Immediately after the Maryland women’s lacrosse team’s final four appearance in Chester, Pennsylvania, attacker Megan Whittle took a flight to Melbourne, Australia.
After communicating with Team England players and coaches and deciding to join the team in January, Whittle met her teammates in Australia for a three-week, eight-game tour.
“I told her this was kind of her dream coming true,” said former Maryland defender Alice Mercer, one of 24 players selected to be on the U.S. national team roster. “I told her all of her hard work payed off and asked her about international phone bills and planning.”
A month later, Whittle went up against Mercer and former Terps midfielder Taylor Cummings as a part of the U.S. team’s five-game foreign tour in England. Mercer’s squad came away with a 20-2 win, but Whittle enjoyed going against players she competed with in College Park the past two seasons.
“I really looked up to [Mercer], and it’s always fun having the best defender I’ve ever played against challenge me,” Whittle said. “To play against her in a different uniform was different. It was similar to practice, but at the same time not wearing the same Maryland jersey.”
Whittle’s mom was born in England but left the country to pursue a swimming career at Villanova. Now, Whittle is one of about 25 girls on England’s performance squad.
Unlike the process for the U.S. national team, England’s program does not have formal tryout. Instead, 50 players compete daily for a roster spot on the performance squad.
Whittle and Mercer were used in the draw circle throughout the U.S. team’s win over the England. It was an unfamiliar task for both, as former midfielder Taylor Cummings took almost every draw for coach Cathy Reese’s team while at Maryland.
On occasion, Mercer defended Whittle, who tallied a goal and an assist, in transition.
“Being on the other side of it, all of [Whittle’s skills] you take for granted when she’s on your team you really key in on when you’re going against her,” Mercer said. “It was a cool experience to play in a different country with someone I’ve played with for the past two years and someone, even though she’s younger than me, I’ve looked up to.”
The U.S. national team, which features six Maryland alumni, won all five of its games on its foreign tour in England.
Team England, meanwhile, won five of its games in Australia last month, earning two victories over the Aussies and one against New Zealand, Western Australia and New South Wales. Whittle, who attributes her offensive success to facing Mercer often, recorded 12 goals and an assist in the tournament.
“I don’t think I would be the same player I am today without Alice to challenge me every day,” Whittle said. “We set the bar really high for each other and work really hard to make each other better every game we play.”
After the match between the U.S. and England on July 2, both teams met for a barbecue at the field complex. Whittle and Mercer briefly discussed the game, noting it might not be the last time they face each other wearing different uniforms.
The 2017 FIL Women’s World Cup in Guildford, England, is next July, and the U.S. and England have already qualified for the event.
“I think that’s something really special when you come out of Maryland and see great players going on and doing great things,” Mercer said. “[The conversations were] positive and happy.”
