LoPinto, who Idolized Tumolo, Carving Out Own USA Path (2024)

HONG KONG, China — A total of 20 minutes had passed since the final horn, signaling the end of the U.S. Women’s U20 National Team’s 33-0 win over Germany on Friday at Shek Kip Mei Sports Ground, and U.S. players started their trek across the field to the locker rooms.

Emma LoPinto, a 2024 national champion at Boston College and one of the most experienced members of the U.S. team, was one of the final players to leave the turf. After interviews, autographs and congratulatory hugs, she stood smiling for pictures with German National Team players.

One by one, she spoke to German players as if they were her friends — and when they offered thanks, she was quick to erase the burden.

“No problem!” she told the group.

In LoPinto’s first game as a member of the U.S. team, she showed why she was an easy choice to represent her country on the trip to Hong Kong, China, for the World Lacrosse Women’s U20 Championship. She finished with a team-high nine points on four goals and five assists and earned the game’s Player of the Match honor.

A member of USA Lacrosse’s National Team Development Program in 2019 and an early entry to the U20 tryout pool last summer, LoPinto said she had been waiting years to suit up for the United States.

With every pass from X to an open shooter on Friday, it became clear that LoPinto was making the most of her opportunity.

“We’ve been waiting for a while to be here,” LoPinto said. “To get our first game underway has been so special. The German team was so sweet, and the thing that I’m taking away from this is not only the lacrosse, but the relationships I’m making. I’m so grateful for that.”

U.S. head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who has battled against and strategized for LoPinto on multiple occasions during the NCAA season, praisedher contributions.

“We wanted players that could make each other look good and share the ball,” Amonte Hiller said. “Emma does a great job of setting that tone with her style of play. It’s a gift to have her on this squad, with three years of college experience. This attack group just goes out and has fun.”

As much as LoPinto’s display against Germany was impressive, no one on the U.S. bench was surprised. Fresh off an 86-point season for NCAA champion Boston College — including a BTB that kickstarted the Eagles’ game-winning rally against Northwestern — there wasn’t a stage too big or bright for LoPinto.

“She’s a smoother operator,” said U.S. assistant Michelle Tumolo, breaking into song. “Smooth! She’s so creative, and everyone around her plays better when she’s on the field. Every time the ball touches her stick, it’s electric.”

The weight of Tumolo’s words is not lost on someone like LoPinto, who grew up in Manhasset, N.Y., and looked up to the stars of the game in the early 2010s. Her favorite player was Tumolo, the former Syracuse and U.S. Women’s National Team star.

LoPinto tried to emulate Tumolo’s game in any way she could — mimicking the BTB passes, the long-distance shots and the creative vision that made her one of the best players of a generation.

A young LoPinto even went as far as creating a shrine in honor of Tumolo, equipped with a cutout of USA Lacrosse Magazine (thanks), a photo of her idol and a note that Tumolo had written to her.

“I said, ‘I’m keeping this note forever,’” LoPinto remembered. “She knows I’ve always been a fan of hers. When I found out she was one of the coaches, I was fangirling. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so cool.’”

Just over a year later, it was Tumolo watching someone who she had inspired make her debut on the world stage. The roles had been reversed.

“It’s been so far watching her grow up from afar,” Tumolo said. “She’s better than I ever was, so it’s fun to watch her blossom into a young woman who is leading others. She’s one of the faces of lacrosse.”

As officials attempted to clear the field in the later hours of Friday night, LoPinto waved goodbye to her new German National Team friends. She walked across the field as a growing star of American lacrosse, meeting her parents — who remember the little girl that just wanted to be like Michelle Tumolo.