‘FULL-TIME JOB’: Before Lysianne Proulx suited up for Canada, she left her mark at SU
S
ydney Brackett woke up on her off-days at Syracuse to a constant noise. In the bedroom next door, her roommate Lysianne Proulx was up early — stretching, doing reaction time drills and watching soccer on two TVs.
“Her approach to her craft was light-years ahead of us,” Brackett said. “She was a student of the game.”
Now, with Proulx representing Canada in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as its third-string goalie, her studying has come to fruition.
Proulx’s five-year career with SU women’s soccer solidified her as one of the program’s top goalies of all-time. Proulx ranks fourth in Syracuse history in saves (281), second in saves per game (5.30) and seventh in shutouts (nine). Since graduating in 2020, she’s played professionally for SCU Torreense in Portugal.
“It’s incredibly impressive (to see) what she’s been able to do,” said Proulx’s former teammate Taylor Bennett.
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Bennett and Brackett lived with Proulx during the spring semester in 2017. Hailing from Montreal, Proulx wasn’t fluent in English and occasionally had communication issues. But, Bennett said, her transition on the field was much smoother.
“She owned the place,” Bennett said. “She was always in (the practice facility) doing something to set herself apart.”
Proulx played behind Courtney Brosnan, who is representing Ireland at this year’s World Cup, during her freshman year. With only three in-game appearances, practice was where she shined. Bennett said that Proulx was ultra-competitive, challenging the rest of the team to match her level of intensity. Every day, Proulx came into the facility with intention, Brackett said. Whether it was working on clearances, side volleys, or catching crosses out of the air, Proulx set a goal and honed in on it.
“There were days that I was just going to practice, but she treated it like a full-time job,” Brackett said.
Proulx’s soccer IQ helped her become an extra coach on the field. Brackett said Proulx understood her role so well that she advised SU’s coaching staff on how to coach her.
As Proulx improved, her mentality stayed the same. She had a historic season as a senior in 2020, averaging 9.12 saves per game, which ranked third in the country that year and first in program history. Again, she never let up during practice. Syracuse assistant coach Brandon DeNoyer said Proulx made sure none of her teammates scored on her.
“It really made our forwards say ‘OK, if I can score on Liz, I can score on anyone in the conference,’” DeNoyer said. “And yeah, it was hard for them to score on her.”
Facing Proulx in practice was challenging. However, it was “comforting” to know that when it came to kick-off, she was on your side, Bennett said.
“I knew that she was going to have to save our butts a couple of times,” Bennett said. “But we needed to do everything we could to protect her. And she held us to that standard.”
On Oct. 27, 2019, Syracuse traveled to face then-No. 9 Duke for its last game of the season. It was also the final game of Brackett’s SU career. Over a half-hour into the game, Stephanie deLaforcade fed Brackett at the top of the box. Brackett, who had one goal on the season before she found the back of the net, gave the Orange a 1-0 lead.
After scoring, Brackett turned around and sprinted to the other end of the field to celebrate with Proulx, she said. Brackett wanted to share the moment with her best friend.
“I’m doing a 120 (yard run) after just running for 25 minutes straight just to go celebrate with (Proulx),” Brackett said.
Sprinting the length of the field was a common occurrence for Proulx’s teammates. Proulx is a top-tier distributor, DeNoyer said, utilizing her side volley to help start counterattacks on her own. She tosses the ball to her right side and kicks with a sideways motion as the ball reaches her hip. DeNoyer said that having a high-level side volley is uncommon in the women’s game, which helps Proulx stand out as a goalie that can make a difference on both ends of the field.
DeNoyer also praised Proulx’s ability to make one-on-one stops. He said that Proulx made world-class saves so often that they were expected of her.
“We could play a little bit more aggressive and we could send more numbers forward because we could trust Liz would make those saves,” DeNoyer said. “We had so much faith in her.”
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Despite Proulx’s play, the Orange went through a difficult stretch from 2019-2021, finishing with an 8-30-3 record in that span. The team only won two ACC games.
But last year, Syracuse had one of its best campaigns in recent history, finishing 8-7-3 — its first season over .500 since 2012. DeNoyer credited much of the team’s success to Proulx and the culture she created.
“She left a mark on the team and she helped build us,” DeNoyer said. “They all really looked up to Liz.”
The example Proulx set with her relentless approach to the game carried on to a new crop of players. Brackett said Proulx carries herself with an air of “I’m not going to tolerate BS,” and that her teammates responded well to her.
“I think Lysianne was just so beyond her age in terms of maturity on and off the field,” Brackett said. “She set the tone and there were players after she left that carried that tone on.”
Seeing Proulx reach the World Cup, the pinnacle of soccer, has unlocked a new attitude within the program. DeNoyer said that his players who want to emulate Proulx’s success are all driven by the same ideology.
“I need to train the same way if I want to reach those goals too.”
Photo courtesy of Daniela Porcelli | Canada Soccer