Darien-to-USA Pipeline Runs Through the Crease with Dolce, Waters

Caylee Waters’ hourlong introduction to Shea Dolce continues to linger in the former North Carolina standout’s mind.

“I could see from a young age the path for her as a goalie. She is going to be able to shatter the stereotypes and be her own unique goalie,” Waters said. “I remember thinking, ‘I hope she loves the position,’ because she’s going to make a real difference.”

While back home for the summer in Darien, Conn., Waters connected with Dolce — then a seventh-grade student whose family recently moved east from Chicago. The young player was a relative newcomer to the position, but Waters offered to show Dolce the ropes in a training session at Darien High School.

Dolce soon stepped onto her eventual high school stomping grounds with a player she idolized. The session proved a launching point for the bond between two of Darien’s most decorated lacrosse players.

“I loved that she just worked with what you had,” Dolce said. “What I enjoyed about her most was that she was just a joy to be around. If I was with her for an hour, I knew I was going to have fun.”

Nearly a decade after their first encounter, Dolce and Waters are the two goalies on the U.S. Women’s National Team that will compete in the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Japan. Waters helped USA win gold in 2022, while Dolce will make her field debut with the senior team.

The two have taken mirrored paths to sharing the international stage.

Waters graduated from Darien in 2013, while Dolce did so in 2022. At North Carolina, Waters earned IWLCA Goalie of the Year in 2015 and won a national title the following year. Dolce’s last-second kick save sealed the 2024 national championship for Boston College, and she garnered Goalie of the Year honors in 2025.

“For two goalies to come from the same town, graduate from the same high school but have such an age gap, it’s just something you don’t think would ever happen,” Dolce said. “To think, she coached me when I first started playing lacrosse, and now we’re playing on one of the biggest stages.”

Both Waters and Dolce developed under National Lacrosse Hall of Famer Lisa Lindley. (As did attacker Chloe Humphrey, giving the U.S. three players from the same coastal Connecticut town.) The longtime Darien coach recalled Waters as a naturally talented netminder who refined her skills later in her career and Dolce as a rare combination of athleticism and technique.

“There’s no one better than Caylee to mentor Shea,” Lindley said. “What Caylee shows Shea, Shea will then show the next goalie coming up. That dynamic is amazing, and the U.S. has an advantage there.”

Dolce has long sought Waters for guidance. They have kept in contact throughout their respective playing careers, sharing advice and kudos.

“I remember thinking when she got to high school, ‘Wouldn’t that be cool if we got to play together?” Waters said. “Lo and behold, it has just happened that way. Each time we play together, it almost feels like a pinch-me moment. This is real. We’re both repping the same team at the same time. Now we’re in sync. We get to do this together.”