US Lacrosse just launched a new app called ‘USL Wall Ball’ that counts your reps and empowers you to help fundraise for the First Stick Program. This new mobile app is available now in both the iPhone and Android app stores.

The app’s ability to count wallball repetitions is made possible by the proprietary algorithmic technology developed at SNYPR, a startup company in San Francisco recently launched by the former founders of Talon Lacrosse (acquired by Easton in 2010).

‘USL WALL BALL’ powered by SNYPR

NATIONAL #WallBallChallenge

When you download the ‘USL Wall Ball’ app and accept the challenge today, you’ll be able to count your reps when you’re training and see how you compare to the rest of your region. You can also compete against your teammates, coaches, and friends by inviting them to download the app too.

Regional and national leaderboards keep you informed on how you rank against the competition when it comes to wallball reps as well fundraising.

Doug Appleton, SNYPR’s CEO, shares it best:

This is a win-win: Players get better playing wall ball while raising money to provide equipment for new players. Every player remembers that special connection to their first stick, and now SNYPR’s technology turns a player’s hard work into the gift of a first stick for others.

As part of the #WallBallChallenge, players can sign up sponsors to pledge a donation on a per-rep or flat rate basis. All proceeds go directly to the US Lacrosse’s First Stick Program, so every single one of your reps is for a great cause! The First Stick Program helps grow the game in new areas by giving new players all of the equipment they need in order to play.

Every player who completes 10,000 reps between now and August 20th will receive a signed certificate of success and the chance to win awesome prizes.

Anyone of any age is eligible to participate as well, and that means you, parents. Sign up with your kid(s) and get those 10,000 reps in this summer too!

Once you download the app, you’ll need to get yourself a sleeve in order to keep your phone compressed to your upper arm. SNYPR suggests using a sock with the toe cut off, a soccer shin guard sleeve, or a SNYPR sleeve. Be sure to watch the video above for more information.

Download the app, start pitching potential sponsors, get your sleeve, and hit the wall! Make every rep count.

Click on the links below to download the ‘USL WALL BALL‘ app now:

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First to 10,000 – Congrats Bstroh515!

Late last night, thirteen year old Brayden Stroh (Bstroh515) of Portola Valley, CA became the first lacrosse player in the nation to complete the #WallBallChallenge by reaching 10,000 reps.

Brayden had been going head-to-head with fellow Firehawks Lacrosse Club teammate Alex Cowgill (Calilaxboy), when he crossed the 10,000 threshold around 11:30pm at night, literally doing reps in the dark.

Included in Brayden’s email to his coach sent immediately after achieving the 10,000 rep milestone:

I am so proud to be contributing gear to kids who can’t afford lacrosse gear.

Way to go Brayden!

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The Women’s NCAA DI semifinals took place on May 27th at Talen Energy Stadium with 7,906 (the 10th largest crowd in women’s lacrosse history) people in attendance on Friday. The first game was full of excitement with many up and down moments for both teams while the second of the day was smooth for one, it was very frustrating for the other. Before we start talking about the Championship match up though lets take an in-depth look at how both games went down.

Photo Credit: Penn State Athletics

Penn State vs #3 North Carolina

At first, this game looked like it might get out of hand early with UNC tallying three quick goals. The Nittany Lions wouldn’t go down that easy though and tied the game at three a piece. After Penn State tied the game, they scored the next two to take a 5-3 lead. The game would be back and forth for much of the contest until a four goal run by the Tar Heels gave them a 12-7 advantage with 14:46 left in the contest. Penn State didn’t go away and had a four goal run of their own to get the game within one point again with 7:12 left. UNC would end up gaining possession of the ball and killing a majority of the clock on offense to secure the 12-11 victory to move on the ship!

Check out the highlights from the game below!

Penn State

With the loss, Penn State is now 21-20 in NCAA Tournament games. They finished the season with a 14-7 record. Although their season is over the Nittany Lions definitely didn’t disappoint. This was their 10th appearance in the semifinals and first since 1999. They were also the only new team in the Final Four this year and proved they belonged.

Senior Madison Cyr became the 12th Nittany Lion to reach 200 career points.  She finished with 202 and tied her sister Mackenzie for ninth overall and 156 career goals got her 4th overall in school history. Madison had a great senior season as well scoring a team-best 59 goals and 83 points. Senior Jenna Mosketti’s hat trick on Friday doubling her tournament goals and ending with 6 total. Junior Steph Lazo finished the season leading the team in assists with 37 and finished second in points with 71.

Photo Credit: North Carolina Athletics

University of North Carolina

The Tar Heels are on a sixteen game winning streak and have won 19 games this year, both the longest in school history. They are now 7-2 in one goal games and won the last seven. They will now play in the National Championship for three out of the last four years.

Seven players on the current roster were also apart of the 2013 Women’s NCAA National Championship team and five of them played in the game that was also against Maryland. Heading into the Championship multiple players for UNC are trying to continue their point streaks with Marie McCool at 31 and Sammy Jo Tracy at 21.

Photo Credit: Syracuse Athletics

#4 Syracuse vs #1 Maryland

This was the 4th straight year these two teams met in the Women’s NCAA Final Four and the previous three were very close. Maryland began the scoring with a goal in the first minute of play but Syracuse netted their own only a minute later. Then things began to go south for the Orange. Maryland went on a five goal run and the score was 6-1 with eighteen minutes left in the first half. Syracuse stopped the bleeding momentarily and tallied their second goal only to allow another four goal surge by the Terps. At halftime the score was 10-3 and didn’t get better. Maryland continued to score relentlessly in the second half and the game ended with a final score of 19-9.

