Walker-Weinstein Tells National Team Hopefuls 'Who You Are is What Got You Here'

BRADENTON, Fla. — Acacia Walker-Weinstein’s message during her first training camp as head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team was simple.

She stood in the Fieldhouse on the campus of the IMG Academy and delivered the mantra during the team’s welcome meeting Friday morning. After the evening’s first practice featuring 43 national team hopefuls, she reiterated her stance.

Then, in the whipping wind at Premier Sports Campus in Bradenton, Fla., Saturday morning, she tripled down on her vision for the U.S. program.

“When it’s your moment to fire the shot from the outside, do it!” she told her players. “If you want to take a one-on-one, do it. Don’t change who you are, because who you are is what got you here.”

Walker-Weinstein, the former U.S. gold medalist and two-time NCAA championship coach at Boston College, was tasked with leading a program fresh off one of the most impressive displays in senior team history — when players like Taylor Cummings and Kayla Treanor lifted the U.S. to a second straight gold medal at Towson University in 2022. During that run to gold, fans saw dizzying displays of skill and athleticism, prompting unprecedented levels of engagement for women’s lacrosse.

Just a few months since she guided BC to another national title, Walker-Weinstein admitted she made the trip to Bradenton with a few nerves.

“I want to try to assemble the greatest lacrosse team of all time,” she said. “If that doesn’t make you a little nervous, I don’t think you’re human.”

The new edition of the U.S. Women’s National Team showcased their skills as part of the three-day camp run adjacent to the IWLCA Presidents Cup, one of the premier girls’ lacrosse club tournaments in the country.

Saturday night, the U.S. hosted a Blue-White exhibition game in front of a packed crowd. They saw Madison Taylor score with nine seconds left to give Team Blue a 14-13 victory. Then, the training roster split two groups to battle Walker-Weinstein’s Boston College team for two three-quarters games, one ending in an 8-8 tie and the other a comfortable 10-7 U.S. victory.

Walker-Weinstein and her coaching staff, including recent U.S. gold medalists Treanor and Devon Wills, had players competing in drills from the first practice on, and that intensity translated to the field.

“It was electric,” she said of the atmosphere throughout the training camp. “The coaches were so excited about it, all the way through the last minute. We kept the strategy simple and just let them play. We’re just trying to get them to build their personal brand within our system.”

Among the 43 players competing in Florida were two-time gold medalists like Meg Douty and Marie McCool, who brought a wealth of experience to a roster full of current and recent college stars. In fact, 26 of the women who wore the red, white and blue this weekend were either current college players or had graduated in May.

Those who have been through the tryout process before know that when the jersey says “USA,” the feeling is unlike any in lacrosse.

“Playing for the U.S. has been some of my favorite memories,” McCool said. “I loved college, I love [North] Carolina, but it’s an opportunity to continue to play the game I love with the best in the world.”

Walker-Weinstein’s eyes are set on the 2026 World Lacrosse World Championship in Japan, where a new era of U.S. women’s lacrosse will be ushered in.

Last weekend served as the first step in the process — one long in the making.

CRAFTINESS AND CREATIVITY

Erin Coykendall stood in her natural habitat in the second quarter of the Blue-White exhibition — inches below the crease, feet planted in the grass, peering through the Team Blue defense for a window to flick a pass.

In what probably felt like ages for Team Blue goalie Shea Dolce, Coykendall picked up on a cut from Kenzie Kent, who dodged toward the left side.

Coykendall found her window, firing a pinpoint pass to Kent’s left hand. All the Boston College alum had to do was propel her stick forward, and Team White took an 8-4 lead.

“I just waited until she got her left hand free and threw it up to her,” Coykendall said. “I knew she’d catch it and finish it even with such a low angle.”

Coykendall’s trust in Kent was reminiscent of how lifelong teammates speak, but up until last weekend, two of the craftiest players in recent lacrosse history had never played on the same line. In fact, the two college lacrosse stars hadn’t shared the field as teammates until the U.S. Sixes training camp in June (not even during the 2024 Athletes Unlimited season).

The U.S. Women’s National Team training camp served as a first for two players whose skills mirrored one another. Both spent time torturing defenders from X. Both had enough fakes to leave heads spinning. Both could fit a feed through even the tightest pockets of space.

It comes as no surprise that Coykendall, the younger of the duo by four years, spent plenty of time modeling her game after Kent.

“I watched Kenzie all the time,” Coykendall said. “The biggest thing I took was her creativity and ability to see the next play developing before it happens. She can beat a defense in so many ways and is always dangerous with the ball. I’ve tried to implement those skills, especially once I got to college.”

Walker-Weinstein spoke to the 43-player training roster having the freedom to be creative. Players like Coykendall and Kent probably don’t know another way to play the game.

Within minutes of Friday night’s practice, Coykendall and Kent shared the same offensive line in player-down drills. The ball moved from stick to stick in a fraction of a second, with the crease duo often on the finishing end of sequences.

Kent fed off Coykendall’s creativity and vice versa, and the momentum continued to the field. Coykendall played the role of feeder against Boston College, the team she faced in May’s NCAA title game, while Kent dodged and finished in close against her former team.

It was a match made in lacrosse heaven, playing out in front of hundreds in Bradenton.

“The past two days have been so fun learning from and playing with Erin,” Kent said. “She has some of the best lacrosse IQ and vision in the world.”

“Even though we haven’t played together, it just feels so natural,” Coykendall said. “She’s so easy to play with, and she makes everyone around her better.”

Walker-Weinstein was watching the two former All-Americans mesh as they helped the U.S. offense work efficiently.

“The most brilliant part of their game is their unselfish nature,” she said. “The ball movement, their vision — they’re very keen on setting people up. When you put those two together on the same team, it’s pretty dangerous.”