USA Women's Box Team Creates Own Light at Player ID Camp

VOORHEES, N.J. — “We don’t need lights – we’ll be the light.”

That was the message from U.S. women’s box head coach Ginny Capicchioni during Sunday’s player ID camp at the Philadelphia Wings Training Center, the second of three such events Capicchioni and her staff are conducting to help determine invites for the team’s September training camp in Utica, N.Y. 

After an intense morning session, a power issue in the area momentarily knocked off the lights at the facility before they were partially restored. Capicchioni didn’t waste long figuring out what to do ahead of the afternoon session. She had told the team earlier to be ready to handle any unexpected circumstances that popped up. Limited lighting included.

She moved ahead with the planned afternoon scrimmages. No one complained. They’ve waited a long time for this opportunity.

This will be the first time the United States has fielded a women’s box team and the opportunity to be a pioneer to represent the USA in the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships holds tremendous allure. 

Earlier this month at the USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala in New York City, Capicchioni was frequently seen talking with U.S. women’s national team players as they inquired about the box team. Capicchioni hasn’t had to do much recruiting, there’s tremendous interest.

“Having to opportunity to try and compete for a medal on the first women’s box team in the United States ever is unreal,” said Ally Kennedy, a gold medalist on the 2022 U.S. women’s field team.

“I think it’s huge for USA Lacrosse to be starting women’s box and it’s another great opportunity to put a stick in your hand and play,” said Taylor Moreno, a member of the training team for the 2022 U.S. women’s field squad. “I think that was immediately what drew me to it. Anytime you get to wear red, white and blue and represent your country it’s an awesome experience.”

Kennedy and Moreno are new to box lacrosse and that will be part of the process over the next year, getting players acclimated to a discipline of the sport not many women in the country are familiar with playing.

“It was a little bit of a short window because I had to get all my gear, get my stick strung and kind of figure it out,” Kennedy said. “I don’t really have many places where there are box goals available, so I just tried to get as used to my stick and playing with gloves as possible before I came here.”

Kennedy had played box lacrosse just once during some preseason training in college at Stony Brook. Her first training session was eye-opening.

“It’s way more tiring than I thought it was going to be,” Kennedy said. “As a midfielder playing field, I thought that was the most running and the most exhausted I’ll ever be playing lacrosse, but I was wrong. Box being so much more physical made it even more tiring than just running straight up and down.”

Box lacrosse is a completely different ballgame for Moreno, one of the sport’s top goalies. In theory, everything is easier. The goal she protects goes from 6x6 to 4x4 and she has much more equipment to protect herself and the goal.  

“Heavy, heavy, hot, super sweaty,” said Moreno of the equipment. “Definitely feels like you can’t move, but it’s been a lot of fun. It’s a weird concept, you’re basically just standing there waiting to get hit. I think I finished the last session with two balls stuck in my shin pad and didn’t even know it.”

Moreno is coming off one of the best years of lacrosse in her life. In 2022, she helped North Carolina win a national championship and then was crowned the individual champion of her first season playing in the professional Athletes Unlimited league. In between the two, she watched the U.S. team she trained with win a world championship. The next time around, she wants to be on the field. 

“It’s just a great honor to be a part of it and to still be on the list and hoping the next World Cup my name will be on that roster and hoping I can continue chasing a dream of mine whether that’s senior team or the new box team,” Moreno said. “Coach Cap said it best, it’s a really great opportunity for us to be team number one and I think that’s just such a cool concept to even think about.”

NOTES: Approximately 40 players competed in Sunday’s player ID camp, including some repeat participants from May’s camp in Utica … the final Player ID camp will be held Aug. 20 in Troy, N.Y. … Sunday’s camp included former U.S. senior team or U19 gold medalists Kristen Carr (2013 and 2017 senior team), Madison Doucette (2019 U19) and Haley Warden (2002 senior team alternate) … another gold medalist, Kylie Ohlmiller, was there but did not participate as she continues to rehab from a knee injury suffered during last summer’s world championship. Ohlmiller says she will be ready for the Athletes Unlimited season which begins July 20 at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.