England U19 Women: US Tour Blog Days 6 & 7

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Forty girls from the England U19 National Academy programme are currently on a tour to the USA in preparation for the 2018 U20 European Championships next month and next year’s 2019 Under 19 World Championships in Canada. Each day, members of the squad will be tracking their experiences on tour.

Day 6

Bella B
Today was a slightly earlier start as we prepared for the final day of the tournament at the University of Maryland.

At high temperatures we battled through some well fought matches, making sure to be smart with hydration and suncream, to ensure everyone was on fighting form for the Capital Cup tournament this weekend.

Between games, each team participated in fastest shot and furthest shot competitions.

Our girls made us proud with Anna Saunter, Bex Ailles and Sofia Johanson winning the furthest shot competition, awarded with a handy Under Armour bag and Zoe Macrae, Issie Edwards and Izzy Yates winning a very impressive Under Armour stick head for the fastest shot in each of their teams.

The overall results of the tournament placed team A in first place, winning a vast 2 litre Under Armour water bottle each.

Following the closing of the Maryland camp, we travelled to our next destination, the Marriott hotel in downtown Richmond, where the Capital Cup will take place.

After settling into our rooms, we went out for a lovely dinner before getting an early night’s sleep in preparation for our matches tomorrow.
Day 7
Hannah B, Lexi, Hannah T and Cece

Friday marked the start of the Capital Cup Lacrosse tournament as well as the opportunity to be seen by recruiters from different universities across America.

The day for the B team began at 7:30 with a hearty breakfast followed by the transfer to the tournament grounds.

Our first match was against Fire Lacrosse club at 10 am. It proved to be a tough match but ultimately the girls pulled off a 7-6 victory.

After a short break our second match began at 12 pm against True Lacrosse club.

We had a very convincing victory of 14-1 allowing the girls to show off skills learnt throughout the tour.

The girls were excited to get back to the hotel for a long rest as well as a pool recovery session.

This was enjoyed by all the girls as it allowed us to relax, have fun and stretch.

An early night was needed as all the girls were tired, so they could prepare for an early morning on the second day of the tournament.

The A team didn’t have a game until 3pm and so we were allowed a much-appreciated lie until 9am.

The morning gave us an opportunity to stretch, relax and walk to subway for lunch.

On arrival at the pitches we were greeted by intense heat. However, this didn’t stop us from a convincing 8-3 victory against our first opponents, Mitten Select.

By our second game the temperature had slightly cooled and the sun had dipped below the trees.

Again, the team showed great teamwork and composure to beat Pacific Falcons 10-4.

After a team victory dance, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower and dinner.

Following a long day, we were all ready to head to bed ready for some big games tomorrow.