WPLL hopes to ‘pioneer’ pro women’s lacrosse in Philly
Not every lacrosse player has the kind of upbringing in the sport that Katrina Geiger did.
There aren’t many who can say their mother is a U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Famer, a five-time World Cup participant for Team USA and an NCAA champion, as is Kathleen (Barrett) Geiger. Not many players grow up with posters of stars like Michelle Tumolo on their walls as Katrina did.
For those not as steeped in the history of women’s lacrosse, a new class of role model has emerged: Geiger and her teammates in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League, which storms into town Saturday night for a doubleheader at West Chester University.
“I think the craziest part for me is that you play with people that you idolized your whole life,” said Geiger, the 2012 Daily Times Player of the Year at Haverford. “You have posters of stars in your room growing up and then you get to play with or against them, it’s really cool. And it’s such highlevel lacrosse.”
That kind of representation is absent for players who aren’t Geiger … or at least it was until the WPLL started last summer. With five teams, the fledgling league is trying to establish itself as a sustainable pro entity at the top of a girls/women’s lacrosse pyramid that encompasses thousands of players from the club, high school and college ranks.
Saturday’s action at John A. Farrell Stadium starts with the New England Command (featuring West Chester native Katie O’Donnell) vs. the Baltimore Brave at 6. Geiger and the Philadelphia Fire take on the Upstate Pride (which includes Garnet Valley grad Haley Warden) in the nightcap at 8.
Kelyn Freedman feels that lack of representation. A standout in basketball, lacrosse and cross country (eight All-Delcos, including the 2010 lacrosse player of the year) at Radnor, she never dreamed about turning pro in lacrosse because it didn’t exist. Her options to extend her career beyond four seasons at Georgetown was a grad transfer year at Niagara … to play basketball.
Now that she’s back on the lacrosse field, she’s exceedingly conscious of the role-model function.
“We didn’t have that,” the Fire midfielder said. “We had it in other sports, but we didn’t have that in lacrosse outside the World Cup every four years. But now, it’s there all summer for girls. We’re bringing it to the backyards every week, whether it’s in Long Island or Maryland or in Philly.”
The WPLL’s motto, “For Lacrosse Players, By Lacrosse Players,” points to the developmental objective at the league’s core. The five clubs play five doubleheaders — in Foxborough, Mass., Richmond, Va., Baltimore, Philadelphia and Long Island — followed by championship weekend. Each barnstorming weekend is attached to youth clinics or camps (that many WPLL players, either as youth coaches or college assistants, are working anyway). Saturday’s double dip follows The Grind, a twoday tournament featuring more than 300 teams across 16 divisions from the high school classes of 2020-26.
In Year 2 of what they hope to be a long-term league, players understand they won’t get rich playing any time soon. But by investing in the next generation, the sport is more likely to sustain itself.
“I think it’s engaging a larger audience,” said Rachael (Becker) DeCecco, a Marple Newtown grad and the COO of the WPLL Foundation. “The lacrosse fanbase, specifically in Philly and Baltimore and Long Island, is really strong, but how do we work to engage people that haven’t seen lacrosse before? We’re creating stories around our players. The women that we have are incredible – we’ve got moms, we’ve got students in med school, we’ve got teachers – so how do we help tell their story and grow the audience so that we make it more of a mainstream opportunity that then brings in sponsors?”
The league has pushed its content through easily accessible platforms, livestreaming via YouTube and on ESPN+. On the talent side, it has found a willing pool of talent. In addition to international competition that sustains a select few elite players for the World Cup, there’s a robust network of college players whose careers end abruptly after four years. The relationships they’ve forged hit the brick wall of graduation, and while they change along the varied paths of adulthood, it’s never quite the same as in the huddle. Pickup games or adult leagues are a poor substitute, particularly for players who have spent a decade or more with high-level athletic achievement as a cornerstone of their lives.
The WPLL allows the relationships to flourish and adds new complexities in the lacrosse world.
“You graduate after four years, you work up your whole life to get that scholarship and go to college and all of a sudden, it’s over,” said Command midfielder Gabby Capuzzi, an Archbishop Carroll grad who plays internationally for Italy. “Now this is a huge draw for all those players. There are plenty of American college players who aren’t on national teams who want to play at the highest level.”
“There’s a bond between teammates that’s more than just going out on the weekend,” Freedman said. “You’re supporting each other through something that’s bigger than just one person. That’s what makes having those relationships that much better, because you’re working toward
“You graduate after four years, you work up your whole life to get that scholarship and go to college and all of a sudden, it’s over.”
— Archbishop Carroll grad Gabby Capuzzi on the chance to play in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League
a common goal. That’s where that extra camaraderie comes from that you get as teammates. It’s almost like a sisterhood. We don’t see each other all that much, but it’s great to have that teammate idea back. I know it’s been awesome for me to have that back in my life.”
Among the coolest facets of the WPLL’s structure is how many players have gotten into coaching. Geiger is an assistant at Elon. Capuzzi, an Ohio State grad, is an associate head coach at the U.S. Naval Academy. Freedman is an assistant at George Washington.
Capuzzi was struck when, after five years of coaching while playing sparingly, she found herself much improved as a player from the increasing knowledge base that comes with scouting and recruiting. Returning to the field only hastens that cycle of improvement.
The women in the league have the chance to be pioneers — to use Capuzzi’s term — in something they hope will last. DeCecco preaches patience, stressing that decisions are made with long-term focus in mind. It’s more important, in her mind, to deploy resources toward building the sport and fostering the next generation of players rather than the immediate returns.
“Of course we want 30,000 people in the stands tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation of a startup league. I think it’s really about building something, looking toward the future as we’re building it. We’re not building it to be around for next year, we’re building it to be around 40 years. It does require a lot of patience and realizing that it’s not going to be overnight. It’s going to be a building process.”
“It’s obvious we’re not getting paid a ton of money, but it’s something that was important for us for the future,” Freedman said. “It’s great now, but if I can look back in 10 years and say I was a part of it and trusted it not just for me but for the future and everyone else, that would be a great legacy.”