Charlotte North will not play like a rookie.
If you expected North to take a backseat to the veteran stars she once looked up to, you thought wrong. She led the game in points and goals and looked like the player fans grew accustomed to seeing play at Boston College. North, who was the top pick in the Athlete’s Unlimited college draft, dodged through traffic, ripped shots and celebrated the players around her, much to the delight of the Long Island crowd — and her more seasoned teammates.
“Our veterans have done a great job of telling whoever comes into training camp, ‘Hey, you’re here for a reason. Show up and do your thing,’” Levy said. “That is a tribute to our veterans and how great they are in terms of creating a culture that is very welcoming and wanting the best to perform at the highest level.”
The primary goalie is still unclear.
With Devon Wills, the 2017 netminder, not playing this year, the goalie position is one of few question marks for Team USA. Liz Hogan and Caylee Waters each made three saves and allowed four goals. Hogan started, and Waters anchored. Levy was impressed with both.
“They’re both great outside the cage,” Levy said. “They’re both amazing ball stoppers. I have a lot of confidence in both of them if someone is taking a point-blank shot that they will make the save.”
Could the U.S. employ a two-goalie system, like the one Levy used with Waters and Megan Ward during the Tar Heels’ title-winning 2016 season? It’s possible.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Levy said. “I think having one predominant one is something we could do, but using two in a dual system isn’t unusual for me.”
The fans are ready, too.
It’s one thing to say the game is growing. It’s another thing to see it in person. More than 2,000 fans came out to watch some of the best players on the planet scrimmage on a school night. And they stayed long after the final buzzer sounded. The “Char-lotte, Char-lotte” chants for the Team USA star could be heard from the LaValle Stadium parking lot.
“Look at all these kids here tonight,” Levy said, motioning to the LaValle Stadium crowd. “This wasn’t something that was here five years ago.”
After sold-out crowds at Homewood Field for the Final Four — and a record-breaking audience watching on ESPN — it’s clear there’s an increasing appetite for the sport. And it’s why this year’s team is playing for more than a medal.