April 11, 2010
Sister act at BU, UNH
by Roger Brown/
McKinley Curro is a senior captain for the BU women's lacrosse team. (photo: Boston University)
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McKinley Curro and her younger sister JoJo are both offensive stars for one of the top-ranked women’s teams in New England. Both played four years of varsity lacrosse at Souhegan High School in Amherst, N.H., before going on to play NCAA Division 1 lacrosse in the America East Conference. Both play attack, and share a deep passion for the game.
The sisters were introduced to lacrosse by their mother, Laurie Holder, who played lacrosse at Tufts and now runs Granite State Elite, a girls select lacrosse program. Both girls coach Granite State Elite teams in the summer.
Aside from the game, however, McKinley and JoJo are as different as noon and midnight. That’s why McKinley thrives on the inner-city campus of Boston University, while JoJo has blossomed on the bucolic campus of its America East rival, the Universityof New Hampshire.
“They’re opposites,” Holder said. “JoJo’s very laid back and easygoing, and McKinley is very intense and high strung. On the field, I think they have more in common because they both play with what I would call a lot of guts and determination.
“JoJo’s very outdoorsy and more of a country girl. That’s why she picked … UNH. Nothing bothers her. McKinley loves to put high heels on and wear dresses. She loves the city. Completely different personality.”
McKinley said JoJo enjoys camping and hiking, while she prefers her own bed and places that have running water.
“Personality-wise, we’re total opposites,” McKinley explained. “She goes with the flow. I’m more intense.
“On the field we each have different assets. My best asset is my speed, and hers is field sense. She’s a great playmaker. She reads the game better.”
McKinley, a senior, made a splash in her freshman season at BU, when she collected 41 points (20 goals) in 19 games, and was named to the America East All-Rookie Team.
Her sophomore year was even more impressive. She finished that season with 26 goals (nine multi-goal games) and 40 points, even though she played most of the year with a fractured bone and torn ligaments in one of her ankles. McKinley said she played in pain every day that season, but persevered because she didn’t want to be redshirted.
The 2009 season was a breakthrough year for McKinley. She was named to the America East All-Conference First Team after posting 40 goals and 31 assists in 19 games. She also was named a third team All-American and helped BU win the America East championship for the fifth consecutive season.
McKinley, who is one of BU’s captains this year, earned a spot on the U.S. Lacrosse Developmental Team last summer, and was named to the preseason watch list for the 2010 Tewaarton Award, which is presented annually to the top male and female lacrosse players in the nation.
UNH coach Michael Daley called McKinley one of the top five players in America East.
“Although they play the same position, I think (McKinley and JoJo) are very different players,” Daley said. “I think JoJo is more of a true crease attacker, dodger, cutter and a good feeder for us. McKinley does the same things, but she’s a little bit more active on her dodges and drives to goal. That’s probably not JoJo’s primary look. She’s probably looking to set up her teammates or to do those crease curls or backdoor cuts. McKinley can do that, but she’s a lot more drive-and-dodge oriented.”
JoJo, a sophomore, doesn’t have a resume that’s as lengthy as her sister’s, primarily because she’s completed only one full season of college lacrosse. Daley said as JoJo matures as a player, her ability to impact a game will be similar to McKinley’s.
JoJo played in 13 games (six starts) as a freshman. She completed the season with six goals and six assists, totals she eclipsed during just the first six games of 2010, when she has been one of UNH’s top offensive threats.
“She’s one of the attackers I look to to settle us down,” Daley said. “Eventually, she’s going to be like having another coach on the field at attack, and basically the quarterback of our attack because she understands what we want to execute. She doesn’t get really frantic.”
“Having an older sister who was a lacrosse player helped,” JoJo added. “It made me push myself.
“We’re very supportive of each other. We talk almost every day. If I have a bad day and need motivation, or if I need to vent, she’s a very easy person to talk to about that. Since we’re both on lacrosse teams it’s easy to relate to each other.”
BU and UNH met twice last season. The Terriers posted a 9-8 victory during the regular season, and beat the Wildcats, 16-6, in the AE championship game.
The sisters will be on opposite sides again on April 7, when UNH travels to BU. It’ll be a difficult day for Holder and other family members.
“What we try to do is wear a little red, and a little blue — and we stand right on the 50,” Holder said. “We sort of don’t clap at all. It’s such a big rivalry. If it was any other schools other than BU and UNH it would be a lot easier. The girls are very close, but on the field they’re super competitive. I’m almost glad they (both) play attack because one is at one end and one is at the other. If they weren’t, there would be blood.”
