However, Duffy did not commit to Tumolo. Army's first head coach, Kristen Schira, scouted her before leaving for Virginia Tech after the 2021 season.
“Our freshman class was stuck in this strange place,” Duffy said. “I didn’t expect to be kicked out of lacrosse, but I was exploring other options.”
One of them was to play soccer instead. Duffy sent an email to Black Knights head coach Tracy Chao.
“When I got this email, it was like, 'How good can she be?'” Chao said. “We said, 'Come to camp. We have to watch you play.'
Chao had to clear it with Tumolo, who came over from Wagner in 2021 and watched Duffy play lacrosse in high school.
“As soon as I saw Brigid, I texted Katrina.” [Dowd], “You're going to love this kid.'' I know she understands that,” Tumolo said.
Tumolo also played soccer in high school and later starred as a women's lacrosse player at Syracuse. She always had an interest in becoming a two-sport athlete, but she never pursued it. She had no intention of holding the others back – invite her to camp and see what happens, Tumolo essentially encouraged Chao.
Duffy made a similar first impression on Chao.
“She was annihilating the midfield with the ball and just dribbling and dealing with players, but in a way, and with that pace, her athleticism, her technical ability, her tactical vision was something different. I understand,” Chao said. It is believed that the similar landscapes of a lacrosse field and a soccer field likely aid Duffy's vision.
At camp, a catchphrase was born — “Brigid doing Brigid things, that's the common theme now,” Chao said — and so was a two-sport career.
Few schools carry the same weight as the Army in preparing cadets for military service. Basic training includes classes such as military exercise (“very strenuous gymnastics,” according to Chao) and survival swimming.
“It's not the easiest job,” Duffy said of balancing these physical demands with two sports and an academic load. “But you're not alone in what you're doing. It helps to have other people next to you going through what you're going through.”
Duffy was also busy training with the U20 team. In late August, she started the Black Knights' first two games against UNC Greensboro and Wake Forest, after which she flew to Baltimore to participate in American training camp. After competing in the Fall Classic in October, she drove to Annapolis. Want to miss the star game between the Black Knights and Navy? Not a chance. Duffy started the game and played 82 minutes, with Army winning 2-1.
“She's truly elite,” Tumolo said. “Before she went to the team to help the team beat Navy in soccer, she was a player in the game. That's Brigid.”
Army's breakthrough in 2023 has Duffy excited about the future. Duffy's own future is very bright. “The sky is the limit,” Tumolo said.
The service requirement is five years, but Duffy hopes to stay for 20 years. As a life sciences major, she plans to apply to the West Point Pre-Medical School Scholarship Program, which only accepts 2 percent of applicants in each class. She wants to join the Medical Corps and become a military doctor.
Of course, Daffy's original team is rooting for her. However, her boots and cleats are not without ribs to secure them to the ground.
“It's crazy. When you go back to your extended family, they get humbled right away,” Gretchen Duffy said. “We try not to get too high on her, but she also knows how proud we are of her. Soccer, lacrosse, military academy, her schoolwork, we… I hope she learns, grows, and gets better every day.”
The mission appears to be well on its way to being accomplished.
