Italian national team schedule

WASHINGTON - Alexis Bosilovic (Gibsonia, Pa./ Sewickley Academy) of The Catholic University of America women's lacrosse team has been selected to train with the Italian National Women's Lacrosse Team.

Bosilovic, along with 19 other Italian-American student-athletes, head to Rome on December 26 to become mentors of lacrosse to the Italian National Team in their inaugural season.

The group is made of American citizens with Italian heritage, and Bosilovic grandparents still reside in the country and her mother is fluent in the native language.

The tryouts were held in Pennington, N.J., with a large majority of the student-athletes participating hailing from NCAA Division I programs, just two DIII student-athletes and one rising college freshman. The combination of athletes will work together to help the Italian team with skills and stick training along with situational training on the defensive and offensive side of the field.

The goals of their voyage is to assist with the introduction of high-level women's lacrosse to Italy. They will be representatives and educators of the sport.

The Italian National Women's Lacrosse Team will be coached by Angela McMahon, University of Massachusetts – Amherst women's lacrosse head coach, and assisted by her husband Justin Serpone, Amherst College men's lacrosse head coach.

McMahon has led the UMass – Amherst women's lacrosse team to an overall record of 72-10 over the last four seasons. She will continue to serve as head coach for UMass – Amherst, while building the Italian national team and preparing for for its first world championship event. The first test for the squad will be the 2015 European Championship.

While training the Italian team Bosilovic and the band of Italian-American student-athletes will have the opportunity of experience their culture. Although the primary goal of the journey is lacrosse some of the student-athletes have never traveled to Italy and they will all be able to soak up as much of the culture as they can.

Bosilovic, who is no stranger to the country, traveled to northern Rome once when she was 10.

"I am looking forward to great opportunity, " Bosilovic said. "I am excited to learn a lot from my coach and the girls on my team as well as enjoy the cultural experience."