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No team has ever won the World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship on home soil.
The U.S. women’s national team could be well-positioned to become the first to do so next July. From July 7-17, 2021, the world’s best women’s lacrosse players will compete at Towson University in Maryland to be crowned the world’s best. A record 30 nations are scheduled to compete in the event, hosted by US Lacrosse.
The U.S. team has won each of the past three titles and eight of 10 all time.
Australia defeated the United States both times the event was previously held on American soil. In Philadelphia in 1986, Australia defeated the U.S. 10-7. In Annapolis in 2005, Australia triumphed 14-7.
“The pressure is always a little different year to year,” said Kristen “Cookie” Carr, a defender who has been a member of the U.S. team since 2008. “It’s important to acknowledge that we are hosting, but we don’t want to get so caught up in the fact that we’re hosting that we’re not sticking to the way that we play the game and inspiring others to play the game. I think that piece should outweigh the pressure.”
Carr elaborated, adding there’s “definitely pressure” at the highest level of lacrosse. But at the same time, the excitement of playing for a world championship at home “is such a dream for so many.”
The final roster of 18 players is still a mystery, but a core is in place to build around. Head coach Jenny Levy, who took over the U.S. program in 2017, spoke to Travis Eldridge of Lax Sports Network at the US Lacrosse Convention about what goes into choosing her team.
“We have found a core group who work well together,” she said. “We really are valuing the physical fitness component, but the stick work and skill work is really important for this next generation of U.S. players because we want the younger group to watch them play and want to emulate their skill. Not just being fast, but really taking women’s lacrosse to the next level where it’s so fun to watch.”
There’s no doubting the overwhelming talent pool from which Levy and her staff can choose. The U.S. has won the past three world championships for a reason. At the same time, Levy said culture and chemistry will be an integral part of the decision-making process.
“Essentially, we have an all-star team,” she said. “But we need to be more than that.”
Off the field, elevating the visibility of the women’s game is also an intangible that Levy will consider.
“It’s something we’ve been working on the past two years, trying to increase the visibility of our athletes,” she said. “They’re so talented. They work so hard, and they’re great promoters of the sport and great role models for these younger players to aspire to be.”
Playing at home gives the players the opportunity to do just that. When asked about what it will be like to see hordes of young girls’ players flock to Towson for the event, you could feel the smile on Carr’s face forming through the phone.
Sharing the love of the game with the next generation is an inherent part of being a U.S. athlete, and it’s a responsibility not taken lightly by Carr.
“A lot of reasons why we started playing were because someone inspired us to play the game or stick with the game,” she said. “That love is felt through each and every one of us. It’s something we embody naturally.
“You look at Michelle Tumolo and the smile on her face when she can talk to a little girl, it’s just contagious. Or a Taylor Cummings being asked to pose for pictures. You don’t realize the impact you have on people.”
U.S. athletes also can spread love of the sport throughout other participating nations. While traditional competitors like Australia and Canada are known contenders, other nations are still working to grow the scope of lacrosse within their countries.
Argentina, Jamaica, Norway, Puerto Rico and Uganda will make their first appearances in the event.
“One of the very exciting things of being part of the World Cup is to immerse yourself in different cultures and talk to people on other teams and, if there’s a language barrier, finding ways to communicate,” Carr said. “The common thing there is the sport of lacrosse. The love of the sport brought you together, and it’s really incredible to be able to share that love amongst so many different nations.”