Maryland is now 20-1 all time against Syracuse.

Syracuse

This was a very frustrating game for the Orange as they allowed the most goals, 19,  they have given up in a game since 2013. The ten first half goals were also the most given up by Syracuse this season. In terms of offense, the three first half goals tied their worst production of the season as well. The Orange finished the game with only seven ground balls.

Although the game didn’t go the way the Orange wanted and their season is over, multiple players for the Orange had tremendous performances this season. Senior Kayla Treanor set an NCAA record during the game by controlling 11 draws today and ending her career with 217 all time. She also finished 4th all time for points in NCAA history with 393 and sixth in goals with 260. She holds the record for goals at Syracuse and is second in points as well as fourth in assists with 133.

Photo Credit: Maryland Athletics

Maryland

The Terps are red hot this season and have expected nothing less than the National Championship all season. They are on a twenty-six game win streak that dates all the way back to last season and have appeared in eight straight Final Fours. Not only that, they will be in the ship for their fourth straight year. They lost in to UNC by one in 2013 and were National Champs in 2014 and 2015.

The Terrapins have the most potent offense in the league and have scored in double digits in 21 of 22 games. In the game they didn’t reach ten goals, they beat UNC 8-7.

Taylor Cummings became the third player in history to surpass 500 career draw controls. She is also 10th in Terps history for most ground balls in a season with 61 and second in single season draw control with 139. With a goal in second half, Cummings moved into second place in career points with 322. Her 228 goals put her tied at 3rd for now in school history as well. Megan Whittle has 73 goals this season and is in 4th place in Terps history.

Women’s NCAA Lacrosse Championship Preview

And now there are only two teams remaining. After Friday’s games, the Women’s NCAA Division I Championship is set to be a match up between a couple of power houses. Including this match up on Sunday, the two teams will have faced each other in three out of the last four championships. Both teams will be looking to gain the 2-1 edge against each other in recent championship games. North Carolina is looking for revenge after being the runner-ups last year as wel. Maryland isn’t just going for another National Championship, but rather for the first 3-peat ever in DI lacrosse. The previous championships were both decided by one goal. This game is going to be exciting and intense. When the clock hits zero on Sunday only one team will be raising the trophy. Who are you taking?

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The Maryland Lacrosse Equipment Managers play a very important role on the men’s team. Without them, the players and coaches – who already have very busy lives themselves – would inherit way more responsibility for the way things are handled off the field.

Case in point: Every day Tim Ahner and the student managers setup practice before it starts, making sure the gear of every player and coach is clean and ready to go before it needs to be used again.There’s always something that needs to be done for the team whether that’s preparing an upcoming weekend of traveling (read: the NCAA Final Four) or setting up a player a new pair of gloves.

Video by Brett Roberts for a UMD journalism class.

Certainly one thing is true about Division I teams, without equipment managers they simply wouldn’t be able to function. At UMD and many other institutions across the country, the lacrosse players just have to focus on playing lacrosse. I know what you MCLA club guys are thinking…. “LUCKY. Wish I was born with a stick in my hands too!” ;)

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Many of the tasks completed by the Maryland Lacrosse Equipment Managers take place in The Dungeon or the Varsity Team House. Team gear is stored at both locations. Every single helmet, glove, hoodie, or other piece of equipment is numbered and put in a specific spot for each player, allowing the gear to always be easily accessible to the players

Although you never see the Maryland Lacrosse Equipment Managers on the field scoring goals or causing turnovers, the team would suffer without them by its side. Instead of just being able to just show up to practice, players or coaches would have to help set up the field, clean the locker room, restring pockets mid-game, and more. Players would probably have to wash their own gear after games and practices, too. Personally, that’s a lot of laundry I wouldn’t want to do!

On game day, it’s the job of the Maryland Lacrosse Equipment Managers to make sure every player has everything he needs to successfully play to the best of his ability.

One big bonus of that responsibility? These guys get their hands on TONS of sweet gear! Check out some of it below:

Cascade R

Price: $249.99

The chromed out Cascade R, a style option that I believe has a chance to become very popular in the next few years due to the fact that it simply looks good with all colors. Every logo I have seen on the side really stands out whether that’s the Maryland M, Albany Great Dane, or Syracuse S. The R itself is also the best helmet on the market in my humble opinion.

If you’re currently searching for a new helmet, check out the R. You won’t regret it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/7_P9BMSx3c/?taken-by=ualacrosse&hl=en

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Under Armor Highlights

Price: $129.99

The Under Armor Highlight Cleats are definitely one of the most popular pairs of footwear in the game right now.The overall design of these high-cleats as been an absolute hit since it was unveiled a couple years back. These days it seems like at every lacrosse game I watch there are at least 1/4 or more of the players wearing these. If you haven’t tried them out and don’t have cleats you currently like, definitely give them a chance by visiting Lacrosse.com.

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Under Armor Engage

Price: $169.99

Maryland always has great looking equipment and the Under Armor Engage gloves above definitely fall into that category. If the #1 team in the nation is rocking them, then so am I! Am I right?! You probably only get to choose one color scheme so make sure its the right one by going to Lacrosse.com.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEg3mcGyx_i/?taken-by=ualacrosse&hl=en

Under Armor VFT Arm Guards

Price: $89.99

The arm guards that the Terrapins have been wearing this season are the VFT from Under Armor. These are top-of-the-line arm guards that give your entire elbow great protection, enabling you to take more checks. I also think they look sleeker and cleaner than a lot of the other elbow pads on the market.

