Epke Draws on Past Inspiration to Pace U.S. U20 Draw Team

HONG KONG, China — Maddie Epke remembers the knee-high socks she’d wear to many of her ice hockey and lacrosse games growing up in Connecticut. They were red, white and blue with “USA” emblazoned on them.

Then, there was the “gaudy” headband she wore to each game featuring the same colors, a nod to some of her favorite U.S. national team players. Epke stood out on the lacrosse field because of her patriotic attire before her skills took the limelight.

“I’ve always been a fan of U.S. National Team lacrosse and all the amazing players,” she said. “Taylor Cummings was always my favorite to watch because of her draw expertise.”

Growing up, Epke had her eyes fixed on the stars of women’s lacrosse and her dreams set on becoming one of them. Over a decade later, Epke walked onto the field at Hong Kong Football Club wearing those same colors for a matchup with Israel on Tuesday.

Among the 22 players on the U.S. competing for gold at the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship, Epke is playing a key role as one of two draw specialists.

“My dream was to be here, so now I have to find a new one now,” she said. “[Little Maddie Epke] would be in awe thinking of this now.”

Epke has helped the U.S. win 113 of 140 draws so far in its 4-0 start to the tournament. Epke took all but one draw against Israel, winning 29 of 36 en route to a lopsided victory in the final game of group play.

The U.S. finished atop Pool A and earned the No. 2 seed in the knockout rounds. No matter the result, Epke said she’s enjoying the learning experience of working with Maddie Smith and U.S. coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.

“When you put two people that are different on the draw together, we learn so much from each other,” Epke said. “These experiences have already taught me so much, just from Maddie. She’s coming off an amazing season at Northwestern, so it was awesome to watch her.”

Amonte Hiller knew she had weapons in Epke and Smith (who she recruited to Northwestern along with her sister, Sam), and she’s enjoying the process of game planning with her two draw dynamos.

“We’re so lucky to have such a level of experience with playing at the highest level,” Amonte Hiller said. “Epke has two seasons under her belt, Maddie has one, but she’s been mentored by her sister and myself. Epke has benefitted from me working with her.”

Epke, the daughter of a Maryland soccer player and a junior hockey star for the Rochester Monarchs, might have been born to do two things — wield a stick and run. She found hockey and lacrosse at a young age, excelling at both through high school in her hometown of Guilford, Conn.

Epke was named the Connecticut High School Player of the Year for lacrosse (and received All-State honors in hockey). The James Madison commit headed to Harrisonburg, Va., in the fall of 2022 with a chance to compete for playing time immediately.

As a freshman, Epke started all 22 games and produced 45 points, winning 72 draw controls along the way. The next summer, she tried out for the U.S. U20 team and emerged quickly as a threat both offensively and on the draw.

She was a perfect fit for the style that Amonte Hiller and her staff wanted to play, pairing with Smith to form a strong draw duo.

“Coming in and playing more offensively minded on the draw is the most important thing,” Epke said. “I try my best to not be turtled and defensive about it, so I keep in myself and my strengths and do that to be the best of my ability.”

Epke and Smith watched each other from afar as they began the 2024 season, with Epke becoming a leading threat for James Madison while Smith worked with her sister, Samantha, at Northwestern. Smith won 45 draw controls for the national runners-up, while Epke ranked sixth in the nation with 179 draw controls.

“She and her sister are so good,” Epke said of Smith. “It was fun to watch her in the spring season — it reminded me of myself a little, because I came in and shared the draws with an older player. I loved watching their games, and now it’s awesome to play with her.”

Smith agreed.

“When you’re at home practicing by yourself, it’s really hard to get the same reps in,” Smith said. “Playing with Maddie reminds me of college, because I played with my sister at Northwestern. It’s definitely helped us a ton.”

Heading to Hong Kong, Epke knew she’d be relied upon to win draws. With the wealth of talent on the U.S. attack, though, she wasn’t going to be asked to carry as much of the load as she does at James Madison.

On Tuesday, Epke’s goal was to simply win draws and kickstart the offense — one that dropped 30 goals for the second time in four games.

“She’s a great offensive player, too, but because she was taking so many draws, we had to utilize her on the draw and keep her fresh,” Amonte Hiller said. “She could have won Player of the Game in any of the games, and she’s getting better with each rep.”

As Smith watched her teammate battle Israel draw specialist Rachel Levy-Smith (Holy Cross), she was inspired by the fight Epke showed.

“You have to be gritty to do it, and she is,” Smith said of Epke.