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AUBURNDALE, Fla. – And so it continues.
The best rivalry in international lacrosse will add another chapter on Monday when the United States meets Canada for the inaugural Pan-American Women’s Lacrosse Championship at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.
It’s been over a decade since any countries other than the U.S. and Canada have met in a World Lacrosse women’s championship – no matter the discipline – and now they’re bringing the rivalry to the continental federation level.
“It’s a great rivalry,” said Ally Mastroianni, who won gold medals against Canada in 2022 at the World Lacrosse senior field championship and again in 2024 at the World Lacrosse box championship. “They’re so talented. They really are just leveling up our sport, as well as us, so it’s an opportunity to compete at the highest level. It’s the best of the best in the world against each other. Any chance to compete at that level is just incredible.”
When USA head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein was playing, Australia was the main rival to the United States. Walker won a U19 championship in 1999 – after the Aussies had won the previous championship in 1995 – and then brought home another championship against Australia at the senior level in 2009, again following an Australia defeat of U.S. at the previous championship in 2005.
But since then, Canada has taken giant leaps forward, becoming the main threat to the USA. The U.S. has had the upper hand, winning seven of the nine matchups in world championship games (World Lacrosse and International World Games Association) over Canada since 2013, but the Canadians stunned the U.S. U19 team in 2015 in Scotland and then won the gold in sixes at The World Games in 2022 in Birmingham, Ala.
That sixes championship in The World Games came just over a week after the U.S. beat Canada in field lacrosse at Towson University nearly three years ago.
Every single time that I get to put on the U.S. jersey, it’s such an honor and it means so much to me. No matter how many times I’ve been able to do it, it’s still special every single time.
Marie McCool
Canada’s roster on Monday will be considerably more experienced at the senior team level than the U.S. squad. A dozen players on Canada’s Pan-American team – including veteran stars like Bianca Chevarie, Erica Evans, Megan Kinna and Lydia Sutton - competed at the 2022 world championship, compared to just six for the U.S.
Sam Apuzzo and Marie McCool were on the U.S. team that day in 2022 – and they’ve both won significant championships since the 2022 world title – but that came in a coaching capacity – Apuzzo with Boston College in 2024 and McCool with North Carolina last month. Now they relish the opportunity to play for a championship.
“It’s been since 2022 since I’ve had the opportunity to [play for a championship],” McCool said. “Being able to be together this past week has been awesome. You can feel every single game the chemistry continuing to build and get better – not just on the field, but off the field. Spending time together off the field, we’re getting to know each other on a personal level which is so important for the chemistry on the field.”
“I’m so excited to be a team with a bunch of really incredible lacrosse players,” Apuzzo said. “It’s so fun to compete at the highest level with a group of girls that want the same thing as you.”
Mastroianni has had more recent team playing experiences than Apuzzo and McCool, playing this winter in the Women’s Lacrosse League Championship Series and with the U.S. box team last fall, but every opportunity is special for players who have always had the sport as a part of their identity.
“I love being on a team – I miss being on a team and being on this team specifically is so special,” Mastroianni said. “We’re really building something special and I think our coaches are a huge part of that. This group that we have – so many different personalities and talent and everything in between. There’s just a lot of great human beings on this team and phenomenal lacrosse players, so it’s really cool seeing pieces start to get put together.”
Walker-Weinstein was named the head coach of the U.S. program in April 2024 and since then they’ve had several training camps and an exhibition game against Boston College last November, but this is the group’s first real taste of international competition.
The ultimate prize is next summer’s World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Tokyo, but a Pan-American championship is the immediate focus.
“These girls are competitors – they want to win at every level, individually, their unit, collectively for Team USA,” Walker-Weinstein said. “Tomorrow will be a great test and we’re really excited.”
“I think there’s going to be a lot of butterflies and a lot of excitement in the room, but it’s fun,” Apuzzo said. “A lot of us haven’t been on this stage in a long time, so this is just the start of the journey that we’re going on, so I think there’s going to be a lot of excitement going into the game.”
McCool is one of the true veterans on the team, having won World Cups in 2017 and 2022 and a World Games title in 2017. Despite being a part of the national team for a decade, Sunday’s semifinal win was the first time she had ever gotten a chance to play against the Haudenosaunee.
It was one more special moment in a distinguished international career. She hopes to add another one against Canada on Monday.
“Every single time that I get to put on the U.S. jersey, it’s such an honor and it means so much to me,” McCool said. “No matter how many times I’ve been able to do it, it’s still special every single time. To be able to do that for a championship game with my teammates is something that’s just a really special feeling that I’m really excited to experience.”
Brian Logue has worked at USA Lacrosse since 2000 and is currently the senior director of communications. He saw his first lacrosse game in 1987 - Virginia at Delaware - and fell in love with the sport while working at Washington and Lee University.
