2009 Capitol Cup
Germantown, Maryland -- June 18 - 21, 2009
After a very early wake up in Austin, the girls caught a 7 am flight direct to Baltimore. All went well with the flight, the baggage claim, and picking up the rental vans; off to a good start to another one of Coach Jo's Summer Lacrosse trips. This time the Outlaws are playing in the All American Showcase Tournament called the Capitol Cup at the spectacular Maryland Soccer Complex in Germantown, Maryland. There are scouts, recruiters, and coaches here from 105 colleges and universities from all across the US.
Our first order of business was to visit some of those colleges, so we went to Loyola, where we had lunch in the dining hall, Johns Hopkins, Towson, and Goucher. It is fascinating to observe the reactions of each of the girls to the various locales, campuses, and facilities. It's equally interesting to see them try to picture themselves in these settings and then listen to their banter about what they each think.
We also made a stop at the “Sports Her Way” store in Baltimore. It's heaven for girls that love the combination of lacrosse and shopping! After a very nice dinner at Bahama Breeze we checked into our hotel in Germantown.
Since our first game was scheduled for late in the day we went to see American University, George Washington, and had lunch at Georgetown University. As a special treat we took a self-guided tour of the National Cathedral – absolutely beautiful! After a very pleasant morning we headed back to Germantown for some lacrosse. The Outlaws were scheduled to play Lanco Elite White, a club team from Central Pennsylvania. There has been so much rain here lately, there was some concern for the condition of the fields. In fact, a significant portion (the Middle School Division) of the showcase was canceled. Fortunately, field 17 was in outstanding shape and the girls were “up” for playing lacrosse here on the East Coast.
All of the practice in the Texas heat really paid off. The girls had an outstanding first game. In a mostly offensive effort, the Outlaws put in some excellent work; doing set play offenses and patiently working the ball into the goal. Most (almost all) of the goals were set up with assists, which speaks to the quality of the girl's teamwork. We cannot overlook the defensive squad in this game; they essentially shut down Lanco's offense and allowed only four shots on goal and all of those were saved.
After a superb first win, the girls made their first strike on the Vendor Village and did quite well there too! By the end of the showcase, the Outlaws had played four very tough matches, learned a lot about high-level, competitive lacrosse, really elevated their game and individual skills.
For more information or to arrange a try-out contact: coachjo@texasplayhard.com.
