Stars Align: LoPinto, Taylor Finally on the Same Side

Emma LoPinto got her first introduction to Madison Taylor on the basketball courts of Long Island.

LoPinto, a lightning-quick guard who eventually eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for Manhasset, stood on her home court with an eager Taylor face-guarding her throughout the game.

No matter the state of either basketball program, LoPinto circled Wantagh, and Taylor, on her calendar each winter.

“When I would see Wantagh, I knew it was going to be fun,” LoPinto said. “I always loved playing against her.”

“Emma was famous on Long Island,” Taylor said. “When I was guarding her in basketball, I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ She’d just shoot 3-pointers all game. She’d always be so nice after the game and I was like, ‘Thanks, but you just scored so many points in my face.’”

Separated by just 27 minutes on the Wantagh State Parkway, LoPinto and Taylor matched up in basketball many times throughout their high school careers. However, the battles were a lot more even when they took to the lacrosse field — where Manhasset and Wantagh traded off regular season wins and victories in the Nassau County playoffs.

LoPinto and Taylor studied each other. As much as it was a rivalry between the two future college lacrosse stars, it was also a chance to improve their game.

“That’s where I got so much better,” Taylor said. “Not everyone could say that their high school competition is that high. Ours actually was.”

LoPinto and Taylor have come a long way since they met on the hardwood some seven years ago, ascending to the heights of college women’s lacrosse as two of the game’s brightest young stars.

Taylor burst onto the scene as a freshman, bookending a 53-goal season with five goals in her NCAA debut against Syracuse and four goals in Northwestern’s win over Boston College in the 2023 national championship game. She was the Wildcats’ leading scorer and a Tewaaraton Award finalist as a sophomore this year, compiling 83 goals and 33 assists.

A three-time All-American who has scored 183 goals in two seasons at Florida and one at Boston College, LoPinto helped the Eagles flip the script with a win over Northwestern in the NCAA championship game this year.

As opponents, they’ve always measured up and found a way to raise the bar. This summer, however, the two Long Island legends get to check something off their lacrosse bucket list.

They’ll play together as teammates for the first time.

LoPinto and Taylor headline the offense of the U.S. Women’s U20 National Team, which will head to Hong Kong, China next week for the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship.

“It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulder,” LoPinto said. “You go against these people and you’re never on the same team. With Madison, it feels like we’ve already played together with how much we know about each other. To get to do it is going to be super special.”

“The fun thing about playing at the USA level is that you get to see people that you’ve played against for so long,” U.S. head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “It’s a natural thing when high-level players like Emma and Madison get excited about creating together. Oftentimes you have chemistry right away.”

The chemistry LoPinto and Taylor have developed started during U20 tryouts last summer. They bonded quickly at USA Lacrosse headquarters and shared tips on how to approach playing the sport at the highest level. They had plenty of experience watching one another play, but they finally got the chance to share what they’d learned as part of the same team.

“I've been like watching Emma play since I was in middle school,” Taylor said. “She’s a year older than me and I've learned so much from her in terms of how not to take the game too seriously. It’s cool to see how people like Emma can carry themselves on and off the field.”

After last summer, LoPinto and Taylor returned to their college teams but remained in contact. Boston College and Northwestern met during the regular season and were season-long favorites to return to Memorial Day weekend.

Northwestern defeated BC 14-11 on Feb. 29 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts — a game in which LoPinto and Taylor combined for seven points. After the game, they found each other and hugged, not knowing they’d meet again months later.

“It’s the same ritual after every game now,” LoPinto said. “I have so much respect for Madison.”

“Win or lose, it doesn’t matter,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s philosophy was tested ever more on May 26, when Northwestern and Boston College inevitably met in the national championship game — a game in which they matched the same score lines as their previous meeting. LoPinto had the highlight of the day with a behind-the-back goal to kickstart a furious Eagles’ rally that inevitably won them the NCAA title in thrilling fashion.

“It’s their first goal of the game, BTB,” Taylor said. “I was like ‘Classic Emma. Come on.’ You have to respect it. We’re always rooting each other on, but that was hard.”

Boston College trailed 6-0 when LoPinto scored to open the floodgates for a comeback. The Eagles went on to win 14-13 after goalie Shea Dolce — also a U.S. U20 team member — made the kick save heard around the world in the final minute of play.

The win vaulted LoPinto into a summer of celebration. Taylor had to turn the page.

“Playing for a USA team at any level is a cool honor, but to do that when you're coming off a season where you're winning it all, Emma’s still on the celebration tour,” Amonte Hiller said. “Maddie probably has a little bit of a chip on her shoulder. Everyone is coming from a different place.”

Now LoPinto and Taylor are in the same place, wearing the same jersey.

“It’s a feeling of ‘Finally,’” LoPinto said.

The U.S. Women’s U20 National Team will have its final training camp this weekend at Stanford and fly from San Francisco to Hong Kong on Sunday. Opening ceremonies are Aug. 15. The U.S. opens pool play against Germany the next day.

“Not even just with Emma, but with everyone here,” Taylor said. “I've been playing against them for so long, and now that we finally get to play with each other, it's just so cool. I might as well just embrace the moment and have a lot of fun.”