By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/14/12
Allie Murray called it “the perfect end.”
Murray, a freshman goalie at Notre Dame who helped lead Downingtown East to the state finals last year, was one of 14 players that came to Philadelphia Friday accept their rings for winning the U19 FIL World Championship last August in Hannover, Germany.
The ceremony was held at the Downtown Marriott next to the Pennsylvania Convention Center where US Lacrosse is holding its annual Convention. Murray played with the U19 team with Episcopal Academy grad Taylor Trimble, who was unable to attend because her college team (Duke) is on a retreat. Trimble’s mother, Janet, accepted her ring.
The ceremony featured speeches from head coach Krystin Porcella and others. The US team rallied to defeat Australia, 14-11, in the FIL championship game.
“It’s super exciting to see everyone again,” said Murray. “It was an awesome experience in general. I play with (U19 teammate) Barb Sullivan (at Notre Dame) and I have kept in touch with some players on Facebook, but not as much as I’d like to so this was awesome to see them all again.”
Murray – a US Lacrosse All-American last year for a team that won the District 1 championship and finished second in the nation in wins – said the experience of playing in the World Championships has helped prepare her for playing major Division I lacrosse at Notre Dame.
“It definitely helped you get to the next level,” she said. “Shot-wise, going into college was not as big a transition. I’ve seen some hard shots.”
How does Murray look back at winning the gold medal for her country?
“It’s a dream; It’s almost like it never happened,” she said. “I can’t believe it actually did happen. It was just a great experience.”
