World Champs

The mantra since they first gathered for a player ID camp 16 months ago prior to the inaugural World Lacrosse Women's Box Championship was “Team One.”

Scores of players were part of the team-building process — from player ID camps, training sessions, scrimmages — and every one of those players helped build the foundation that resulted in a world championship for the first U.S. women's box national team. They were tested every step of the way.

Beyond formal training, many of the players joined adult men's box lacrosse leagues, hungry for experience to learn a new discipline that most had little to no experience with. From the player pool, 23 were selected to represent Team One and represent they did.

Sometimes they dominated the floor at the world championship, but it wasn't always easy. They trailed the Haudenosaunee Nationals 4-1, when it seemed like any goals would be hard to come by. But the defense locked down, shutting out their opponents for the final 30-plus minutes and the offense finally got on track, rallying for an 11-4 victory.

In the gold medal game, the USA trailed in the fourth quarter, but they never questioned themselves, coming back for a 10-7 victory. Established field stars like Ally Kennedy (24 goals, tournament MVP) and Charlotte North (team-high 25 goals) thrived in the setting, but so did others that found new lacrosse lives with the box format. Erin Bakes, fell in love with box lacrosse, and led the team with 39 points to earn All-World honors. Ingrid Boyum, six years removed from her final game at Navy, led the tournament with an 87.9 save percentage and made 41 saves to seal the gold medal victory over Canada.

Team One became Team Won.