Day 13 | GAMEDAY VS. WALES

Another great day to have a day. I woke up this morning ready as ever to get back in the gameday routine with the best teammates in the world. Yesterday was our first off day since the start of the World Cup, so we were able to enjoy some low-key family time in the town of Guildford. We also wrapped up the day with a great team dinner at our favorite local spot, Turtle Bay in town – good food and great company made for an enjoyable evening.

But today is back to business and after just less then 24 hours away from the team, we were all excited to get back on the field with one another. As we head into our final day of pool play, we are as focused as ever as we approach playoffs.

First, we start off the day right with morning treatments to help ease some of our bumps and bruises picked up after two full weeks of play. Luckily, we have the best staff we could ask for, and they all really take care of us to make sure we are fresh and ready to go before game-time.

Next, I head downstairs for morning breakfast in our common room kitchen. Thankfully, Wendy Stone always keeps the kitchen fully stocked, which is quite impressive as we go through food like its our job. Today, I couldn't help but to double up with both avocado toast & almond butter toast – treat yourself where you can! :)

Around 12:30 p.m., we head out for a team meeting to recap and watch film of our previous game against Canada. With every day we spend here, we continually try to grow as a team, and improve both individual and team efforts. Although we've had a great start on our pool play, we understand it's a long tournament and we want to continue to grow as a team.

We also go over our goals for our game against Wales. With that, we have the tradition of announcing who will be carrying the flag for the game. Michelle Tumolo had the honor of passing on the reins to our heart & soul of the team, as well as one of our two captains, Devon Wills. She had a fantastic game against Canada, and has been a huge vocal leader for this program for some time now. In Michele Tumolo's words, she's our "fearless leader." We all look up to Devon, and really respect how she treats every one of us as her teammates. It's an honor to play with such a legend.

From there, we head to the dining hall for a nice pregame meal prepared by the FIL & World Cup organization. It's always a fun environment at the team meals, as you have players from all over the world who are eating in a room together. It's usually a fun time to catch up with players from other teams and discuss daily matchups for any given day.

We then head back to the dorms and have some down time before the game. Thank GOD for our Normatec sponsor. The Normatec boots have been extremely useful this trip with game prep and recovery! Most of our pregame prep consists of Normi time and blasting music throughout the dorm halls.

There's an exciting change-up today with our uniforms! Earlier this year, US Lacrosse took a poll on what would be the best color for our third set of uni's – which ended up being gray! And I have to say, I love the them. As some say, gray on gray equals a productive day. Everyone looks swagged out and ready to go as we head over to the locker room.

5PM - GAMETIME VS. WALES

It's another exciting opportunity for all of us to be out on a field playing with and for one another. Wales played a very scrappy game, and went up early on a one-goal lead at the start. Despite the slower start on the scoreboard, we had a lot of great shooting opportunities early on and our defense came up with some big turnovers in the ride. As time went on, we were able to take advantage of more runs on the offensive end and we slowly built a lead on Wales. It was a very fun and competitive match against them, which at the international level, all teams put forth their best effort.

Tomorrow is the start of playoffs, and another chance for us to go out and make a statement as a group. We will have a great matchup against Israel, who dug out a playoff spot on a hard fought battle and sudden death overtime win over Japan. This has been an incredible experience thus far, and I cannot wait to continue this journey as we move forward.

– Laura Zimmerman
(Twitter: @zimmertwitt3r, Instagram: @zimmertwitt3r

Player Profile

LAURA ZIMMERMAN

Nickname: Zimm
Years with the U.S. Program: 7
U.S. Senior World Cup Teams: 2017
Position: Midfield
College: North Carolina 2012
Honors: IWLCA Second Team All-American (2012), IWLCA Third Team All-American (2011), First team All-ACC (2011, 2012)
Hometown: Syracuse, N.Y.
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Current Career: Credit Sales at Bank of America Merrill Lynch

What does playing for Team USA mean to you?

Team USA is the hardest goal I've worked towards in my life, so to be on this team means so much for all the work put in over the last several years.

When and why did you start playing lacrosse?

I was in sixth grade, and my high school soccer coach said all great soccer players were also playing lacrosse. I knew it was a growing sport and there were a lot of opportunities to play at a high level. He inspired me to be a multi-sport athlete and I loved it by the end of my first season.

What other sports did you play in high school?

Soccer and indoor track.

Who is your favorite lacrosse player?

Mikey Powell. I grew up watching him while he was at Syracuse, and I loved attending games to watch him play. He was one of the smaller players on the field, but he could make any defensive player look slow and his change in direction was so enjoyable to watch.

What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done?

I moved to New York City after school by myself to start a job on Wall Street.

What is your go-to pregame meal?

Chicken, with a side of vegetables ... with A LOT of hot sauce.

If you could have one song played after every time you score or make a big play, what would it be?

"Freedom" by Beyonce, because she's Queen B.

What is something most people don't know about you?

I still sleep with my baby blanket.

Was there ever a time you doubted yourself?

After my senior year at UNC when we lost going into the final four. We had spent so much time and energy working towards winning a title, so it was very hard to know my time was up. I moved to New York City and started focusing my time and efforts on other goals I had, such as starting a career. I was also the most proud the following year watching UNC to go on and in the first title in Carolina history.

What one word do you think best describes yourself?

Passionate.

What is the best advice you received from a coach?

My club coach used to tell us all the time the importance of practice. He would always stress the importance of putting the time in and how if you don't do it, someone else, somewhere is.

What advice would you give a young player to reach your level?

If you truly want something, you have to be able to work everyday at it.

Follow the U.S. women's national team as it competes for gold in the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse Women's World Cup in Guildford, England, and the 2017 IWGA World Games in Wroclaw, Poland. This "Mission Log" will continue throughout both events with each player providing insight on their journey.