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Make sure you tune in this coming weekend to catch the Final Four in Philadelphia. The Terps play Brown in the semifinals and the other match up is Loyola versus UNC.

It’s surely going to be a crazy weekend for the Maryland Lacrosse Equipment Managers and all the others in attendance, too. Just a quick reminder to all of them: Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and eat food!

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In 2007, the South African Lacrosse Project brought the sport of lacrosse to kids in Vaalwater, South Africa. This year marks the 10th year that a camp in ran in the area and it will hopefully continue for many more years to come. To continue the dream, they are currently looking to fill 10 male and 8 female coaching positions.

The Project is primarily looking for high school and college lacrosse players to help out on the mission by going on the trip. Full time coaches can also sign up to help out and be a part of it as well. Think of it as a great community service trip for any student looking for something memorable to do over the summer..

Camp Specifics

The agenda for the trip is to arrive in South Africa on July 1st and the camp begins on July 4th, the following Monday. The camp continues for the entirety of the week and begins with an opening ceremony. On the first day everything starts with the very basics in case there are any newcomers.

Eventually the camps gets up to full teams competing and on Friday it is a tournament between teams within the camp. 120 kids attend the camp with about an even split of boys and girls all ages 8-18. Once camp wraps up, on Saturday there is an expo for the town and about 500 kids attend.

Don’t worry though, you won’t just spend your entire time coaching. There are other activities planned on the trip as well. There is a local hike with a tour guide and during the hike they’ll identify all the native types of plants are; and how they’re used in traditional medicines.

You will also take part in an elephant backed safari, a bush walk, and zip lining. All of these sound like an excellent experience to me! Plus you can tie it in with lacrosse and you have a complete trip!

Something that you will also take part in is seeing how some children’s lives are affected by HIV and how their siblings deal with it as well.

You also get to see non-profit organizations in full swing like the Lacrosse Project and how they are impacting others lives, especially children’s. The entire group leaves South Africa on July 12th and returns home. The cost for the trip is $2000 plus airfare, this covers everything from meals to beds and everything else except souvenirs.

If you’re interested in taking part, you can check out their Facebook page or email Kip Hart at: kiphart91@gmail.com.

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Editor’s note: Welcome to another installment of “Spotted,” where we shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, such as on TV, in a movie, or even in real life. Be sure to drop us a line if you spot the beautiful sport of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect.

It has been a while since we’ve had a Spotted and there have been multiple new sightings! All of these are unique ones we have never had in a previous edition either. One is related to a video game, another is great publicity for a team; and the last one is from out of the blue. Definitely all worth checking out and interesting for different reasons.

The 1st Annual USA Luge Run of the Balls, interesting title for an event I must say. None the less it is great for two reasons, it helps raise funds for lacrosse players and teams in the area as well as having lots and lots of lacrosse balls rolling down a luge track. On March 25th in Lake Placid, the balls were dropped down the Olympic track and raced for the bottom.  The first five balls to finish and the last one all received varying cash prizes from $100-$500. Hopefully this event continues to happen every year and allows more and more kids to play the game of lacrosse! Also, shout out to Tri-Lakes Lacrosse for donating all of the lacrosse balls for the event. There is a video the event taking place here if you want to watch, the actual race begins around the 53rd minute mark.

To me this next sighting is a bit of a stretch but it works. In the video game Halo there is a game mode called Grifball where the objective is to get a ball (or bomb) and score by reaching the other teams zone. It is 4 on 4 and neither team has a goalie. When you grab the ball your Master Chief Spartan speeds up a little and receives an extra shield. This is how you know if you have the ball and are able to score a point. You can kill the other team with hammer (dpole) or sword (shorty) which can be seen as a stick. Although it is a little bit of a stretch to relating it to lacrosse, I see how someone can make the relation.

This is my favorite Spotted out of the three in this edition. A women’s lacrosse team being announced for winning the DII National Championship during an NCAA basketball game. There isn’t much better publicity than that if you ask me. Adelphi University was brought out during the halftime of a Iowa Hawkeyes versus Villanova Wildcats March Madness game. First of all, congratulations to Adelphi for winning and second of all, it’s sweet to see lacrosse get another moment in the light. Hopefully one day other sports are being announced during the lacrosse championship halftimes.

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Anyone who’s looked into the MCLA knows Brigham Young University (BYU) has had an overwhelming amount of great players go through the program. There is talk that one of their current players could be the best the team has ever had at his position. This LSM is a living highlight reel.

Max Neser is heading into his junior season and will be looking to do BIG things again this year. Last year he received multiple personal awards: 1st Team All Conference in the RMLC, Defensive Player of the Year, and 1st Team All-American. If those three awccolades don’t impress, don’t forget he did all of this durning his sophomore season after coming back from a two-year LDS mission (something many players struggle to bounce back from). Seriously, he posted 50 ground balls, 16 goals and 2 assists as the LSM! Who has the time for all of that?

Not only is Max a lock down defender and turnover machine, he scored in roughly half of the Cougars games last year. Long pole of not, this dude is the complete package. Now that he is an upperclassman, Coach Schneck will be looking to him to take that leadership role in order for the team to reach their goals.

After a tough, one-goal loss in the finals of the RMLC and a 1st round exit at Nationals, the Cougars will be rolling into the 2016 season determined and focused. BYU will always be talented, but will they be able to get over the hump and finish games down the stretch? …or will they come up short two seasons in a row?

