columbia and Brown.

As a sophomore
Lafferty emerged on defense as a sophomore, starting nine of the 14 games in which she appeared. She posted career-high numbers in ground balls (23), caused turnovers (14) and draw controls (6), adding her second career goal with a score against Colgate in the season opener. Lafferty had eight caused turnovers and seven ground balls in the final three contests of the season, including a career-best four ground balls in the season finale at Loyola (Md.). Lafferty was credited with three caused turnovers against both Harvard and Vanderbilt.

As a freshman
Lafferty earned two starts and saw action in 13 games, registering a goal and adding three ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover. She started her first collegiate game against Colgate and scored her first career goal in a win over Rutgers. She had a ground ball and a caused turnover in a win over California.

At Unionville
Lafferty was a first-team all-league pick at midfield as a junior and an all-county pick during her senior year at Unionville HS. A team tri-captain as a senior, she helped lead the team to a league title in both 2003 and 2005. In 2005 Lafferty was named an honorable mention All-American. Her 2003 squad was ranked No. 14 in the country. The three-year letter winner also participated in ballet for 11 years. While at Unionville she was in the National Honor Society from 2002-05.

Personal
Deirdre Lafferty is the daughter of Colin and Patricia Lafferty and has three older sisters. She is enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.