Not to be outdone, fellow faceoff man Conor Calderone got a coast-to-coast goal in the fourth quarter. More on that below.
The U.S. delivered a recipe for success on Sunday morning, less than two days after players descended upon the Columbus area for training camp as part of the tryout process. Myers threw plenty of information at his 32-man training team during the weekend, but it emerged as a closer unit.
“[Sunday,] they came out with energy and enthusiasm, not just for themselves but for each other,” Myers said. “You started to see some team chemistry really start to develop, both of defense and offense, that you just didn’t see Saturday. It was great to see.”
Players will now return to schools — some college and some high school — but reconvene in San Antonio for Spring Premiere and another chance to serve the mission Myers has preached since Day 1.
Familiar Faceoff Men
Just over 10 minutes separated the childhood homes of this weekend’s U.S. U19 faceoff men. Conor Calderone (Smithtown West) and Jake Naso (St. Anthony’s) are two of a number of Long Island natives on the U.S. training team.
But it's not just island pride that connects both Calderone and Naso. The two rising faceoff stars regularly lined up against each other as they developed through high school lacrosse.
“The guys on Long Island, we all know each other and get together to keep each other sharp,” said Calderone, a freshman at Maryland. "It definitely helps both of us, having such a good group of guys to train with. Me and Jake will meet up on a weekend and we’ll rep against each other.”
Although Naso made the choice to join a St. Anthony’s powerhouse and Calderone attended public school at Smithtown West, the two still found time to meet for training. Neither could have imagined they’d be lining up together for the U.S. U19 team.
The Long Islanders dominated at the faceoff x throughout the weekend, giving the U.S. ample possessions with which to work. On Sunday, both took advantage of holes in the Hill Academy defense and scored in the victory.
“I thought it was great, especially being with Conor who I’ve known for so many years, growing and training together,” Naso said. “It’s a great opportunity and I’m glad we’re both at this stage now.”
The Pride of Eden Prairie
As the U.S. U19 team trotted onto the field on Sunday morning, the temperature hovered around 32 degrees.
Cold for many. Par for the course for Minnesota native Quentin Matsui.
“I’m pretty used to it,” he joked. “Right now in Minnesota, it’s 20 on a good day."
Everything about Quentin Matsui’s lacrosse background is nontraditional. He didn’t start playing the game until the summer of eighth grade — just over five years ago.
And more importantly, he first picked up a stick in Eden Prairie, an area not known for being a lacrosse hotbed.
Matsui honed his skills in Eden Prairie, moved to Team Minnesota soon after and then took his talents to Project Midwest in Missouri. Over the summer, he developed as a legitimate college recruit as a defenseman.
Matsui caught the attention of Lars Tiffany and the Virginia Cavaliers. He joined the defending national champions in Charlottesville this fall. Over the last few months, Matsui has grown stronger and learned more about his game with help from coach Bo Lori.
That experience showed this weekend, where Matsui helped lead a U.S. U19 defense that held the Hill Academy to six goals. One of few players to make waves out of Minnesota, Matsui is prideful of his state.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “I definitely don’t take it for granted. I love to represent Minnesota.”
He’s still getting used to the Mid-Atlantic weather, though.
“The first couple months in Virginia, it was way too hot,” he said. “It was 90 degrees in October. It was crazy.”