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Team USA Gets Back on Winning Track

by Brian Logue | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

• Box Score

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Team USA can breathe a little easier now.

After two straight exhibition losses – to Duke in late January and to the Major League Lacrosse All-Stars earlier this month – Team USA got back on the winning track with a 15-8 win over the Philadelphia All-Stars before an overflowing crowd of over 1,000 at Lehigh University on Friday night.

Matt Striebel, a three-time Team USA player, knows the pressure and scrutiny he and his teammates face.

"You represent such a big thing and you have to win every time you step on the field," said Striebel. "We are a team just like everybody else and we're trying to work out the kinks and get guys into roles where they're comfortable. I think every exhibition game we're getting a little bit better, and I think that's the best thing we can say about tonight."

Team USA jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game and never trailed, though Philadelphia scored the final three goals of the third quarter to cut Team USA's advantage to 9-6 entering the final quarter.

"These guys battled the whole game," said Striebel of the Philly team that featured eight All-Americans from the 2010 NCAA season. "It was great preparation for us."

Earlier in the week, U.S. team head coach Mike Pressler had said that looking at different combinations of midfield units would be one of his focuses for the scrimmage. Ned Crotty, who played both attack and middie in the game, opened the game at midfield and he and Paul Rabil helped get things going. Crotty had two of Team USA's first three goals, while Rabil had the other and assisted on one of Crotty's goals.

In the second quarter, Rabil was paired up with Max Seibald and Striebel and in the second half he ran mostly with Seibald and Kyle Dixon. Striebel ran with Kevin Cassese and Matt Zash for much of the second half.

"I've played with Kevin and Matt Zash with the Barrage so playing with them is like second nature to me," said Striebel. "Playing with Paul is an unusual thing. He's such a dynamic force out there. Having seen him for a year in the league and having played against him a few times and now with him, I'm beginning to sort of see what he's doing. I think we're getting better at reading each other. That's a difficult thing, figuring out just what everybody's tendencies are and where they want to be."

Another area of focus for Pressler was faceoffs and he indicated that both Alex Smith and Stephen Peyser would see action. Smith was so dominant on Friday night, there was little need to see what Peyser could do. Smith won 18 of 22 faceoffs against Delaware's Dan Cooney, and won most of them clean. He had a game-high 10 ground balls in the victory.

Team USA also welcomed back defenseman Shawn Nadelen to the field. Nadelen tore his ACL in January training for the Champion Challenge event and had not played since.

"It felt great to finally be back on the field," said Nadelen. "I'm still not 100 percent , but just the excitement of getting back on the field and being with this team, that means the world to me."

Nadelen is trying to keep his spot for the trip to Manchester for the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship next month.

"I've been doing some one-on-one, some agility work," said Nadelen. "My rehab's been pretty elevated, pretty aggressive."

Defensemen Parker McKee and Lee Zink are among the four alternates that have been playing with Team USA although Zink missed this game due to work commitments in Denver.

Crotty led the U.S. offense with five points on three goals and two assists and Brendan Mundorf also had three goals, including two behind-the-head shots. Rabil, Striebel, Ryan Powell and Drew Westervelt all added two for the U.S. team. Garrett Thul, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year from Army, led the Philadelphia team with three goals.

Adam Fullerton picked up the win in goal for Team USA. Fullerton made five saves in the first half while allowing just two goals. After a slow start in the second half, Brian Dougherty made four of his five saves in the fourth quarter to close out the win.

NOTES: Team USA attackman Ryan Boyle missed the game due to flight delays as he was travelling from Kentucky. He arrived just as the game ended...Team USA's next game will be on July 8 when it plays the Major League Lacrosse All-Stars in Boston in a game that will be televised live on ESPN2...that will be after a few days of training camp at Bryant University...Team USA had a brief practice on Friday afternoon, it's first practice since January.