Five Players to Watch at Stars & Stripes
The 11th annual US Lacrosse Stars & Stripes event features 18 games over five days (Full
Schedule) in Palo Alto, Calif., on the campus of
Stanford University and nearby Burlingame High School. Team USA,
Australia, Canada and England along with collegiate teams Cal,
Stanford and Rikkyo (Japan). There are a lot of players to follow,
but here are five to pay extra special attention to:
Megan Takacs, M, Cal/Canada
The senior midfielder will be pulling double duty during Stars
& Stripes. She's on the roster for the Bears and for Team
Canada. The 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the
Year set a school record for goals last season (53) despite missing
three games due to injury. Takacs is a native of Woodside,
Calif.
Karri Ellen Johnson, A, USA
The United States' top draw specialists from 2009, Kristen
Kjellman and Acacia Walker, have since retired from the team,
opening up interesting possibilities for players who can get those
initial possessions. Johnson, a recent addition to the American
roster, had a team-high 76 draw controls for Maryland in 2012.
While she is new to the senior team, Johnson won a U19 gold medal
with the 2007 team.
Ruby Smith, M, England
Smith was the only English player named to the 2011 U19 All-World
team. The midfielder is making her senior team debut at Stars &
Stripes.
Nicole Martindale, M/A, Canada
Martindale is the youngest player on the Canadian roster. The 5-11
high school senior has committed to play for the University of
Denver. She plays for the Oshawa Lady Blue Knights, a Canadian club
team whose home field is the Oshawa Civic Recreation Center, which
will also be the venue for the 2013 FIL World Cup.
Lyndsey Munoz, G, Stanford
LaxMagazine.com's own blogger will be in the
cage for the host Cardinal. The junior keeper had a 41.1 save
percentage last season. Stanford hopes international competition in
the fall will help re-establish the Cardinal as the premier team in
the MPSF after an 8-10 finish in 2012. Munoz will see some familiar
faces shooting at her: Stanford assistants Lauren Schwarzmann and
Brooke McKenzie are national team players for the U.S. and Canada,
respectively. Additionally, Cardinal head coach Amy Bokker is an
assistant for Team USA.
Check back to LaxMagazine.com through Sunday for coverage
from US Lacrosse's Stars & Stripes event.
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