First and First: U.S. Women's Box Pioneers Make History in Utica
Kennedy’s speed once again took center stage during the inaugural World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica, N.Y. in September. Kennedy finished second on the team with 24 goals — almost all of them on scintillating fast breaks — to earn tournament MVP honors after leading the United States past Canada, 10-7, to capture the first gold in women’s box lacrosse.
Two months before the championship, Kennedy had no idea the role she filled even existed.
“I played settled offense at every training camp,” Kennedy said. “Then I was coming out the back door and I had breakaway after breakaway. They were like, ‘OK, you’re going to stay. This might be something we have.’ I loved my job. I don’t care if I was a defender. I don’t care what they call me. I was still scoring goals and it was just the most exhilarating goals I’ve ever scored in my whole entire life.”
Her story mirrored that of a U.S. box team literally built from scratch.
GINNY CAPICCHIONI DIDN’T KNOW much about lacrosse when she went to Sacred Heart to play field hockey. By the time she left, she was a three-time Northeast Conference Goalie of the Year and developed a love for the sport. Her love took her to box lacrosse, where opportunities for women were few and far between.
Capicchioni blazed a new path, playing in the men’s National Lacrosse League in 2003 with the New Jersey Storm. Eight years later, she played on the U.S. men’s box team that won a bronze medal at the world championship.
So, when the opportunity came to create a new women’s box lacrosse program in the United States, her pioneering spirit — and frankly, love for box lacrosse — made her the perfect choice to serve as the country’s first head coach.
She left no stone unturned in looking for players. Some were the best-known women’s lacrosse players in the world, but many others were not household names. A series of player identification camps served as an open invitation, the first of which happened to be in Utica.
Capicchioni took the team to the adjoining Adirondack Bank Center, where the world championship game would be contested in about 16 months. She introduced the concept of Team One and the players immediately bought in.