For the first time in a month, I did not spend make a long car trip to watch my daughter and the Mercyhurst Lady Lakers Lacrosse Team at a Fall Ball Event. We had two very good FLG Select Team Practices on Saturday, and I thought it might be nice to have a little less Lacrosse, for at least one Sunday.
Then I remembered I had set Team Snap email notifications to all of the girls in the program telling them about the “Fall Classic” on the Lax Sports Network (LSN) on Saturday and Sunday. Over the course of the weekend, the top four National Teams from the last World Cup, as well as defending NCAA Champion, University of North Carolina, would be squaring off at Tierney Field in Sparks, Maryland. Of course, I would have to check it out, after all it would be wrong to lead others to the event and then not watch it myself.
So, I tuned in to the UNC Tar Heels vs. Australia. I was thoroughly impressed with both teams. UNC looked very fast. As the game progressed, it seemed that Carolina’s youthful inexperience was actually a virtue against an Australian Squad that looked a bit tired at times and not able to match the aggressive ride (or re-defend), and overall team speed of UNC. The fact that UNC was without three players who are still in the Pool for the final two cuts for the US National Team (Caylee Waterss, Marie McCool and Maggie Bill), should put the rest of NCAA Women’s Lacrosse, on notice.
Next up, the US vs. Canada. While the announcers were discussing Canada’s lackluster performance on Saturday, I was anticipating a tight game. The Canadians often seem to have our number in these types of events. I could not have been more wrong. The current version of the US National Team, is truly something to behold. It would take too long to list the number of amazing players still in the running to make the final 18 player roster (I don’t envy Coach Fried and his Staff, having to make those cuts). The US put on a remarkable display of high speed skill, athleticism, tenacity and execution. They were firing on all cylinders to say the least. I stopped paying attention to the score and simply marveled at the selfless, continuous maximum effort they put forth. Every Dodge was made with determination, every cut with a purpose, every ride was the picture of gritty, athletic toughness, the ball movement was swift and precise. Are you getting the picture? It appears that the explosion in girl’s/women’s lacrosse has now produced such a volume of elite level players, that the US could likely field at least two teams that would be better than any other Nation’s best.
The most impressive thing of all, was that I never saw even one player act selfishly, trying to further her chances to make the team. Collections of great players, often tend to under achieve as a group due to their lack of cohesion and/or chemistry. This US Team seems to possess an absolute commitment to “TEAM” and a full blown “Pursuit of Perfection”. It should be fun to watch!
