Emma Muchnick's Once-Deferred Dream Coming True in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, China — The shock hadn’t left Emma Muchnick’s face as she grabbed her equipment, waved goodbye to members of Puerto Rico’s U20 national team and darted toward the stands at Hong Kong Football Club on Wednesday.

After a few seconds, her eyes locked in on the target — her family, dressed in identical gray “Team USA” t-shirts from Old Navy. She embraced her mother, Jennifer, and then her father, Jack, before exchanging a few giggles with her little brother, Jaxon.

Muchnick was just minutes past being named the Player of the Match for the U.S. U20 team’s quarterfinal victory and meeting one of her idols, Izzy Scane, after posting four points, four draw controls and two caused turnovers to help the U.S. advance to the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship semifinals against Australia.

All she could think about were the people and the moments that led her to Hong Kong on a rainy day in August, playing for a gold medal.

“Congrats!” said Jennifer Muchnick as she hugged her daughter. “You crushed it.”

“We’re proud of you,” Jack Muchnick said.

Jennifer Muchnick bought six sets of matching shirts for her family to wear during the tournament. She’s had plenty of time to plan attire given that as soon as the Muchnicks heard that their daughter had made the team, they jumped at the opportunity to book tickets to Hong Kong — not only for Jennifer and Jack Muchnick, but for all three of Emma’s siblings (Jaxon, Hannah and Lilly).

For each of the first five games, her family sat in matching shirts, rooting for a player who made an impact as a do-it-all middle and has kickstarted a potent offense. Jennifer Muchnick sat in the stands Wednesday, shooting photos on her Lumix camera, while Jack and Jaxon Muchnick cheered on their favorite player.

“We’re super proud of her as a human being and a teammate,” Jack Muchnick said. “The opportunity to get to this point was incredible.”

Muchnick’s road to Hong Kong has been far from ordinary, but she’s grateful for the moment. Still, she said it wouldn’t remotely compare if her family was not present.

“They mean everything to me. I’m so happy that they’re here with me,” Muchnick said. “It’s amazing that they get to experience this with me. Just looking over and seeing them in the stands, I have to pinch myself knowing we’re in Hong Kong playing the game that I love.”

The disbelief that Muchnick felt is genuine for a player who admittedly avoids the limelight. But given her journey to playing on the world stage, it’s not hard to understand why her time in Hong Kong has been surreal.

In addition to lacrosse, Muchnick grew up a star tennis player in Suffern, N.Y., to the point that her family contemplated sending her to an academy to work on her skills. The academy mandated her homeschool on site, spend at least 20 hours training in tennis each week and play in upward of 24 tournaments a year.

Muchnick, who idolized tennis icon Roger Federer, didn’t take that proposition lightly, especially when it came to her other sport.

“She turned to Jack and I and said, ‘When am I going to play lacrosse?’” Jennifer Muchnick remembered. “The director of the program turned and said, ‘Well, there’s your decision. She’s going to play lacrosse.’”

As tennis became secondary, Muchnick develope into a legitimate college lacrosse recruit at Suffern High School, where she finished her career with 226 goals and 125 assists. In what was a seminal moment in Muchnick’s lacrosse journey, she participated in the 2019 National Team Development Program tryouts and made the U15 Select team.

The tryout process did not come without adversity. During Muchnick's first day at tryouts, she was hit in the mouth with a stick and had to get stitches.

Dr. Kari Kindschi was on-site to administer the stitches that day. Five years later, she is serving as the team physician for the U.S. U20 team, making the trip with a player she helped get back on the field at USA Lacrosse headquarters.

“They’re like best friends now,” Jack Muchnick said.

Muchnick competed for the USA Select team that fall, competing with eventual U20 teammates Shea Dolce, Kori Edmondson and Emma LoPinto. That same weekend, the U.S. Women’s National Team competed against Maryland in the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic. She stayed at the Embassy Suites in Hunt Valley, Md., where she came face-to-face with then-national team star Kayla Treanor in the hotel elevator. Treanor would later become her head coach at Syracuse.

At the time, Muchnick was trying to establish herself as a player who wasn’t scared to do the dirty work on the lacrosse field. She loved fighting for ground balls, playing aggressively on the ride and setting teammates up for success.

As she progressed through her high school career, Muchnick’s teammates (and parents of teammates) were surprised at the calm, cool and kind personality she displayed off the field — given that she played the game with such passion.

“Seeing her play is incredible,” Jennifer Muchnick said. “She will run you over like a freight train, but she’ll extend her hand faster than you can blink. That’s the true spirit of who she is to the essence of her core.”

Those same attributes are what made her stand out during her freshman season at Maryland, where she started in 13 games for the Terps. However, after a season in College Park, she decided to transfer to Syracuse — a school some three hours north of her hometown.

“I’m really grateful for my whole journey,” Muchnick said. “It wasn’t super smooth, but everyone’s journey is different. I’ve found an amazing home at Syracuse. The second I walked onto campus, I felt like home. I’m grateful that I got that opportunity.”

Muchnick had the opportunity to try out for the U20 team in the summer of 2023, but the rigors of the transfer were weighing on her. After a sophomore season at Syracuse in which Muchnick turned in 14 goals, 13 assists, 15 ground balls and 20 draw controls, Michelle Tumolo gave her a call to see if she’d reconsider.

This time, Muchnick was ready for the challenge.

“What universe allowed me to have this second opportunity?” Muchnick asked her parents.

A few weeks later, she got the call that she had made the team — a dream once deferred come true. She was excited to travel the world to play the game she loved, but she was even more thrilled to be able to play on an attack line featuring LoPinto, Madison Taylor and Madison Alaimo.

Entering the semifinals against Australia, Muchnick has 13 goals, three assists, 11 draw controls, four ground balls and three caused turnovers.

As Scane uttered Muchnick’s name as the Player of the Match, her teammates exploded in support. She had no idea she’d be the focal point of the postgame celebration.

“I was so shocked,” she said. “It was so cool to talk with Izzy, and to hear her call my name out is pretty crazy. She’s a huge role model for me, and she had so much grit and tenacity, and that’s something I always want to do.”

The loudest cheers came from just feet off the pitch. Jennifer Muchnick snapped photos as Jack and Jaxon Muchnick clapped and screamed. You could consider it part of Muchnick’s star turn, though she might not ever be too comfortable with that label.

“She just wants to be known for lacrosse,” said Jaxon Muchnick, who in true family style, admitted he was anxious about the interview. “She doesn’t need all the popularity.”

“She always says, ‘I want to be known for my play,’” Jennifer Muchnick said. “‘I want people to know that I worked hard to be where I am.’”