Jan. 27, 2008

by Clare Lochary, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - At first, things looked cloudy for the U.S. women's Elite team and its ambitious players. But then they let it rain.

Elite needed an 11-goal run Saturday to beat the U.S. Developmental team, 14-7, in wet conditions at the Disney Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. at the US Lacrosse third annual Champions Challenge.

Elite's attack was slow to gel, falling behind 5-1 to its training squad early in the first half. But then 11 goals in 36:45 put them back on top. A torrential downpour coincided almost exactly with the run, much to the delight of leading scorer Quinn Carney (3g, 1a).

"Playing in the rain is so fun. It brings you back to being a little kid and playing in the mud," said Carney, who attributed the team's sluggish start to a bad warm-up.

Elite head coach Sue Heether had another theory on her team's early reticence. With looming cuts for the 18-player Elite travel team that will attend this summer's Prague Cup, nerves and the desire to avoid missteps overcame some players' better instincts.

"They're scared to make mistakes, and Devo is here to say why they should be on the team," said Heether. "Developmental capitalized on every mistake we made in the first half. In transition, we retreated. The retreat mode really hurt us."

Champions Challenge marked the second consecutive time Elite has overcome a Developmental lead to win. After falling behind 3-1 at the eight-minute mark, Elite crushed Devo, 23-12, at US Lacrosse's Stars & Stripes Weekend on Oct. 7 in Beaverton, Ore.

This time Devo made it 16:02 before things took a turn, but head coach Amy Patton still wants to work on sustaining that aggression and confidence. Kelly Taylor (North Carolina '09) led the team with three goals, while Mallory Poole (C.W. Post '08) added speed at midfield. But the early sparks faded, and gave way to 7-5 halftime deficit.

"We reacted to them [during the 11-0 run], rather than them reacting to us. Their ride really rattled us," said Patton. "They beat us between the 30s."

While Elite's offensive run was impressive, credit was also given to the team's new sagging defense anchored by Regina Oliver and Liz Pillion, which deflated Devo at just the right moment. While cuts for the Elite touring team won't come until Feb. 1, Developmental goalie Kendall McBrearty (Virginia '08) may have punched her ticket for Prague with her solid second-half performance that included some impressive crease saves in the final minutes.

Approximately 300 fans braved the rain to watch the match-up between National Teams Program squads. More spectators are expected Sunday, when Elite and Developmental will play NCAA Division I teams from Duke and Johns Hopkins, as Champions Challenge continues.