It’ll be up to Max and the rest of the upperclassmen to get the new team ready for April. Their hopes are to win the RMLC and make a statement heading into the National Tournament. Make sure you keep tabs on the boys in blue and Max Neser as the 2016 season unfolds. The season kicks off February 6th at home against an in-state rival, Utah State!

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We are already half way through the first month of 2016 and with every day that passes, we get one step closer to the opening weekend of the MCLA! Now, if you didn’t pay attention to the league last year, you may want to clue yourself in! Some powerhouse teams are looking like they are slipping into a rebuilding phase, for one reason or another, leaving the door open for fresh teams to make a run in the playoffs. This year is going to shake things up in the rankings a bit and one you don’t want to miss out.

Some important dates you may want to pay attention to are:

1. Preseason Under Armour MCLA Coaches Poll will be released on January 27th
2. The 1st rankings of the regular season come out of February 17th

Before games get started, it’s always fun to speculate and try to predict who is going to do what. So let’s take a look at five MCLA squads on the rise. All of these teams have a chance to make the MCLA National Tournament this year; and for some it could be the first time ever.

San Diego State University (16-5)

The Aztecs surprised many people last year by posting a 16-5 record, winning the SLC, and making an appearance at the National Tournament.  Even though their trip to Nationals didn’t last long due to a 1st round match up against Grand Canyon University, they definitely showed a lot of improvement. The Aztecs lost by 5 in their second match up against the Lopes compared to 8 during the regular season and aren’t looking to take a step back this year.

Even though San Diego lost two of their top three scorers, they only lost 5 seniors (from what I could tell on the MCLA website). Coach Charlie Jackson will be looking for a few more guys to step up and take this team farther than they did last year. Making it to the National Championships again may not be easy for the Aztecs, but something they can achieve.

Toughest Games in 2016:

1. Grand Canyon
2. Colorado
3. ASU

Texas State (12-5)

With a tough defensive loss to Colorado ending the Bobcats 2015 season they’ll be looking to get back to the National Tournament once again and build on their experience from last year. After winning the Lone Star Alliance (LSA) last year, they’ll be looking to capture the conference title again in order to get them back in the National Tournament. Co-Head Coaches, Kyle Saunders and Michael Brand, will be looking to move forward in the 2016 season. Anything less than last year will be a disappointment.

Texas State will be leaning on their defense more this season since they graduated some of their top scorers from the 2015 season. With no power house teams scheduled for the 2016 season, the Bobcats will have to win their conference to make sure they get to UC Irvine for the National Tournament again.

Toughest Games in 2016:

1. University of Texas
2. Florida State

Virginia Tech (18-1)

Although many people may not see Virginia Tech as a “dark horse” after having an undefeated regular season last year, I am keeping them on this list for multiple reasons. After losing in the semi-finals to Colorado by 1, the only goal for this team now is to win the entire thing. The Hokies will have high expectations coming into the season. We will see if they have put in the work during the off-season to get over the hump and make it to the Championship game.

After only graduating three players, this team is going to be experienced and deep. I’m sure they’re the favorite to win their conference and will get a good seed in the tournament. After losing 2 senior attack men, it’ll be up to the midfield to keep this offense rolling.

Toughest Games in 2016:

1. Boston College
2. Michigan State
3. Florida State

Georgia Tech (17-2)

Ken Lovic and the Yellow Jackets will be looking to do big things this year after a 17-2 season along with only losing one senior. They’ll be looking to get revenge on Virginia Tech, claim the SELC title, and guarantee themselves another trip to Nationals.

The Yellow Jackets strength of schedule isn’t very strong and it will be interesting to see if that helps or hurts them. A lot of their players already have one game at Nationals under their belt, will it be enough for them to make a deep run into the tournament? Only time will tell.

Toughest Games in 2016:

1. Virginia Tech
2. Michigan State
3. Florida State

Boise State (10-4)

Okay, I might be a little bias since I joined the team this season, but I chose to join the program for a reason. Coming off the best season in Boise State’s history, the Broncos are only looking to improve. After only graduating four players and adding more talent through freshman and transfers, head coach Jon Mundy is making sure his team doesn’t take a step back. Along with great leadership coming from the attack with senior Adam Smith leading the way, the Broncos may surprise a lot of people this season.

The Broncos will be looking to claim their first ever PNCLL championship and make their first trip to Nationals after a loss to end last season against conference rival Simon Fraser. With the schedule the Broncos have put together, it will be great to see how they hold up against a lot of the top teams in the league.

Toughest Games in 2016:

1. Grand Canyon
2. Colorado
3. Colorado State

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Which way were you shaking your head while reading this list? Let us know in the comments below!

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The New England Black Wolves are bringing a new wolf to town. This one isn’t going to be scoring any goals or laying big hits. Instead, he’ll be cheering them on from the sidelines and creating memorable moments with fans.

There’s only one problem right now, the Black Wolves need help naming their new mascot. Once he gets his name, the wolf will be on the prowl amongst the fans and hanging out in the Mohegan Sun Arena so he can watch his favorite team play.

New England has put some rules on this contest, so make sure you pay attention.

1. You must be between Kindergarten and 6th grade to enter.
2. You must enter your name before January 11th.
3. Make sure your teacher emails info@blackwolves.com and includes: student’s name, mascot name, student’s grade, teacher’s name, school, and email.
4. Get your free ticket for January 15th’s home opener when the mascot’s name is revealed.

