ALBANY, N.Y. — Shonly Wallace can still recall the first time she attended a National Lacrosse League game.

“The first NLL game I ever went to was when I was 13 years old in Washington for the Washington Stealth,” she said.

It was the beginning of what would later transpire into a historic relationship with the league. Wallace, who’s from British Columbia, has played lacrosse her entire life, including collegiately at Oregon and UAlbany.

“I’ve been following the league pretty closely since then, and watching as many games each weekend since that point,” Wallace said.

She spent two seasons with the Great Danes, one as a player and another as a graduate assistant, while completing her master’s degree. During that time, she was a regular at Albany FireWolves games where she met head coach and general manager Glenn Clark.

“We kind of stayed connected throughout the course of the last couple of years, and it was a good fit for us,” Clark said.

This past fall, Clark added Wallace to his staff as a college scout for the FireWolves. It was a monumental move, which made her the first female scout in the history of the NLL.

“It’s been incredible,” Wallace said. “The team’s been really awesome from the top down. Just getting to experience this and get acclimated with the team has been a really, really special opportunity, and grateful to be a part of it.”

In this role, Wallace will closely follow and evaluate rising college players to help the team determine who they will select in the NLL draft in September. The perfect fit for Wallace, who’s also an assistant coach for the Dartmouth women’s lacrosse team.

“She’s got a fresh mind,” Clark said. “She’s excited about growing in the box game.”

Just a few months into this role, Wallace made history again. When the FireWolves played the Las Vegas Desert Dogs in early January, she was tapped to fill in as the video coordinator, which made her the first female to coach behind the bench in an NLL game.

“Getting to experience that was pretty awesome,” Wallace said. “I think it just shows you how well the coaching staff and Coach Clark’s taking care of me and teaching me and preparing me for an opportunity like that.”

The opportunities have kept her busy with the college and NLL seasons happening simultaneously. But this is what Wallace has always dreamed of doing, and wouldn’t want it any other way.

“It’s an incredible honor, and I think just a testament to all the women and amazing role models that I’ve had to put so much of their life into the sport of lacrosse,” she said. “And to see it unfold now for me to have this opportunity, I think just really shows how much girls love lacrosse and what they are doing to help grow the sport.”