College Kids Lead the Way as USA White Advances to LAXNAI Semifinals

Joey Spallina (Syracuse ’26) had four goals and four assists in three 30-minute games Friday, leading USA White to a perfect record in group play and a playoff-opening victory in the North American Invitational (LAXNAI) at the Utica University Nexus Center in Utica, N.Y.

USA White defeated Goldstar Tel Aviv 6-4, clinched the top seed in Gold A with a 7-4 win over the defending LAXNAI champion Rochester Bats and beat the Grand River Ironmen 9-3 in the quarterfinals.

All four Kirst brothers are on the USA White roster. Gold medal-winning 2022 U.S. U21 teammates CJ Kirst (Cornell ’24) and Cole Kirst (Lehigh ’22/Syracuse ’23) combined for three goals as the U.S. built a 7-1 advantage before allowing three late tallies for the final margin against the Bats.

USA White got off to another hot start against the Ironmen in bracket play, scoring six unanswered goals and leading 9-1 at one point.

The youngest player in the U.S. Men’s Box National Team player pool, Spallina, 20, was the spark plug. The reigning ACC Freshman of the Year scored the first two goals and assisted tallies by Patrick McIntosh (Virginia ’24) and CJ Kirst in the first nine minutes.

The trio of current collegians are USA White’s top scorers so far, with Kirst tallying a team-high five goals and McIntosh contributing three goals and three assists.

The U.S. has two teams competing at LAXNAI, the world’s largest international box lacrosse tournament which also includes U18, U15 and women’s divisions. USA Blue and USA White finished second and third, respectively, behind Thompson Brothers Lacrosse the last time USA Lacrosse competed in the event in 2018.

The split USA squads finished group play unbeaten, and it looked like they might be on a collision course to meet in the championship. But the Snake Island Muskies spoiled those plans, upsetting USA Blue 8-5 in the quarterfinals Friday night.

Anthony Kelly, the 43-year-old veteran of two U.S. box teams, suited up for USA Blue and scored in the sixth minute to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead. But Snake Island responded with three unanswered goals and controlled the game from there.

Chris Atwood and Vaughn Harris scored two goals apiece for the Muskies.

It was a letdown after USA Blue had defeated the Iroquois Thunder earlier in the day.

The U.S. has never defeated a Haudenosaunee team in the World Lacrosse Box Championship. Dating back to 2003, the Americans are 0-7 against the Haudenosaunee, including semifinal defeats in 2015 and 2019. Each of the five WLBC events have ended in the same top three, with the U.S. looking up at the Haudenosaunee and undefeated Canada in the final standings.

If the U.S. wants to disrupt the existing world order next summer in Utica, it will have to get past the Haudenosaunee. To that end, USA Blue’s 7-1 victory over the Iroquois Thunder offered signs of progress.

Ryan Sharkey (Canisius ’22/UMass ’23), a rookie fourth-round pick with the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits, scored three goals and Jake Govett (Delaware ’22) added a goal and two assists against a team that featured 2019 NLL Rookie of the Year Austin Staats (San Diego Seals) and 2020 NLL Goalie of the Year Doug Jamieson (Albany FireWolves).

Both teams are back in action Saturday. USA Blue will play either the Rochester Bats or the Seneca Marksmen in a consolation semifinal at 12:40 p.m. Eastern.

USA White’s pursuit of the LAXNAI title, meanwhile, continues with a championship semifinal game against the Frog Pond Maulers at 5:40 p.m. Eastern.

Both games will be streamed live on YouTube.

NORTH AMERICAN INVITATIONAL

Group Play (Friday)
USA White def. Gold Star Tel Aviv 6-4
USA Blue def. Iroquois Thunder 7-1
USA White def. Rochester Bats 7-4
USA Blue def. Frog Pond Maulers 6-3

Quarterfinals (Friday)

USA White def. Grand River Ironmen 9-3
Snake Island Muskies def. USA Blue 9-5

Consolation Semifinals (Saturday)

USA Blue vs. Seneca Marksmen – 12:40 p.m. EST

Championship Semifinals (Saturday)

USA White vs. Frog Pond Maulers – 5:40 p.m. EST

Championship Game (Saturday)

9:20 p.m. EST

Live Stream

Blue Squatch Production