Quiet Alaimo Making the Most of Second Chance with U.S. Team

Madison Alaimo was packing her Player of the Match gift into her black USA Lacrosse backpack on the field at Shek Kip Mei Sports Ground when she heard her name called.

Alaimo popped her head up slowly, projecting a face of surprise and fear. As she walked toward the cameras, the inevitable was sinking in — she would have to answer questions from the USA Lacrosse media team.

“I hate interviews!” she joked as she smiled and approached the cameras.

For five minutes, Alaimo stood on the turf field at Shek Kip Mei and shared her journey to the U.S. U20 team — the same field where she had led the offense with three goals and four assists en route to a 29-1 victory over previously unbeaten China on Sunday afternoon.

Behind Alaimo, teammates and coaches were still talking about the Virginia attacker who was soft-spoken but when she touched the lacrosse field, something clicked.

“She’s silent but deadly,” joked Emma LoPinto.

“She’s one of the most unassuming players I’ve ever seen,” said U.S. U20 offensive coordinator Tim McCormick.

A silent assassin, Alaimo’s progress in the past calendar year has allowed her to fit right in on a U.S. attack line that features national champions LoPinto and Madison Taylor. Through three games at the World Lacrosse World Championship, Alaimo sits fourth among all players in the tournament with 17 points on six goals and 11 assists. She set a U.S. record at the junior level with six assists in the opening-round victory over Germany.

She has found the likes of LoPinto and Taylor on several occasions in three U.S. victories, setting each up for easy opportunities. However, when Alaimo gets a lane to the cage, she dodges and fakes her way toward easy finishes.

The least talked-about member of the U.S. starting trio — all of which let their playing do most of the talking — Alaimo could prove to be a vitally important piece of coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s plans as the U.S. chases gold.

“Playing with all these girls, rather than against them, it’s been really fun,” Alaimo said. “It’s so easy to work with them and share the ball throughout the game.”

“Her personality does not align with what you see on the field and I love that for her,” McCormick said. “She explodes when she’s out there and she competes all the time. She makes her teammates better with and without the ball.”

As much as Alaimo may be quiet off the field, she stands out as she suits up for gameday. Fans won’t miss the highlighter-orange headband that she wears for every game — a color she chose in the eighth grade and one with which she’s stuck.

“I didn’t like the hair in my face,” Alaimo said of the origin behind her headbands.

Alaimo had little idea in 2017 that she’d go to Virginia out of Wantagh High School on Long Island, thus providing a seamless transition to the orange and navy blue that accompany the Cavaliers’ uniforms.

She headed to Charlottesville last fall without visions of a trip to Hong Kong in her future. Alaimo, an alum of the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP), competed during the initial U.S. U20 tryouts last summer, but was originally not selected to the training team.

However, a freshman season at Virginia that saw Alaimo score 17 times and add 27 assists drew the attention of Amonte Hiller’s coaching staff once again. She was added to the U20 roster for the June training camp and earned her way onto the 22-player roster for the world championship.

“My coach called me and told me they wanted me to come back and try out, so I was grateful,” Alaimo said. “I just tried to put my best foot forward and then I ended up here. It’s been such a cool experience.”

Alaimo flashes the stick skills that allow her to move defenders and goalies in different directions to free up shooting lanes or corners of the cage. Playing primarily from X, she’s found chemistry with Taylor (her former high school teammate) and LoPinto (a former high school rival).

The starting trio for the U.S. has tallied a combined 62 points — a number through three games that seems out of a video game. A portion of that production has come on the ride, in which each of the three offensive stars has played a role. The highlight of the day came in the second quarter, when LoPinto forced a turnover on the ride and launched a cross-field pass to Taylor, who fed Alaimo, who then cut her way past two defenders for the goal.

In Game 1 against Germany, it was Alaimo making plays off the ride — a testament to the aggressive approach of the U.S. ride.

“We’ve gone over the ride a lot. We all know where we are and what we’re doing with it,” LoPinto said. “But Madison and Maddie are so good on the ride, always wanting the ball back.”

For Alaimo, an aggressive approach on the field seems like the antithesis of how she handles life off of it. LoPinto said she’s still in awe when she sees how her new teammate, and roommate for two weeks in Hong Kong, handles the U.S. offense.

“She has the nastiest dip and dunk I’ve ever seen,” LoPinto said. “She’s got goalies on the floor, and she’s so cute about it.”

Alaimo said she doesn't know why she can turn a switch when she's playing lacrosse, but it’s her way of finding peace.

“My mind just eases when I get on the field,” she said. “I just work hard for every play, it doesn’t matter who is watching.”