GOLD RUSH: Holly McGarvie Reilly races upfield for the U.S. women’s national lacrosse team. Reilly, 2009 Princeton alum who starred in lacrosse and field hockey for the Tigers, helped the U.S. win the gold medal at the recently held 2013 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women’s World Cup in Oshawa, Ontario. It was the second straight World Cup title for the U.S. and seventh overall. Reilly was a member of the U.S. team that edged Australia 8-7 to win the 2009 World Cup held in Prague, Hungary. (Photo by John Strohsacker, provided courtesy of US Lacrosse)

As the U.S. squad underwent its final preparations before starting play in the 2013 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women’s World Cup, Holly McGarvie Reilly was cautiously optimistic.

“It was definitely go time; it was five or six days of really tough practices and then we tapered,” said Reilly, a 2009 Princeton alum who starred in lacrosse and field hockey for the Tigers.

“We were putting in some new offensive and defensive strategies. It was a mental and physical grind. We were working very, very hard. There were some struggles; some days the defense was not doing well and other times the offense was off. We just wanted to play another team, we were sick of playing against each other. The practices were tougher than games and that’s what you want.”

The U.S. proved to be very tough in the competition held in Oshawa, Ontario, going 7-0 in the way to the gold medal, outscoring its foes 127-34 including a 19-5 rout of host Canada in the championship game. It was the second straight World Cup title for the U.S. and seventh overall.

Reilly, though, will tell you that it wasn’t as easy as it may have looked for the U.S.

“Some people I knew just kept up with the scores but they didn’t tell the whole story,” said defender Reilly, who was a member of the U.S. team that edged Australia 8-7 to win the 2009 World Cup held in Prague, Hungary.

“We still had to work for that. It was due to how we we trained to make that happen. Everyone really bought into what we were trying to do. There were pockets of challenge. We had some ups and downs. We improved as  we went on.”

It was a challenge for Reilly to get up to speed as she has been essentially training on her own since the last World Cup.

“I was ready to go fitness wise,” said Reilly, who resides near San Diego where her husband Brendan Reilly, a former Princeton lacrosse player, is stationed with the Marines.

“For me, the toughest thing was jumping back into a whole game. My stick skills could have been more precise. I struggled at first with the team game. I had to learn that this is my slide and when to talk to people. I had to work extra hard on communication.”

As Reilly took the field for the championship game, she was ready to savor the day.

“I didn’t feel the anxiety that I felt four years ago when I had never been in that position,” said Reilly. “We have got this, we have done this before.

But since this team has really become my team, I wanted to enjoy the moment.”

The gold medal game turned out to be very enjoyable for the U.S. as it jumped out to a 14-2 halftime lead on the way to its 19-5 triumph.

“I remember coming in at half and Ricky [U.S. head coach Ricky Fried] saying we were not going to change much and to just keep playing that way,” said Reilly with a laugh.

“We wanted to show the world the best lacrosse that had been played. I was really happy for the team and the coaches, especially the girls who had never won gold medals before.  Four years ago it was 8-7 and we didn’t know if we were going to win. We were up 19-5 and we knew that we were going to win 20 minutes before the game ended.”

While Reilly acknowledges that the U.S. team was loaded with talent, she points to chemistry as a key factor in its run to the title.

“I think it was the selfless nature of the team; Katie Rowan got eight goals in the final but you wouldn’t even know it,” said Reilly, who played in every game at the World Cup and had one goal, was first on the team in caused turnovers with five, third on the team in draw controls with eight, and third in ground balls with seven.

“It was like we scored again, let’s score another. Everyone was enjoying it and having fun. I give the coaches credit for creating a team culture where everyone wanted to work so hard and became so unified. I wish we could play seven more games.”

For Reilly, the experience of winning a second gold medal will be memorable for more than just the games.

“Four years ago I took as many pictures as I could and wrote down a lot of things in a journal,” said Reilly, who plans to keep playing for the U.S. program on a year-to-year basis.

“This year I took fewer pictures and wrote less. I just wanted to soak it in. I enjoyed being with the team, going on bus rides, being goofy, doing karaoke and inside jokes. Of course, playing was a big part of this. These are some of my closest friends in the world and I will take those memories with me.”