Aug. 7, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – This isn’t new for Caroline Peters, but that doesn’t mean it is any less special.
When the Vanderbilt junior puts on the green jersey for Team Ireland in the 2015 Women’s Lacrosse European Championships in Czech Republic this week the emotions will be hard to bottle up.
“It is amazing,” Peters said. “You can talk about it a lot, and the past experiences, but it is so different when you are on the field and you’re playing with them and you have your uniform on. Just really thinking about is crazy to me that it is a country you are representing. And then when we do their national anthems and their songs at the end that’s when it really gives me goosebumps.”
This is Peters second time playing in a European Championship and third time overall playing for the Irish National Team as she also competed in the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup in 2013. Peters, a native of Rockville, Md., has dual citizenship as her maternal grandfather, Bernie O’Rourke, was born in Ireland.
Peters and Team Ireland are already off to a great start at the 2015 European Championships as they played their first game of pool play on Friday. Peters scored three goals to help the Irish defeat Austria 15-8 in their first game of Group 3.
Ireland will play Scotland on Saturday and wrap up pool play on Sunday against Belgium. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The championship will be held on Saturday, Aug. 15.
“We’d loved to play for the championship,” Peters said before she left last week. “We have a couple new coaches from the states that I think will bring a lot to our team. Even new (teammates) that I think will help, too. I think we will do really well this year.”
Peters, who had 24 goals and 11 assists for the Commodores this spring, is looking forward to visiting a new country for the second time this summer, too. In May, thanks to the Vanderbilt athletics department and the Maymester program, she studied abroad in London with teammate Lexi Smith and VU soccer player Claire Anderson.
The entire 2015 European Championships is being played in Nymburk, Czech Republic – a mid-sized town in central Bohemia that is only 45 minutes away from Prague.
“Any chance I get I am going into the city and exploring,” she said. “My family is staying in an apartment in the city. It will be nice to explore. I’m so excited for that part.”
Peters has a loud cheering section with her. Her parents, sister, grandfather, aunt, uncle and cousin all made the trip out to see Peters and Ireland compete.
“It is a big affair,” she said. “I’m excited to have them there and have some family support. It is amazing. I’m just really blessed they can all come and support me. I’m excited. They are a big, big support system so it is really nice having them.”
