USA Select Women Win Brogden Cup, Establish Lasting Connections

SPARKS, Md. — Kelly Blake and Giulia Colarusso stood on the left sideline at Tierney Field as the clock ticked toward zero.

Once the horn sounded, they turned to each other, wrapped arms around one another and sprinted toward a mob of players in white. 

“We’ve dreamed about wearing red, white and blue, and it was awesome to be together on the sideline,” Colarusso said. “We just ran in together and grabbed each other. There is no better feeling.”

Blake and Colarusso, two Massachusetts natives and crucial pieces of the U18 USA Select Team, had realize a dream — where the red, white and blue. After topping Team Haudenosaunee to complete an unbeaten run over the weekend, they were Brogden Cup champions.

The U16 and U18 USA Select teams each raised the trophy for a fifth straight year — a testament to the talent that has passed through the National Team Development Program. With the hopeful addition of lacrosse in the Olympic Games on the horizon, U18 coach Lauren Schwarzmann couldn’t help but think about what the USA Select program means for the future.

“With the way our sport is progressing, it’s so nice to see the athletes that are playing this game,” Schwarzmann said. “This is the future of our sport. It’s so exciting that we get to be part of it. Now, we get to watch them as they take their next steps.”

At one point during Sunday’s win over Team Ontario, Blake carried the ball around x and locked eyes with her current and future teammate. The result? A perfect pass to Colarusso, who returned the favor to Blake for the goal.

For Blake and Colarusso, the USA Select process has been a primer for their college careers — ones that will meet at Boston College in the fall fo 2024.

In a few years, they may be leading one of the nation's most vaunted attack units. This weekend, they connected to help the U18 USA Select team win another championship.

“Boston College was my dream school since I was a kid,” Blake said. “I’m excited to get to know Guilia when we go to college. We just click on the field and don’t even have to say a word. The bond is there.”

The U18 USA Select team swept a pair of games against Team Ontario and Team Haudenosaunee on Sunday in Sparks, Md. Colarusso finished with a pair of goals in the two wins, while Blake dropped five goals and an assist en route to the Brogden Cup title.

Blake and Colarusso were roommates for Brogden Cup weekend, by request. They met on the club circuit in Massachusetts (Colarusso for Mass Elite and Blake for Laxachusetts). However, over the last few months, they’ve developed a friendship through the USA Select process that they’ll carry to Boston College.

“You could see there was a connection already,” Schwarzmann said. “I’m like ‘OK, there’s our BC girls out there.’ You see that through the entirety of the time. We had certain middle lines and offensive and defensive units. It’s all about generating some sort of momentum, and you hope that continues for the next couple years.”

U16 TEAM DOMINATES EN ROUTE TO BROGDEN CUP

Madeline Egan was named the MVP for the U16 USA Select Team after a successful weekend that included a Saturday hat trick against Team Haudenosaunee.

The U16 USA Select Team finished 4-0 with a goal differential of 63-6.

2023 BROGDEN CUP

Friday

U18W: ONT 9, HAU 7
U18M: ONT 18, HAU 5

Saturday

U16M: ONT 12, HAU 7
U16W: ONT 13, HAU 3

U18M: USA 13, HAU 1
U18W: USA 21, HAU 2

U16W: USA 20, HAU 1
U16M: USA 13, HAU 1

U18W: USA 20, ONT 0
U18M: USA 9, ONT 8

U16W: USA 19, ONT 4
U16M: USA 16, ONT 5

U18W: ONT 8, HAU 7
U18M: ONT 13, HAU 5

U16W: ONT 15, HAU 2
U16M: ONT 7, HAU 3

Sunday

U16W: USA 13, ONT 1
U18W: USA 15, ONT 1
U16W: USA 11, HAU 0
U18W: USA 15, HAU 0