When you attend the game on the 15th as the winner of the contest, you will get to go onto the field and be recognized before the game AND you get to have a pizza party in class with the mascot!

If this isn’t something you’re interested in,  you’re fooling yourself. When you win, you get to say you named a pro-sports franchise’s mascot, that’s a claim to fame right there. Plus a pizza party, life doesn’t get much better than eating pizza in school.

For more information or any questions, you can contact the New England Black Wolves at 844.LAX.WOLF or email info@blackwolves.com.

Saskatchewan also recently hosted a similar contest to name their new Bulldog mascot and Georgia is renaming Buzz Swarm thanks to a fan contest. All three franchises will reveal the newly named mascots at their first home games.

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Editor’s note: Welcome to another installment of “Spotted,” where we shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, such as on TV, in a movie, or even in real life. Be sure to drop us a line if you spot the beautiful sport of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect.

In this week’s edition of Spotted we have another sighting from the old NFL. You think there’s a trend starting? The new Huarache 5s have been spotted on the Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (not EJ Manuel). Thanks to Texas State head coach and Bills die-hard Mike Brand for helping us spot these.

The fact that lacrosse cleats are becoming more popular in the NFL is great! It’s reassuring to lacrosse players knowing that the same lacrosse cleats they wear are also worn by some of the world’s greatest (and highest paid) athletes.

This is the first time I have seen these cleats in action (not in the Thompson black) and I have to say they look really great! Normally I’m not a fan of 2-way color patterns on cleats but I would rock these this coming season for sure.

Who knows, maybe someday more football players will wear lacrosse cleats than lacrosse players wearing football cleats. I can do my part as long as I can get my hands on a pair of Huarache 5 cleats for this upcoming season.

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The 10th Annual Sticks for Soldiers Lacrosse Classic is set for November 28th, 2015 at Fairfield Ludlow High School in Connecticut. If you haven’t heard, Sticks for Soldiers is a non-profit organization that raises funds for severely wounded soldiers and to promote awareness of military service. This tournament is held annually on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.

Sticks for Soldiers has raised $455,000 through the event over the past nine years. This year, organizers expect over 900 boys and 60 girls from Connecticut high school teams at the competition. The officials and volunteers give up their whole day to make this event happen.

This year their goal is to raise $150,000 for two severely injured soldiers. The point of the tournament is also to “give thanks, provide support and raise awareness.” This is a great opportunity for high school athletes to raise money for a great cause while playing a sport they love.

Since this is the 10th year, Sticks for Soldiers is going big and also putting on a concert. Sticks for Soldiers teamed up with Bands Together to put on a concert, Rock in the USA, on November 6th at 7:30pm. Some of the artists that will be performing are: Bobby Harden, Jeremy Goldsmith, Jay Rowe, and more! Tickets are $30 so it’s definitely worth the donation and the proceeds go to a good cause.

If you want to know more about Sticks for Soldiers, check out this video to learn more about their purpose. The two honorees for this have already been named and a third one may be named before the event. Get to know two of the honorees below.

Tickets are on sale NOW, so get on it!

Lt. Nicholas Vogt

Our first honoree is Lt. Nicholas Vogt of the Army, who served in Afghanistan. While he was there, he was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED). When he was injured he lost a great deal of blood and he may have had the biggest blood transfusion in Army history. Check out the video to learn more about his inspiring story.

Sgt. Eddie Ryan

The next honoree is a sniper, Sgt. Eddie Ryan. He was shot in the head twice and the bullets caused a severe traumatic brain injury. Two thirds of his brain was affected by the event.

Both of these men are great veterans to honor at this event, I’m humbled by their service.

If you are in the area and can make it, it will be a great way to spend sometime with the family. You get to watch, or play, in a tournament for a great cause and support a couple of America’s soldiers directly. So eat some Thanksgiving leftovers and head over to Fairfield Ludlow High School for a full day of lacrosse and fun for a great cause!

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Editor’s note: Welcome to another installment of “Spotted,” where we shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, such as on TV, in a movie, or even in real life. Be sure to drop us a line if you spot the beautiful sport of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect.

This is a special edition of Spotted because instead of just one sighting, we have three! And not only that, there is another connection with the National Football League, and who doesn’t love football?

The first sighting is from the trailer of “Cooties,” we wouldn’t have found this one either if it weren’t for Valts Janis Gratis. Cooties is a comedy about an epidemic that only affects anyone who hasn’t gone through puberty. The virus is literally called cooties and turns kids into zombies.

When a group of teachers and uninfected students try to get out of the school grounds to get away from the infected zombie child, a lacrosse stick happens one of the teachers weapons. (You can see the lacrosse stick at the 1:48 mark of the trailer below.) I can’t wait to see how it’s used.

Spotted numero dos, Matthew Stafford and his Nike Huarache 4s.How awesome is it to see some of the highest paid athletes in the world rocking lacrosse cleats? Now if they would only drop the pigskin for leather and lace…

Matthew Stafford’s cleats also supported a great cause, October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. Even though the Lions have done poorly so far this year, Stafford’s cleat game is on-point.

The final sighting in this edition is in the State Farm commercial, “Roomates.” A lacrosse stick is in the background of the scene with a family sitting around their kitchen table. The commercial is about a son who has finally moved out of his parents house for the first time. Thanks to Rick Kovalsick (go_lax27) for finding this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojWuE1NruI0

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The weekend before Halloween weekend, the University of California Davis held its annual fall ball tournament. Lucky for me, a junior transfer, it just so happened that the Boise State Broncos were heading south to California once again. We weren’t the only ones, other good competition like Diablo Valley CC, Sonoma State, Cal Poly, and Santa Barbara CC made their way to Davis for a weekend of lacrosse!

