Takeaways from the 2023 USA Lacrosse Fall Classic

A full weekend of action at the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic presented lacrosse fans with a handful of things to think about as we inch closer and closer to another spring season.

HUMPHREY’S HUGE DAY

Chloe Humphrey, a North Carolina freshman just two months into her first fall ball, did not look overmatched or overwhelmed against defending national champion Northwestern on Saturday in a 13-12 U.S. U20 win.

Humphrey dropped five goals with one assist, scoring from a variety of places and angles, to kickstart a U.S. offense that went through some lulls in the middle quarters. The next great UNC attacker is here and ready for the big time.

THE U20 GOALIE BATTLE

How are Kelly Amonte Hiller and her U20 staff going to pick two goalies from this loaded U20 training team? Francesca Argentieri, Shea Dolce, Julia Suriano and Jocelyn Torres all played exceptionally against competition from Canada and Northwestern over the weekend. Dolce and Torres have the most in-game NCAA experience, though Argentieri is familiar with Amonte Hiller at Northwestern and Suriano is a top freshman goalie learning from Emily Sterling at Maryland.

DANOWSKI’S DYSON DILEMMA

It’s not often that John Danowski hangs out with the parents of the guy that scored an overtime goal to beat him, but that’s the way things work with the spaghetti-like connections and bonds between Canada and the United States in lacrosse.

About an hour after Dyson Williams scored the game-tying and game-winning goals for Canada in Friday night’s 12-11 Fall Classic victory, his parents were soaking in the moment near the entrance to Tierney Field with Danowksi, the U.S. team head coach and also Williams’ college coach at Duke.

Danowski joked that he kept Brennan O’Neill back in Durham, N.C. O’Neill, of course, earned MVP honors in leading the U.S. past Canada, and Williams, during this past summer’s world championship.

That’s one of the great things about the Canada-USA rivalry — despite the razor-thin margin between the two teams competitively, there’s a healthy respect from both sides.

POLE ALERT

It’s often tough for defensemen to stand out in all-star game-like environments, but the USA U18 men’s defense was stout during the Brogden Cup. The team gave up just 12 goals in four games, and in its lone loss, a 2-1 setback to Ontario on Sunday, defenseman Benjamin Wood (Georgetown) scored the team’s only goal.

Long poles Campbell Florence (Dartmouth) and Atticus Oliven (Michigan) added goals in Sunday’s 10-1 win over the Haudenosaunee.

READY FOR THE MOMENT

The USA Select U18 women’s team — featuring 22 Division I commits — dominated the competition with a combined score of 71-3 in its four victories at the Brogden Cup. It would be easy to coast through things, but goalie Orly Sedransk was up to the task when challenged.

Sedransk was put to the challenge often in a spirited effort by the Haudenosaunee. The U.S. led 5-0 at halftime, but only because Sedransk turned away several great scoring opportunities. The Penn commit from New Jersey made five first-half saves before Maryland commit Julia Ward came on in the second half to complete the shutout.

MADDIE ON A MISSION

James Madison sophomore Madison Epke never played in the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic before Friday night. She had tried out for USA Select teams through the National Team Development Program in the past, but she had never made it to the final roster.

She went on to win 10 draws and help the U.S. U20 team to a 23-5 draw edge against Canada, and she helped dictate the circle against Northwestern, going toe-to-toe with Wildcats draw ace Sam Smith. Epke also scored the tying goal and assisted the winning goal in the one-goal win.

ANY WAY ASHER

Asher Nolting produced offense in any way asked for the U.S. men’s senior team, dropping two goals and two assists in a 12-11 overtime loss to Canada and six assists in a 16-9 win over Penn State. After a breakout season in the Premier Lacrosse League with the Cannons, Nolting’s strong summer carried into Fall Classic.