Players with local ties dot World Cup rosters

Dulaney grad Gloster one of more than a dozen from area who will compete vs. U.S.

Had anyone told Ashleigh Gloster during her senior year at Dulaney in 2003 that she would one day play in a women’s lacrosse World Cup, much less for England, she would never have believed it.

One of Baltimore County’s top players her senior year as Ashleigh Smith, she went on to play at Cornell. After college, she headed across the Atlantic Ocean to teach and coach lacrosse at an English middle and high school, Tudor Hall, which led her to connect with England’s national team coaches. For six months, she helped coach before discovering that her lengthy residence made her eligible to play. She tried out and earned a roster spot on defense for the 2013 World Cup.

This summer, she’s back as captain and is one of more than a dozen players with ties to Baltimore-area high schools or state universities competing for international teams as England hosts the Federation of International Lacrosse Rathbones Wom- en’s Lacrosse World Cup on July 12-22.

Gloster, now married to an Englishman, is thrilled to be playing again for England, one of a few teams that might be able to challenge the juggernaut two-time defending champion United States.

“When I moved over to England, I never expected to play at a high level again. You just think, ‘College, that’s it and it’s over,’ ” said Gloster, who will turn 32 during the World Cup. “It was such a blessing to have the opportunity to play at a high level again. My teammates are awesome. That’s the reason I’ve carried on playing as long as I have, because I absolutely love my teammates. It’s a really close-knit team.”

Gloster has three teammates who played at Maryland: Megan Whittle, Laura Merrifield and Camilla Hayes. Whittle, a McDonogh graduate who will be a senior at Maryland in the fall, qualified to try out because her mother was born in England.

One of the top attackers in college lacrosse, Whittle brings a new look to