Must-See Lacrosse: JT Giles-Harris vs. Lyle Thompson

SAN DIEGO — The United States invested heavily in defense when constructing its 23-man roster for the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship. That investment has paid off handsomely.

Through three games in pool play, the U.S. (3-0) has allowed just five goals per game while limiting Canada, Australia and the Haudenosaunee to just 23-percent shooting.

Not all stops are created equal.

On opening night against Canada, the U.S. opened the fourth quarter with a defensive stand while two men down. The Canadians got off four shots in the next minute. Goalie Blaze Riorden stopped the first one, the next hit the pipe and then defensemen Jack Rowlett and Matt Dunn each closed out on shooters to deflect their attempts.

When the teams returned to even strength, defensemen Jesse Bernhardt stripped Jeff Teat on a perfectly timed double, short-stick defensive midfielder Danny Logan scooped the ball and the U.S. went on to ice a 7-5 win with a pair of long possessions.

“Two guys putting their body on the line for the sake of this team, that’s what this is all about. Being selfless,” Riorden said. “It was a big point in this game. We’re mentally prepared and physically prepared for moments like that.”

On Saturday against the Haudenosaunee, defensemen JT Giles-Harris drew Lyle Thompson as his assignment. No. 4 vs. No. 4 made for must-see lacrosse.

Thompson, who is not playing in the Premier Lacrosse League this season, summoned surprising strength from his 6-foot, 180-pound frame, to gain leverage with his back to the goal.

“He’s really good. But I’m only good as everyone else behind me,” Giles-Harris said after a 9-7 U.S. win. “He’s hard [to cover]. He’s constantly going. It was cool that they put me on him, the trust in me. And then trusting that they were going to support when we needed it. When he did have me beat, there wasn’t a lot of separation time.”

Giles-Harris, the reigning PLL Defensive Player of the Year, countered with stoutness and quickness. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound cornerback who comes from a family of football players frequently found himself isolated against one of the craftiest attackmen in the history of the sport.

Thompson’s three goals came on a man-up, an unguarded shot off a pick and a short-stick matchup. Head-to-head against Giles-Harris, he was limited to just one first-quarter assist.

“He thinks a different way. He goes at different paces. You’ve got to play to his style,” Giles-Harris said. “I was relying on the other six guys behind me to help support me, talk to me on the ball and force him into areas where we can be successful.”

ICYMI: JT Giles-Harris battled Lyle Thompson all night at the @WorldLacrosse Men’s Championship.

An epic battle in a @USAMLax victory. pic.twitter.com/H33H0QkYw8

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) June 25, 2023

A marquee moment came at the end of the third quarter. After the U.S. offense got untracked for four unanswered goals, the Haudenosaunee had the last possession with a chance to stem the tide. Thompson dodged and re-dodged, thrice thwarted by Giles-Harris before making an errant pass as time expired.

“That was a really good possession,” Giles-Harris said. “We kind of got rolling.”

Giles-Harris’ ability to defend one-on-one and dictate the opponent’s positioning stood out to the U.S. coaches during the selection process. It proved prescient Saturday.

“From a schematic standpoint, I like our athleticism. We’ve got to take advantage of that,” defensive coordinator Joe Amplo said earlier this month after the U.S. team’s last training camp in Durham, N.C. “We took guys we think can win a matchup. You’re not going to shut anybody out. Then it comes down to how we are connected behind that guy.”

Said Giles-Harris: “We just want to be a really elite defense. We want to get every stop possible. The ones we don’t, we just come together, talk about it and try to go get the next one.”

Matt Hamilton contributed to this article.