After two long months of practice, the Broncos were ready to see some new faces and gauge the team’s progress. The moral was high and we were ready to make an early statement. UC Davis was up first.

UC Davis

The game started off a little slow and you could tell guys were still getting their legs going. Once balls started hitting the back of the net, they didn’t stop for the Blue.

Consistent scoring and solid defense led to a final score of 20-3. With the boost of confidence, were ready to take on the next opponent, Santa Barbara City College.

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara City College was the next challenge and the first junior college squad that we had to face.

With games only formatted as 2, 20 minutes running halves, there wasn’t any room for error. Thanks in large part to the lights-out SBCC goalie, the game was 3-1 at half in favor of the Broncos.

Right as the second half fired up, the Broncos continued to dominate the time of possession, making the right decisions to cruise to a 10-2 victory.

Chico State

It was now Chico State we had to turn our focus to. After the first two games, there was a little less gas in the tank and the Broncos struggled a little bit, only leading 2-1 at half.

While the defense maintained a firm grip, the stumbles continued for the offense against Chico, they were only able to notch three more goals for a final score of 5-1. Three games down, we were set to face the toughest competition of the weekend.

Sonoma State

Sonoma State was on the clock and they weren’t going down easily. The offense came out guns blazing and were able to jump out to an early 4-0 Bronco lead. Clicking on all cylinders in the first half, the Blue and Orange rolled into halftime with a 5-2 lead.

The game took a turn for the worse in the 2nd half. Sonoma’s high pressure ride, along with a handful of other errors, the Broncos had allowed them to get back into the game.

Both sides battle back and forth and was locked at 7-7 in the final minutes. The Broncos went to the box for a late penalty and Sonoma was able to capitalize, handing us out first loss of the weekend with a final score of 8-7.

Cal Poly

Our scrimmage with Cal Poly immediately followed the Sonoma loss. This gave our boys a chance to redeem ourselves from the last game. Trailing 2-1 at half, the Broncos were started to look gasses and desperately needed energy. Senior attackman and backbone of the club Adam Smith had the answer. Adam scored the next three goals of the game and assisted on the fourth to freshman Jake Braden.

Along with quality team defense and a roll from the offense, we were were able to finish the game, and the weekend, with the 6-3 win over Cal Poly.

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With a final record of 4-1 on the weekend, the team and coaching staff were pleased with the outcome of our fall trip to California. Although the record was positive, our guys know that there is plenty of work to be done before the regular season campaigns kicks off in the spring!

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This was just the video I needed to start my day off right. Watching Irish people watch lacrosse for the first time along with some great highlights from Maryland versus Carolina is always going to peak my interests.

This video is entertaining from the beginning. The Irish accents along with the humorous comments make for nothing but great comedy… and now I wish lacrosse was on horses.

A couple of couples in the video comment on the number of people in attendance compared to the amount of players that are on each roster. We know we can’t always fill the stadium, but it doesn’t matter cause we get to play the game we love!

One of my favorite parts of the video is when one of the guys comments that for baseball you need some beers because it’s so boring, but when you watch lacrosse you have to pay attention or you could miss an exciting moment. He’s right, baseball is incredibly boring.

It’s not like there isn’t lacrosse in Ireland (good lacrosse, actually). The Irish have competed internationally for years, as recently as the WILC 2015 in September. It looks like Ireland, like the rest of the world, has some work to do to include lacrosse in the mainstream.

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Editor’s note: Welcome to another installment of “Spotted,” where we shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, such as on TV, in a movie, or even in real life. Be sure to drop us a line if you spot the beautiful sport of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect.

Thanks to Joe Keegan we have spotted lacrosse in another interesting place. This time it just happens to be the desktop background for the Houston Texan’s Vice President of Football Operations, Doug West. I am guessing the picture is of his son but I’ve been wrong before.

This isn’t the only connection lacrosse has to the NFL. Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick has close ties to lacrosse. Belichick played at Wesleyan in college and has passed his passion for the game down to his kids. His daughter is the Head Coach of Holy Cross’s Women’s Team and his oldest son used to play at Rutgers.

Jim Brown is another person who made a big impact in the NFL and played lacrosse in college. This guy is a legend and its great that he was a lacrosse player for a period of his life.

The list doesn’t end here. If you want to know more people who played lacrosse and in the NFL, check out our other article: Former Lacrosse Players in the NFL.

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Legendary lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala has definitely shared his passion for the game with his twin sons. Lacrosse royalty is in the blood of Nicholas and Dominic Pietramala, who both play for the Koopers Lacrosse 2021 team. Not only is Kooper’s a well-known and well-instructed youth program, the youngsters are fortunate enough to get to practice on Hopkin’s Homewood Field (thanks, dad!) and other top-notch Baltimore-based facilities.

The two Petros have great stick skills for their age and dominate at their positions. You can tell these two constantly have their sticks in hand, just like pops back in the day.

Nicholas took after his old man and is making a name for himself as a pole. You can already see the makings of a great LSM, Nicholas has no problems clearing the ball and isn’t afraid to push it in transition. Not to mention, he also knows when to pull the reigns and settle the ball after clearing.

Dominic on the other hand is a well-rounded attackman who can beat his guy to the goal or draw the slide and make the perfect dish. If Nicholas can push the ball downfield quickly to Dominic, these two are going to make a crazy full-field 1-2 punch for years to come.

