Pansini’s Puerto Rican journey made for a special summer

RADNOR — In a sense, Natalie Pansini had a normal summer for a high school athlete. The Agnes Irwin senior played some club lacrosse, got to travel, spent time with family — specifically older sister Maria, reunited on the lacrosse field.

But the degree of Natalie Pansini’s adventures this summer made them unique. Her lacrosse travels weren’t just the usual club circuit but a spot on the Puerto Rican national team at the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships in Canada. And her travel wasn’t just a voyage to the islands to kick back but a reconnection to family ties in Puerto Rico, her first trip to the island of her mother’s family that is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Before the tournament in Peterborough, Ontario, in August, Natalie and Maria joined the Puerto Rican team for a training camp on the island. Most of the team is based in the States, mostly concentrated in the greater Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. areas, and flew into San Juan before driving to Mayaguez on the western coast. Natalie hadn’t spent much time on the island, with their mother Elisa (nee Mendes-Rivera) and her family mostly relocated to the mainland.

Getting to see the country, still recovering from a storm that claimed more than 3,000 lives and inflicted nearly $100 billion in damage, was an eye-opening journey.

“We got to see all different parts of the damage that was done but also how people are rebuilding, and it was just really great to see because it’s tough to kind of process what happened with the hurricane,” Natalie said. “But when you see all of them rebuilding and making their lives better, it really does feel good.”

What Puerto Rico did on the field felt pretty good, too, and the Pansinis were at the forefront. Puerto Rico went 8-0 at the tournament, finishing in ninth place, the highest finish possible given the stratified pool-play format. It won five games by 10 goals or more and edged Haudenosaunee, 9-8, in the ninth-place game, with Maria scoring the go-ahead goal and Natalie being named game MVP with two goals, eight draw controls and two caused turnovers. (The U.S., which won gold, featured former Unionville goalie and Natalie’s close friend, Madison Doucette.)

On the field, the Pansinis did what they usually do, the skills that led Maria to be a two-time All-Delco and the 2018 Daily Times Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year and landed Natalie on the All-Delco team as a sophomore and junior.

Maria tied for seventh in the tournament with 22 goals, including six against both Hong Kong and Scotland, and four assists. Natalie tallied 20 goals (tied for 15th in the tourney) and 29 points (eighth-most). She added 38 draw controls and nine caused turnovers, reunited in a dynamic midfield partnership with her older sister, who she’ll follow to Princeton next fall.

“It’s always awesome to play with Maria,” Natalie said. “I always love our connection on the field because I feel like we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else, so it’s always great. I can set Maria up; she can set me up. It’s like a give and take.”

The on-field joy was only part of it, though. After the trip to Puerto Rico, Natalie felt more connected to the cause she was playing for, imbuing La Borinquena, the Puerto Rican anthem played before every game, with new significance.

The Puerto Rican team also roomed in the same building as the Kenyan team, a relative newcomer to the lacrosse world but one that, like Puerto Rico, surprised many with their success in Peterborough. In a sport so often thought of as limited to affluent, suburban pockets of the U.S., it was gratifying for Natalie to see the different lacrosse realities out there.

“We just talked to them and tried to understand what it’s like for them to play back in Kenya and some of these people, this was the most games they’ve ever played in their lives, at this tournament,” she said. “We watched some of their games because we were really close with that team, and they are just so athletic, they are so talented that they could pick up the same kind of skills that it took us years to do, and it kind of makes me a little upset that they don’t have the same opportunities that we do because we’re so fortunate that we can afford to buy a stick, we can afford all of these training sessions, all of these things that make us who we are. With that team, it was just pure athleticism and just pure skill of what they take from every time they play, so it was cool to see what the kind of divide is between, but then bridging it by talking to them.”

Natalie’s busy summer translates quickly into the fall. She’s one of the senior leaders on the Agnes Irwin soccer team, and while it’s not her main athletic focus, her presence in midfield is important for the Owls. It’s also near and dear to her heart.

“I do a bunch of lacrosse and now coming to soccer, it just takes so much off me because soccer isn’t my No. 1 sport but I still love it with all my heart,” she said. “I love to play soccer and right now I’m just in the start of it so everything’s fun, but I’m really ready to get into the competitive parts playing games and I think our team should be really good this year so I’m excited for that.”