Long Islanders help propel Team USA to 5th straight World Lacrosse Women's Championship in Tokyo

Fresh off four consecutive gold medals, the U.S. Women’s National Team had lofty expectations entering the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Tokyo.

“[We] set out to be the greatest U.S. women's national team to exist in women's lacrosse,” Ally Kennedy said.

Mission accomplished. After outscoring opponents 123-27 while going 6-0, the U.S. won its fifth straight and 10th overall World Lacrosse Women’s Championship. Kennedy, a North Babylon native, was named the tournament’s MVP after registering 10 goals and six assists.

Fellow Long Islanders Sam Apuzzo (West Babylon), Katie Goodale (Riverhead), Emma LoPinto (Manhasset), Madison Taylor (Wantagh) and Cassidy Weeks (Bayport) helped the U.S. dominate the tournament.

“It's nice to be on the same team for once and make Long Island proud,” Kennedy said of Team USA’s Long Island connection.

The World Lacrosse Women’s Championship is played every four years, and Kennedy said the tryouts for this year’s roster began in 2024. The 22-player roster was officially announced in January.

Kennedy and Apuzzo were two of the six players returning from the 2022 roster, but it was the majority of the players’ first time playing for the U.S. senior national team. Even so, Taylor felt the chemistry click instantly.

“We obviously all watch each other play, and we're all such big fans of each other,” Taylor said. “So, when we get to do things like this, and all be on the same team, it's even more fun to get to know each other off the field.”

Taylor, who won the Tewaaraton Award and led Northwestern to the NCAA title earlier this year in her final season of eligibility, said she never played with any of the other Long Islanders before the tournament.

The roster spanned from recent college graduates like Taylor to veteran Women’s Lacrosse League players like Kennedy.

“Getting to be a part of this team was just such a special experience, and I'm really grateful to be a part of it,” Taylor said. “Offensively, we just shared the ball so well, and we played so selflessly.”

The tournament began on July 25 at Oi Stadium, with the U.S. downing Ireland 18-5. Team USA allowed more than five goals once across its six games, which came in its 19-7 win over Israel in the semifinals.

The U.S. defeated Canada 16-4 in the title game on Sunday at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, as Apuzzo led the way with three goals and two assists.

“We were the highest-scoring team in the six-game tournament format. Any other U.S. team that has competed in the six-game format, we outscored by like 30 goals,” Kennedy said.

In the aftermath, Kennedy said she wasn’t expecting to be named MVP. Instead, she was expecting to hear Apuzzo’s name called.

As her name was being announced, Kennedy even said she was saying Apuzzo’s name and almost missed hearing her own name. Nonetheless, she was extremely grateful.

“Being able to get that recognition on the world stage is unreal,” she said. “It's a dream, honestly. It's a dream I didn't even know that I really had or thought was possible.”

When Acacia Walker-Weinstein was named Team USA’s head coach in 2024, her goal was to assemble the best women’s lacrosse team ever. Two years later, she did.

The experience will last a lifetime.

Said Kennedy: “It's a dream and opportunity of a lifetime to be able to represent your country.”