Breaking Down the U.S. Women's Roster Headed for IWLCA Presidents Cup

A new era has begun.

Choosing Acacia Walker-Weinstein as the next head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team was the first step. Now, the next crop of players vying to make the final roster will get their first crack at impressing the staff in game action at the IWLCA Presidents Cup in in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., this weekend.

The U.S. will hold a Blue-White exhibition game on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. and will then scrimmage Boston College the next day at 10:30 a.m. The U.S. is coming off a gold medal in the 2022 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Towson, Md. The 2026 championship will be held in Japan.

Walker-Weinstein knows what it takes to build a championship roster. She’s won two national championship (2021, 2024) at Boston College and was a two-time gold medalist in the U.S. women’s program as a player.

Forty-four players will be making the trip to Florida this weekend. Here’s the roster and some facts about the collection of stars representing the red, white and blue.

USA Women's Presidents Cup Roster

BOSTON STRONG

Unsurprisingly, 12 Boston College players are on the 44-player roster — the most of any school. Here’s the school-by-school breakdown:

• Boston College, 12
• North Carolina, 6
• Syracuse, 5
• Northwestern, 4
• Loyola, 3
• Maryland, 2
• Michigan, 2
• Notre Dame, 2
• Penn, 2
• Stony Brook, 2
• Denver, 1
• Florida, 1
• Johns Hopkins, 1
• Rutgers, 1
• UMass, 1
• Virginia, 1

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

One state will send an overwhelming number of representatives to Presidents Cup. Eighteen of the 44 players hail from New York, 12 more than the next closest state (New Jersey). Here’s the state-by-state breakdown:

• New York, 18
• New Jersey, 6
• Maryland, 5
• Pennsylvania, 4
• Connecticut, 2
• Massachusetts, 2
• Michigan, 2
• New Hampshire, 2
• Florida, 1
• Ohio, 1
• Texas, 1

GOLDEN

There are nine gold medalists from the 2022 U.S. team that won the most recent world championship in Towson, Md — Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault, Becca Block, Megan Douty, Ally Kennedy, Ally Mastroianni, Marie McCool, Charlotte North and Caylee Waters.

NOT THEIR FIRST RODEO

Outside of the nine returning gold medalists, 10 other plays have represented the U.S. in world competition — Abby Bosco (Box, 2024), Kasey Choma (U19, 2019), Shea Dolce (U20, 2024), Emma LoPinto (U20, 2024), Ellie Masera (World Games, 2022), Taylor Moreno (Box, 2024), Izzy Scane (U19, 2019), Belle Smith (U19, 2019), Madison Taylor (U20, 2024) and Kayla Wood (Box, 2024).

PASSING THE TORCH

U.S. team legends Taylor Cummings and Kayla Treanor, world champions in 2022, have retired, leaving the team’s leadership role in new hands. Becca Block, the most senior member of the 44-player roster, began her career in the U.S. program in 2012. Megan Douty, an all-world player in 2017, joined the program two years later in 2014. Marie McCool joined the year after in 2015.

While that trio will be essential in showing new players the ropes, it’s hard to overlook Sam Apuzzo – the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse champion — as someone who could become the go-to player on the team by 2026.

GOAL TO GO

The goalie position could very well be up for grabs after the retirement of Liz Hogan, the goalie who helped the U.S. win gold in 2022. Caylee Waters was also on that team and played key minutes, giving her the most world championship experience among the four goalies invited.

Taylor Moreno was on the U.S. training roster last cycle, plus she was a gold medalist in box earlier this year. Shea Dolce, the hero of the 2024 NCAA championship game, joins the roster after a gold-medal showing with the U20 team in Hong Kong, China. Delaney Sweitzer, a recent Syracuse graduate, was a 2023 first-team All-American.

CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE

There are 19 players on the roster who have won at least one NCAA Division I championship. Seven come from Boston College’s 2024 NCAA champion.

YOUNG AND HUNGRY

The youngest player invited? That’d be Virginia sophomore Jenna DiNardo. A member of the ACC All-Freshman team after a standout rookie season in college, DiNardo is already a threat. She registered six hat tricks a season ago and finished with 39 goals, third-most on the upstart Cavaliers.

HOME COOKING

One player, Olivia Adamson, could have some extra motivation to show out at the IWLCA Presidents Cup. Lakewood Ranch is less than 40 miles away from her hometown of St. Petersburg, so plenty of family and friends could be in attendance.

Adamson, a Syracuse senior, is expected to be one of the Orange’s offensive focal points in 2025. She produced career highs across the board in 2024, including goals (58), assists (25), ground balls (12) and caused turnovers (seven).

She has draw experience, too, as she amassed 107 draw controls in 2023 as a replacement for the then-injured Kate Mashewske.

POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN

• Attack, 15
• Midfield, 14
• Defense, 12
• Goalie, 4