MLL contest, Team USA tryout on tap for Cassese
6/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Smith Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kevin Cassese is set for what figures to be an exciting and tiring stretch of six days, beginning on Friday evening when he heads to Hofstra University on Long Island to compete for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse. Cassese and his teammates will take on the Long Island Lizards and look to avenge a season opening loss to the Lizards last month. Following Friday’s game Cassese will travel to Smithfield, Rhode Island where he will be one of 84 players competing for a spot on the 2010 United States Men’s Lacrosse Team, which will compete in Manchester, England in July of 2010.
Following its first win of the season last weekend over the Chicago Machine, Boston looks for two straight on Friday night against the Lizards. The Cannons will look to Paul Rabil to lead their offense, as he currently ranks fifth in the league with 10 points, with Ryan Boyle (nine points) and Sean Morris (nine points) not far behind. Through three games Cassese has totaled three goals, three points, three ground balls and six shots. He netted one score in the win over Chicago which came during the decisive third quarter as Boston outscored the Machine 7-2.
Boston head coach Bill Daye was happy with the effort his team put forth versus Chicago and is looking for more of the same on Friday. “I felt we played a solid three-and-a-half quarters of a game (at Chicago) and you know as a coach, you obviously look for a complete game from your team,” Daye explained. “I think we really need to focus on ourselves and just do what we need to do in order to be successful on both ends of the field.”
The Lizards, who enter Friday with a 2-1 record, recently drafted Zack Greer, who competed versus Lehigh during the 2009 season as a member of Bryant University’s lacrosse team. Greer totaled five points in his MLL debut versus Toronto and earned league Rookie of the Week honors for his performance. Greer, who transferred to Bryant, joins his former college teammate Matt Danowski on the Lizards. Greer and Danowski, who both hold the record for most career points in NCAA history with 353, played at Duke University together when Cassese was an assistant coach there.
Cassese was one of nearly 200 players that submitted applications to be considered for the Team USA tryouts. Following this weekend’s tryout, the group will be trimmed to approximately 40 players that will compete in three training weekends during the fall of 2009. After those three weekends, the roster will be cut to the FIL-mandated size of 23 players.
Cassese is one of 12 tryout selections among the 84 that participated on the 2006 U.S. team that finished as a runner-up to Canada at the World Championships. Cassese was also a member of the 2002 U.S. team that won the world title in Australia.
Upon arriving in Rhode Island Cassese will be put through a series of meetings and games with the final game slated for 10:00 on Wednesday morning. The 40 players selected from this weekend will be announced sometime later in the day on Wednesday. Check back to Lehighsports.com throughout the weekend as Coach Cassese will write a series of blog entries detailing the national team tryouts.
The 2010 world championship will be the first men’s championship conducted by the newly formed FIL, which is a result of the merger of the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations and the International Lacrosse Federation.
