The U15 Select Team arrived at UMASS/Amherst on Saturday in a confident mood after getting in several practices since participating in the US Lacrosse National Festival at Lake George, NY. Our confidence proved not to be misplaced as we went 2-1-2 on the weekend, losing only to the eventual champions, the Long Island Selects (6-3).

The team turned into the “comeback kids” over the course of the weekend, delighting the fans and testing the coronary functioning of the coaches. In our first game we came back from a three goal deficit to defeat the 3 Village team from Long Island 6 to 5. In the next game we romped over the NH Tomahawks 8-0. In our last game on Saturday we seemed to succumb to the heat, suffering a loss to the Long Island Selects. On Sunday we faced two CT teams, the Gators and the Stags. Despite getting behind by several goals in both games the boys didn’t give up and fought back for ties that felt like victories. It was gratifying to see the players work more as a team as the weekend progressed.

In addition to their on the field exploits the players met the fine folks of Ludlow MA, where we were staying, enjoying the friendliness of the passing motorists on our walk to get ice cream. The boys also got to see an impromptu amateur boxing exhibition as well as go for an old fashioned dip and dive at a local Amherst swimming hole.

Next up is the World Series of Lacrosse at Brown University in Providence, RI.

The U13 team began the weekend on a high note upsetting the Vipers from Bethpage, NY (Long Island) by the score of 4-0 after a closely contested match for roughly the first half of the game.  Defensive play was outstanding throughout, but the offensive took a while to warm up.  In the second match on Sat. the U13s exploded for 4 goals in the first 10 minutes of the game against Connecticut's Rip-It team, only to have a lightning storm with heavy rain postpone the game for almost 2 hours.  We came back on to the field soaking wet and realized after giving up two quick goals that the Rip-It team was not going away.  Fortunately solid defense down the stretch enabled us to come away with a 4-2 win.  Moving on to the last game of the day against 3 Village - Ward Melville, NY (Long Island), we spotted them 4 easy goals early on, but never quit coming back within a goal at 5-4 only to fall to them by a final of 6-4.  Leading the way for the comeback was the second middie line of Mason Bouffard, Andrew Lounsbury, and Kevin Donahue.  Overall a good start to the weekend at 2-1 and falling to one of the Long Island hotbeds of lacrosse.

Sat. night's team barbeque must have kept the kids up late, because we couldn't produce offensively or defensively against the New England Selects early Sunday morning losing 6-1.  Not much to say about that loss, but with a strong West Islip, NY (again from Long Island) team up next, there was no time to mull over the loss.  Early on against West Islip, NY (Long Island) we gave up 3 easy goals, but this team was not about to quit.  They came back and scored 2 goals to get themselves back into the game.  We had the opposition on their heels, and their coaches screaming for mercy, but unfortunately could not place the ball in the back of the net and fell 3-2. 

The U13s will join the U15s at the World Series of Lacrosse tournament in Providence, RI in two weeks to wrap up the summer campaign.

The U11 team had a successful campaign at UMass as well going 2-2-1 over the weekend against some very competitive teams.  The U11s also had a great time at the team barbeque with the U13 squad and taking the tourney and various vendor exhibitions in full stride.