Aug. 19, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Future Nittany Lion Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) helped the U.S. capture its fourth consecutive Federation of International Lacrosse Under-19 Women's World Championship last weekend in Hannover, Germany with a 14-11, come-from-behind win over archrival Australia. Coffey, a midfielder, was named player of the match "for her tough play between the lines on the fiercely contested draws," according to a release on Lacrosse Magazine's website.
"The bottom line was we had fun," Coffey said in an interview with laxmagazine.com following the title game. "We knew we had it, so that's all it took. We trained for a year, and it came down to that moment."
Coffey, who will enroll at Penn State in the fall of 2011, also contributed a goal and an assist in the championship game. The U.S. ended the tournament with a perfect 8-0 record.
In July, Coffey was named MVP of the 2011 Under Armour All-America Lacrosse contest, scoring a game-high five goals to lead the North team to a 15-10 victory. She found net on all five of her shots on goal and added three draw controls, one ground ball, and one caused turnover.
Coffey was a prolific offensive threat at Toms River (N.J.) North High School, finishing her career as the Shore Conference's all-time leading point scorer with 517 (326 goals, 191 assists) while helping the Mariners to 65 wins. In her senior season, she totaled 188 points (123 goals, 65 assists), just 11 shy of her career high of 199 (115 goals, 84 assists), set in 2010. With Coffey leading the way, TMNHS posted a 14-3 record in 2011, winning the Class A South title for the third consecutive season. The two-time all-state and Shore Conference Player of the Year selection in lacrosse also excelled in other sports, earning varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and boys' ice hockey.