Head Lacrosse Coach Kate Leonard and rising sophomore defenseman Marissa Games (Newburyport, Mass.) traveled to the Czech Republic to coach and compete in the Prague Cup, an annual lacrosse event held in Prague, June 20-28, 2009.

Coach Leonard and Games, a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Second Team pick in 2009, represented the Unites States as members of the American International Sports Tours (AIST) collegiate group. The team was comprised of current and recent graduates of DI and DIII programs including Temple, Stanford, Plymouth State, and Simmons.

Games played defense for the USA in six games against European and Australian club teams, in addition to other American collegiate teams. She was the only GNAC athlete to represent the USA in Prague.

"The level of play was very high and it was a great playing experience for those who attended," said Leonard. "We did lots of sightseeing and exploring, as well as took in the Women's Lacrosse World Cup that was held at the same site as our tournament. USA beat Australia by 1 to take the gold!"

"I was a little nervous at first because I wasn't sure of how we would all connect as a new team, but we pulled together after the first two games," said Games. "I really enjoyed watching the World Cup games in between ours; it was cool that we played on the same fields as the World Cup teams."