Now roll that beautiful Petro footage…

Nicholas Pietramala (LSM)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2MFjVVl3Hg

He’s pretty good right? His stick is a vacuum when it comes to getting ground balls whether he’s in the open field or in a scrum. The one-on-one defense he likely got from his dad is also on-point. He never does anything too fancy because he’s busy playing fundamental defense and throwing solid checks.

The attackmen never get a chance to breathe with the pressure he applies and it usually ends in a take away. He doesn’t stop there, Nicholas also goes to the rack a few times and definitely seems comfortable dodging and shooting when he wants to.

Dominic Pietramala (Attackman)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwn-DJuPY1Y

So now you know how good Dominic is too. His outside shot has plenty of speed and incredible accuracy. It seems like if his team is on man-up and they call his number there is a good chance he’s burying the rock. The field vision and passing he has is also top-notch, whether it’s feeding the backside or the crease, Dominic’s ball movement is legit. He also beats his defender in a variety ways whether it’s purely using speed, or throwing a fake, the kid has tricks up his sleeve.

It will be great to see where these two end up down the road! Whether it’s at Johns Hopkins with Coach Pietramala or somewhere else, I’m sure they’ll dominate in whatever they do. There’s a good amount of time between now and their freshman year of college but when they’re about to hit campus, I’m sure we’ll hear plenty more about them.

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Some call Dave Pietramala the greatest defenseman to ever play lacrosse. If that’s true, and he’s got a set of twins on the way that carry the same passion, the future of lacrosse is looking blindingly bright!

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The University of Michigan Men’s Lacrosse program rolled out another engaging video back in May, giving a wholehearted look into the core value system that each Wolverine buys into when coming to Ann Arbor to play for coach John Paul.

FIST is a Michael O’Leary production, completed with the help of four others. Four out of the five working on the project have close ties to the subject matter, being Michigan alumni and all.

“It’s something I create every year for the team going back 15 years to when I was on the team. We all do it for fun, just to give back.” Micheal O’Leary

The piece begins with Coach Paul filling us in on how he was creating a team from nothing. He had to make future players want to become a Wolverine and succeed at the highest level. Now a few years deep as a NCAA program, it’s clear that the early success of the Michigan lacrosse team came quickly due to the culture Paul created on campus.

There are four main values to this culture, Wolverines know as FIST (Family, Integrity, Selflessness, and Toughness).

Family

This is the most important value out of the four. If the team is a family, the other three values will already be there. Once every person cares about every member of the team, then you have a family.

The players spend almost their entire time together. Whether they’re riding their scooters in a pack to practice or hanging out at the team houses, the Wolverines are never alone. The bonds formed between teammates is incredible, friends become brothers in such a short time. In 9 months (roughly a full school year) total strangers can become the people you trust the most.

Integrity

To Coach Paul and the Wolverines, integrity is more than just being honest. To the team it means having realistic expectations, setting goals and achieving them. Whether it’s team or personal goals, each and every goal needs to be achieved to make sure that the team will be successful.

Selflessness

When Coach Paul talks about selflessness, there are two parts. First, he wants his players to not take things for granted. Not everyone gets the chance to play a DI college sport at a school with rich traditions like Michigan.

Coach Paul says it best, “It is as much about appreciation, as it is actually about doing things for others.”

Players also have to understand their role on the team. Not every player is the star and minutes are hard to come by. Even if you’re a guy isn’t relied upon in the game, if he doesn’t show up ready for practice everyday, there will be an inevitable void causing the team will come up short on the season.

Toughness

The Wolverines believe toughness is not only about being able to face adversity, but also always being able to hold yourself and others accountable. Both of these are very important things that those who want to be great should strive to do on and off of the field.

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Take the time to watch this video and really reflect on Coach Paul’s words and core values. Even if you aren’t a Michigan fan, there is something everyone can take away from FIST, share it once you’re done!

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Since MCLA.us has idled as nothing more than a splash page for the past few weeks, it’s been a struggle to find stats, schedules and other top-notch information about the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association since our all-mighty database is offline for now.

What else can we do but look back at the Semi-final and Final Rounds of the exciting MCLA National Tournament!

Semi-Final Round

DII: St. Thomas 12 vs Dayton 13

Dayton took on the defending DII champs, St. Thomas, and prevailed to get a spot in the Finals of the MCLA DII National Tournament.

DII: Concordia 15 vs Western Washington 8

Concordia and Western Washington knew this game would be a battle, with WWU having a high powered offense the Eagles knew their defense would be tested. Concordia’s defense was able to stall the Vikings offense enough to get a chance against Dayton in the Finals.

Final Round

DI: Colorado University 8 vs Grand Canyon University 9

I don’t think a single soul was surprised when Colorado made it to the finals for their second straight year.

Grand Canyon, on the other hand, was given a generous spot in the poll coming into 2015 but it seemed like no one thought they would ever hold up to their early ranking.

Most of us would have thought a bigger name school like Arizona State or Colorado State may have had a chance to beat the back-to-back champs. The Lopes from Grand Canyon had other plans and stole the National Title away from the Buffs to cap off the end of a monumental season.

Check out the highlight tape from the game thanks to Lax.com!

DII: Concordia 11 vs Dayton 12

The Concordia Eagles were undefeated coming into the National Championship Final against Dayton. Completing an undefeated season would’ve been a great story but Dayton had other plans and claimed the DII title.

