This evening, weather permitting, the inaugural game in the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League Championship Series will be played. This tournament, league of Sixes lacrosse that aspires to grow alongside the Premier Lacrosse League, will begin a week-long run at the St. James facility in Springfield, Va.
Sixes, the format that will debut at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, is a different format from what most of the players in the league are accustomed. That will make it an interesting and fast-paced competition, and how well some of these players do here may have a bearing on selection for the Olympic team in a few years.
Here is a capsule look at the four teams that will play round-robin before a semifinal round on Sunday and a Monday final:
NEW YORK CHARGING
Players to watch: Kim Coykendall, Kylie Ohlmiller, Izzy Scane, Emily Hawryschuk
Player to root for: Molly Laliberty. How can you not pull for the only player who started her career with a Division III school?
The skinny: When you have the current Tewaaraton Trophy holder on your team, you always have a chance. I think this team has all the pieces to make it to next Monday’s final. The interplay close to goal will be critical
BOSTON GUARD
Players to watch: Charlotte North, Dempsey Arsenault, Cassidy Weeks, Madison Ahern
Player to root for: Kady Glynn. The former Notre Dame goalie was a stalwart in Athletes Unlimited, and might have won an AU individual championship if not for a player named Taylor Moreno
The skinny: North, like it or not, is the face of the league, which puts an unfair level of expectations on the entire roster. North was the leading scorer for the United States women’s box lacrosse team in last fall’s World Championships, so she knows how to work in the small spaces of Sixes
CALIFORNIA PALMS
Players to watch: Ally Mastroanni, Taylor Moreno, Sammy Jo Tracy, Kayla Wood
Player to root for: Caitlyn Wurzburger. After a decade of outstanding play in scholastic, collegiate, and international lacrosse, she took a year off after her last college game. I have a feeling that this player is going to show out with tremendous determination and focus
The skinny: This is a side with eight UNC alumnae and plenty of Athletes Unlimited and international experience. This side is going to go as far as Mastroianni takes them, and Moreno will have to be at her best
MARYLAND CHARM
Players to watch: Alex Aust Holman, Aurora Cordingly, Sydni Black, Lizzie Colson
Player to root for: Megan Whittle. The former Maryland star did not play in Athletes Unlimited, and the only place you got to see her was with Team England in the World Cup
The skinny: Never underestimate a roster with seven former Maryland Terrapins on it, especially backed by a goalie the quality of Caylee Waters. However, this is a game of fine margins, and I’ll be interested to see if the players on this team can adjust to the Sixes format