Back to Campus: Teams Set for Fall Ball Frenzy
by Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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Karri Ellen Johnson was Maryland's big newcomer in 2009. Will incoming freshman Katie Schwarzmann make a similarly instant impact? Lacrosse fans get their first look Sunday at the Maryland Fall Play Day. © John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com |
Fall Ball Schedules: Men | Women
It's a lax equinox, as fall ball commences this weekend with a smattering of women's events and a U.S. men's team scrimmage. Here are the highlights.
Elimination Round Begins for U.S. Training Team
Forty of the nation’s best men’s lacrosse players
advanced past the first round of tryouts for the 2010 U.S. team at
Bryant University in June. As summer turns to fall, the U.S.
training team will compete in three events under the watchful eye
of coaches and evaluators, all in a bid to be named to the final
23-man roster that will carry the American flag to Manchester,
England, for the 2010 Federation of International Lacrosse World
Championships.
“We’ve got a heck of a group in the 40 now,”
Team USA head coach Mike Pressler told laxmagazine.com’s Matt
DaSilva. “We’re thrilled to move forward into the fall.
We’ve got three exciting events for lacrosse fans.”
Whereas in previous years, the 23-man roster was named following
the initial tryout, US Lacrosse expanded the process this time
around to allow further evaluation of applicants in the team
setting and against some formidable opposition.
The U.S. training team and Army will conduct a youth clinic in
West Point, N.Y., on Saturday before the Americans play an
intrasquad scrimmage at scenic Michie Stadium (6 p.m.).
The U.S. training team then heads to Navy Oct. 18 for a series of
scrimmages against Duke, Maryland, Virginia and the Midshipmen.
The three-event tryout concludes Oct. 31 at Stony Brook. US
Lacrosse will announce the final roster on Nov. 2.
“You had 84 battling for 40 spots. Now you’ve got 40
battling for 23 and making the team. If the intensity level and
competitive spirit could be any higher, I think we’ll see
that in the fall,” Pressler said.
Maryland Fall Play Day (Women)
When: Sunday at 12 p.m.
Where: Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex,
College Park, Md.
Lax fax: Free admission. More at umterps.com
Who's in: Maryland, Penn State and Virginia
Why you should go:
Most likely, this will be one of your first opportunity's
to see D-I lacrosse since Memorial Day. The Terps reached the final
four last season, while the Cavs made the NCAA tournament and the
Nits just missed it. “It will be a great chance to see what
our opponents are up to early,” said Maryland coach Cathy
Reese, who will face both UVA and PSU during the spring season.
“It’s a chance for everyone to show off their new
stuff.”
First impressions:
Each team in this round-robin event will have several newcomers
that can make immediate impacts, but we’ll focus on just
three. Virginia attacker Kelly Austin won the
Heather Leigh Albert Award as the top player in the 2008 US
Lacrosse Women’s Division National Tournament. Penn State
attacker Molly Fernandez (McDonogh, Md.) scored 51
points as a senior to earn USL All-America honors. Maryland
midfielder Katie Schwartzmann comes to College
Park as the 2008 Carroll County Times Player of the Year from
Century (Md.).
More Events
Delaware Fall Ball (Women) - Saturday, 9 a.m. in Newark,
Del.
Delaware, La Salle, St. Joseph's, UMBC
Nick Colleluori Women's Lacrosse Classic - Saturday, 9
a.m. in Hempstead, N.Y.
UConn, Adelphi, C.W. Post, LIU, Iona, Albany, Stonehill,
Bentley, Hofstra, UMass
Syracuse Fall Ball (Women) - Sunday in Syracuse,
N.Y.
Syracuse, Binghamton, Buffalo, Canisius, Colgate, Cortland, Le
Moyne
