The opportunity to wear red, white and blue and potentially represent the United States at the world level isn’t lost on Julia O’Connor.

“I looked up to these UNC players and girls that just go on to the next level to play for the United States," Skaneateles graduate Julia O'Connor said. "And that's something I've always wanted to do, like girls that I've known that go do that. They just say it's like an amazing experience. So I know it's definitely going to be a challenge, but I'm just kind of looking forward for this trial just to be a fun experience, to learn something and get better.”

What You Need To Know

  • Skaneateles' Julia O'Connor has some added motivation fueling her as she partakes in tryouts for the Team USA U20 women's lacrosse team

  • She was passed over for a spot on a national development team just a few years ago

  • She will be one of four with Central New York ties looking to make the final roster

O'Connor is one of 99 looking to earn a roster spot and is using the motivation of being passed up for a national development team as fuel.

“I thought I had a great tryout," O'Connor said. "I thought everything went really well and I end up not making the team. But I think that was kind of a motivation for me because I, I saw that I could do it and I saw that I in my mind, I believed I should have made the team and I saw like what I needed to work on for the next time that an opportunity like this came up. I’m just kind of looking at this as like a practice for North Carolina just to get better. And there's a bunch of girls in my recruiting class and in incoming sophomore sophomores at North Carolina. And I'm kind of just looking at it as like a practice to get better for UNC and to just have some fun.”

It’s an opportunity to build relationships with future teammates and make new memories with Carlie Desimone, before they become future ACC adversaries when Carlie goes to Syracuse and Julia to North Carolina.

“For me and her, to be two of the girls that could you go down there and compete to make this team is something really cool," O'Connor added. "And we have pictures of us like just everything we do, like Lake Placid tournaments, all this stuff. So to get a picture next year in both of our uniforms, I think we're definitely both waiting for that.”

As excited as she is for the next step of her lacrosse journey, O'Connor will never forget how Skaneateles helped her get to where she is. It’s a legacy highlighted with a state championship, and cemented by helping coach the next generation of players.

“I already am coaching the third and fourth-grade girl’s lacrosse program here,” she said. “I help one of our assistant coaches coach that with her daughter. I help my dad and K through two program here already. So I've kind of been already in the system helping and coaching and I'm just excited to come back next year and people already think that I'm kind of cool going you and see I'm just excited to come back and like wear all my gear.”