Kenzie Kent, Sydney Scales Among Elite Group of Women's Lacrosse Players Ready to Make History
USL Rhode Island FC

Kenzie Kent, Sydney Scales Among Elite Group of Women's Lacrosse Players Ready to Make History

Published on May 15, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


Kenzie Kent and Sydney Scales, two of the world's best women's lacrosse players, have dedicated their entire lives to the sport. On Saturday, the two current Harvard coaches and former Boston College stars will take the field as rivals for the first time.

The landmark occasion will mark the beginning of the Women's Lacrosse League's inaugural season, and the first-ever women's professional sporting event at Centreville Bank Stadium. The historic day is part of a weekend that will also see eight Premier League Lacrosse teams face off at the award-winning venue, bringing one of the fastest-growing sports in the country to Pawtucket.

"The goal is to continue to compete at the highest level," Scales said. "Once you graduate college, the opportunity for that, at least in the past, was more slim. Now that we have the WLL, it is such an amazing opportunity and we are so grateful to help grow the sport."

With the expansion of short-term opportunities that have come and gone over the years, the WLL presents one of the only sustainable professional leagues in the women's game, forging a tangible pathway to the professional level that did not exist when Kent and Scales were young.

"This was not something that we imagined when we first started playing, just because the opportunity was not there," Scales said. "A lot of little girls from our club teams and our towns are coming, and those were the exact shoes that we were in growing up. Being able to give those little girls who were just like us an opportunity to aspire to play at this level is something that is pretty incredible."

Both Scales and Kent are local to Massachusetts, and made an immediate impact at Boston College. Kent was named the 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year, graduating 2019 after an incredible five-year career as both a hockey and lacrosse player. One of the most versatile athletes in all of college athletics, Kent finished her hockey career tied for eighth in program history with 138 career points and fourth with 98 career assists, setting a program record with 157 appearances and leading the team to three Frozen Fours.

Despite her decorated hockey success, Kent turned down a professional opportunity to take a graduate year, where she pursued another season of college lacrosse. In 2019, she was named captain and earned a nod to the All-ACC First Team, leading the nation with 127 points and setting a single-season program record with 75 assists en route to Boston College's second-straight appearance in the NCAA National Championship game. Now, after a brief coaching stint at Syracuse University, the Team USA Goal Medalist is back in her home state on the coaching staff at Harvard University.

The difference between her professional opportunities in hockey and lacrosse: sustainability. For players like Kent and Scales, the WLL is the first league with a schedule that has allowed them to pursue a career as a coach while continuing to play professionally. The league, which consists of four teams, operates on a unique schedule that sees teams travel to different neutral site venues across the country throughout the year.

"When they announced this league, everyone was super excited to be able to travel to different places," Scales said. "It was more feasible because you could work a day job during the week, and then play on weekends, which was not the case with the other leagues. When this vision came to light, people started to get really excited about it."

Scales, a decorated two-time national champion at Boston College from 2021-2024, was named the ACC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player during her senior year en route to the school's second-straight national title. The two-time ACC Defender of the Year and All-ACC First Team selection helped lead the team to four-straight appearances in the Final Four during her career, leading the team to 76 wins and a pair of ACC titles. She joined Kent on Harvard's coaching staff in 2024.

While it may seem rare for a professional athlete to double as a collegiate coach, the jobs work hand-in-hand. Harvard's lacrosse coaching staff now boasts two experienced Team USA lacrosse players who have competed at the highest level, and know what it takes to get there.

"We are still in it, we are still playing at the highest level and the game is constantly changing and evolving," Kent said. "We are so in tune with what is going on and we practice a lot with our players, so I think it's good for them to see how passionate we are for the game."

Kent's Boston Guard and Scales's New York Charging will face off at Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday, May 16 at 5:30 p.m., officially marking the venue's first-ever women's sporting event. The game is part of a larger weekend of Premier Lacrosse League action, which includes five lacrosse games across an exciting two-day span.

Fans can ensure they do not miss a minute of the action with single-session and weekend pass tickets, available here.For Centreville Bank Stadium news and updates, and to stay caught up on the stadium's full event schedule, visit centrevillebankstadium.com and follow the stadium on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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