TAMPA, MAY 27, 2025 – 'What Will Your Legacy Be?' For USF's first-year lacrosse program, that sentence was displayed on the locker-room wall. Almost from the beginning, after watching the steely-eyed determination of her players, head coach Mindy McCord said she knew the statement wasn't perceived as just empty words.
 
It was a challenge.
 
It was a lifestyle.
 
It was a call to action.
 
"This team was on a mission to literally create the dreams they had, to set a standard for USF lacrosse,'' McCord said. "They took everything we had to offer them, and they leveraged it to the highest degree, setting the stage for all future players and teams to come here at USF.''
 
If you're looking for the best way to encapsulate USF's 13-5 inaugural season, start with the bookends.
 
It began on Feb. 7, when 2,386 fans flocked to Corbett Stadium for USF's 19-6 victory against Kennesaw State, a cavalcade of color and noise that included the Herd of Thunder pep band, USF cheerleaders, the Sun Dolls, and a post-match fireworks show.


 
It ended on May 3 in the most improbable setting — the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. Yes, the Bulls played for an AAC title and an NCAA Tournament bid in their first season, but fell against No. 9-ranked James Madison (18-9). It seemed absurd to think USF was actually there, but the Bulls made believers of everyone, finishing No. 38 in the NCAA's RPI rankings, while dispatching two teams (Mercer, Liberty) that were selected for the NCAA Tournament field.
 


Memorable?
 
Yeah, you could say that.
 
"Our team was one of a kind, that's for sure,'' freshman midfielder Kali Cleary said. "I feel like we had a huge impact, and we provided exposure for the game of lacrosse. We wanted to win that conference championship, but this is only the beginning for this program. I think you'll be hearing about us for years to come.''
 
"I couldn't have imagined a better experience for my final college season,'' senior goalkeeper Paige Pagano said. "I go back to opening night, and it's still hard to believe. The whole night was so memorable, and I've never seen that many people in the stands to watch lacrosse. And it wasn't just one game. It was game after game after game. I can't even imagine what's ahead for USF lacrosse.''
 
The Bulls made an impact on the AAC with five all-conference selections, including first-teamers Sofia Chepenik (attack) and Kaitlyn Tartaglione (midfield), plus second-teamers Juliana George (attack), Mikaela Ness (defense), and Cleary (midfield).
 
USF finished third in NCAA cumulative attendance (10,127) and fourth in average attendance (921), outdrawing all AAC opponents and programs throughout the Southeast.
 
"I think we built a lot of new fans,'' Cleary said. "That's how you grow the game. I think once people saw us play, they enjoyed it and wanted to come back.''
 
"We got some traction with people who didn't know much about lacrosse and had never even seen the sport being played,'' said Pagano, who hopes to attend law school. "This is a good start for the program. I genuinely believe that next year, there's great potential to win the AAC Tournament. I've never seen the commitment level from any team like the commitment I saw this season. It was so inspiring. I think that the sky's the limit.''


 
One Team, One Dream.
 
More words that served as an inspiration for USF lacrosse, a lyrical saying that looks good on a T-shirt. McCord tapped into that, prodding each player to get in touch with her dreams. Sometimes, McCord felt the dreams weren't high enough.
 
"Every day, people kept asking me, 'Is this what you expected?' '' McCord said. "And I didn't know. I didn't know what to expect. We're striving to be the best we can, but literally every day is the first time we're living each day together.


 
"We just had some kids from the transfer portal visiting, and we showed them the inaugural game video. I get choked up every time I watch it. To see all the hard work come to fruition for a night like that, it was just overwhelming. Then later on, I was talking to someone from another program, and they said, 'We've had a program for 10 years and we haven't played for an American (tournament) championship yet.' And I was like, 'Whoa! We did that in the first year.' So that gives you perspective for sure.''
 
McCord said the 2026 USF schedule will include home games against the likes of Michigan and Navy, along with a trip to Florida, plus a slate of AAC opponents. The ultimate goal is a national championship — One Team, One Dream, indeed — and there's also the promise of a shiny new environment when lacrosse moves into USF's on-campus stadium for the 2028 spring season.
 
"The bottom line is we have people committed to a process of excellence,'' McCord said. "That's what we have worked to establish. Graduating players will leave. New players will come in. But the standard has been set.''
 
And that's quite a legacy.
 
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About USF Women's Lacrosse
The University of South Florida announced the addition of women's lacrosse to its now 21-sport varsity athletics department in November of 2021. Fast forward to Feb. 7, 2025, the program embarked on its inaugural season in a 19-6 win over KSU, setting the State of Florida's regular season attendance record (2,386 fans). The Bulls would finish 2025 as the runner-up in the AAC (13-5), drawing over 10,000 fans in Corbett Stadium. The Bulls named eight-time conference coach of the year Mindy McCord to lead the program in May of 2022. McCord, who came to USF with 240 career wins, earned 21 regular-season and conference-tournament titles at Jacksonville University. She led the program to eight NCAA appearances after launching and leading the Dolphins' program over its first 13 years. She developed 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees during that span, departing JU following back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths. USF runs a fast-paced, high-scoring offense influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men's basketball record-setting fast break, which ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin numerous seasons during McCord's tenure at JU.
 
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