Monday, December 2, 2024
A strong, lifelong passion for playing lacrosse has paved the way for Wantagh High School junior Sabrina Asadurian to compete in the Brogden Cup, an international lacrosse tournament for some of the best youth lacrosse players in the world.
The event took place the weekend of Oct. 25-27 at USA lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, where Asadurian competed as a defensive player on the USA Select U16 girls’ team, which is made up of 24 top players, all 16 and under, from across the United States.
According to a report from USA Lacrosse Magazine, the USA Select U16 and U18 boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams secured the Brogden Cup for the fifth consecutive year with a flawless 16-0 record, defeating teams from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Ontario, and Japan. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, is a group of six Native American nations with a rich lacrosse tradition.
Asadurian has played lacrosse since she was in the third grade, but she never would have believed that her years of playing would lead to this accomplishment.
“It was just such a great experience to be able to play and connect with players throughout the country,” Asadurian said.
Asadurian is a three-sport high school varsity athlete, playing point guard in basketball and libero in volleyball, in addition to lacrosse. She also plays lacrosse for the Long Island Jesters Girls United Lacrosse Club’s 2026 Black Team. The club is a lacrosse travel program that focuses on developing strong student-athletes through training and coaching.
Jeff Speed, coach of the 2026 Jesters team, said he and his team are proud of Asadurian.
The USA tryouts are prestigious, he said, adding that Long Island is “a hot bed” for lacrosse players, especially in Wantagh, where Madison Alaimo and Madison Taylor were selected for the 2024 U20 women’s roster.
“There seems to be a legacy of good lacrosse players from Wantagh,” Speed said.
Asadurian said it’s exciting to follow in the footsteps of Alaimo and Taylor and expressed hope that she could one day reach their level and compete on the U20 women’s team.
Asadurian’s path to the international lacrosse tournament started with the first round of tryouts in June, followed by her selection to the national combine in August, a three-day event that took place at USA lacrosse headquarters in Maryland.
The most challenging aspect of the combine, she said, was the different types of lacrosse she had to play. She added that the combine put her in scenarios that required her to adapt quickly, whether it was adjusting to performing with new teammates or playing on a small sided or full field game.
“I just really stayed positive, cheered my teammates on and just worked hard and did the best that I can do to just show the coaches that I am able to compete in pressure situations and adapt to challenges quickly and easily,” she said.
After the combine, Asadurian was selected as one of 24 players on the USA U16 team. She credited her coaches from the Jesters, as well as her high school coach Lauren Rupert, for supporting her throughout the process.
Speed described her as being humble, reliable and an overall great teammate. He said Asadurian found her “sweet spot” when she moved over from midfield to defense.
“She’s found a good amount of success and came up big for us in many games,” Speed said. “Sometimes defense is an underappreciated role, but she’s made a lot of impact plays over the years.”
Asadurian’s mother, Kim, said she is proud of her daughter’s accomplishments. Training for the competition, while balancing school and downtime, is a lot of hard work, she said, but it paid off in the end.
“It's been a lot of work,” her mother said, “a lot of practice and time away and skipping meals, but totally been worth it. We've been supportive with whatever she wants to do since she was a little kid.”