You can watch the full-length video from each of the 2015 MCLA National Tournament games on the MCLA YouTube!

Photo Credit: Robert White

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHQcABZgBTI

It has happened once again, a bench clearing brawl in a Junior A lacrosse game. This time we go to Ontario, Canada for the scrap between the entire Whitby Warriors & Orangeville Northmen benches. From the video you can’t tell why or how the brawl really started, by this point, the game has definitely gotten out of hand.

Both benches were clear and multiple fights were already going on once the recording began. The refs were so busy trying to break up the initial fights that they couldn’t prevent everyone else from joining in.

It seems like almost every player on both teams got into some sort of scuffle. Even the starting goalies and back-ups got into it at the end of the video.

Fighting in box lacrosse doesn’t just happen because two players dislike each other or because they are goons. There is pride that comes with winning a tilt and a boost of energy for a team. Some guys on a roster can be a bruiser/fighter and in every game it’s their job to throw the opponents off their game and to handle problems caused by the other team.

Plus, when it’s legal, who wouldn’t be excited if one of your teammates just won a fight in a game? When it’s just one or two one-on-one fights then it’s typically not a big deal. Bench clearing brawls on the other hand, that’s not cool.

The fight between the Whitby Warriors and Orangeville Northmen isn’t the worst bench clearing brawl we’ve seen. At least most players stopped swinging when the other guy hit the ground. Players didn’t go for cheap shots when they had the chance and I respect that.

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Check out some other big time box lacrosse fights and brawls below! For more insight on lacrosse fights, check out Mark Donhue’s previous post about the topic.

This is a bench clearing brawl between the Coquitlam Adanacs & Nanaimo Timbermen. This is one of the worst fights we’ve seen on video because players don’t stop going at it once the other guy falls to the floor. These are the type of things that we just shouldn’t see in lacrosse or any sport.

This big time fight between two players is allowed, and encouraged, in the NLL. Bill O’Brien of the New England Black Wolves destroyed Stephen Keogh of the Rochester Knighthawks and in the sports world, the video went viral.

Notice as soon as Keogh hits the floor, the fight is over and the refs jump in to break it up.

Fighting obviously is nothing new to box lacrosse as seen in this video from 1932. It’s a deep rooted tradition for the game, but something not many Americans seem to truly understand.

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Let me know what you thought of the brawl and lacrosse fights in general in the comment section below!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw08j-yOfcE

Miles and Lyle Thompson appear in their first Nike video ad, “Short A Guy.” With the amount of attention these two are bringing to the sport, the game is only going to continue to grow.

Nike’s newest ad is all about a kid who is bouncing through pick-up games on the hottest day of the summer with some of the best known athletes in the world who happen to be in need of one more player. There are multiple big name Nike athletes in the ad including: Anthony Davis, Andrew Luck, and Misty May-Treanor to go along with the Thompsons.

His day begins by just playing basketball with his friends and the rest of his afternoon only gets better from there. Real or not, meeting athlete after athlete and getting to play along side them would be an incredible experience.

At the end of the spot, the kid is exhausted but obviously can’t miss the chance to hop back on the court where he started to hoop with Anthony Davis!

Miles and Lyle Thompson have added tremendous flash and unprecedented creativity to the game. Whether it’s the back-hand shot while dodging from X or just the awareness to know everyone’s place on the field is incredible. Lyle even showed glimpses of it again during his senior season with fellow University of Albany attackman, Connor Fields,

As more and more lacrosse athletes get signed with bigger name companies like Nike, lacrosse will be shared to a bigger audience. There are other barriers of entry to the game but with publicity like this, lacrosse can keep trickling into the mainstream.

Hopefully TV spots like this one can help bring a higher demand for lacrosse games on television too. Big TV contract deals would really boost revenue for the sport and could support the push to remove the need for pro players to work jobs outside of playing lacrosse.

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Editor’s note: Welcome to another installment of “Spotted,” where we shine a light on lacrosse spotted in unexpected places, such as on TV, in a movie, or even in real life. Be sure to drop us a line if you spot the beautiful sport of lacrosse in a place you didn’t expect.

On July 2nd, Nick Silvestri and his family went to see Broadway’s “Hand of God.” What happened during the play, is quite ridiculous. Nick decided to get on stage and plug his phone in to charge it. Security came and took his phone. That’s not even the worst part, his phone didn’t even get to charge because the outlet was just a prop.

Don’t worry, security allowed Nick to watch the remainder of the show and get his phone after from the stage manager.

According to multiple news sites, Nick is a lacrosse player at Nassau Community College, but when you look at his school’s roster, his name doesn’t appear anywhere. If anyone knows Nick and if he even still plays lacrosse or not, I’d love to know.

If Nick isn’t a lacrosse player, then why would people jump to that conclusion? It doesn’t seem to make sense. If there is any way to tie a negative story to lacrosse, people tend do it. As soon as lacrosse gets attached to a story a news story, it starts to blow up likely because of the frat/bro culture ( and their typical lack of common sense) associated with the game.

Even if it turns out that Nick is a lacrosse player, that shouldn’t be a reason for this story to gain publicity. It is funny that a person actually got up onto a Broadway stage but why does it matter that he is a lacrosse player? He played lacrosse at one point in his life but that doesn’t define him as a person.

There is also an apology from Nick that explains his thoughts and why he thought it was okay to plug his phone into the outlet. Why would anyone mind? C’mon, he was just making sure he could continue to chat it up with the ladies.

Many others are reacting to this as well. Check out some of the comments below.

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