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West Point Exhibition Impresses USA's Pressler

by Ken McMillan | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
Related:
* Team USA Notebook: No Quit in McClay; Spallina, Dixon Added
* Leveille Brothers Hopeful to Make U.S. Team
* Photos: Team USA Scrimmage at West Point

Paul Rabil scored two goals and added an assist Saturday in the U.S. training team's intra-squad scrimmage at Army. © John Pellino

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- More than a hundred young, enthusiastic lacrosse players gathered around Team USA coach Mike Pressler for some closing words to their Saturday afternoon clinic when he encouraged them to stick around for the evening's intra-squad scrimmage.

"This will probably be the best lacrosse game ever played," Pressler hyped.

The exhibition lived up to its billing, as 40 of the most talented American lacrosse stars squared off in an intense and enjoyable 14-13 contest before 750 fans at Michie Stadium.

A total of 18 players scored goals and 21 earned points in the four-quarter, 20-minute running time periods.

For the triumphant White squad, Mike Leveille, Paul Rabil, Ryan Powell and Max Seibald each had two goals. Leveille and Rabil added assists. For the Blue squad, Ryan Boyle had three goals and two assists, while Kevin Leveille and Ned Crotty each had two goals. The younger Leveille brother also added an assist.

"That was as high a level of lacrosse as I've ever seen," Pressler said. "I was very, very impressed. That was a high level for the coaching staff to watch, a lot to digest. I mean, who didn't you like tonight?"

Pressler said the exhibition squads were put together "with no rhyme or reason" except to keep it even. When the team gathers for a training weekend in Annapolis, Md., in two weeks, the coaching staff will split the squads with more purpose. The final training session will take place in Stony Brook, N.Y., over Halloween weekend, and the squad will be trimmed to the final 23 expected to participate in next July's world championships in Manchester, England.

"We will have greater expectations going into the Navy weekend," Pressler said. "We will start putting some people together, look at some combinations, looking at guys with guys and guys against guys."

The players shared the coaches' enthusiasm, and don't envy their task to select a team.

"That was a heck of a game out there, after just one day of practicing together," said Mike Leveille. "Everybody played well."

"I don't think the coaches can make a wrong decision," said Ryan McClay, an All-World defender in 2002 who was cut during the 2006 tryouts. "It's just figuring out who plays well with one another."

Pressler was impressed with the offense's ability to move the ball around and be unselfish, and was pleased with the communication he saw on defense. The battle for one, or perhaps two faceoff specialists was pretty much a draw between Alex Smith (White squad) and Chris Eck (Blue), and Pressler liked the faceoff work of Stephen Peyser and John Glynn as well. The three goalies -- Mickey Jarboe (Blue), Brian Dougherty (White) and Adam Fullerton (White and Blue) -- all excelled and did little to separate themselves from one another.

"I was very, very pleased with the effort of play, the enthusiasm and great camaraderie," Pressler said. "The guys were terrific."

Team USA had a morning workout, and then joined college players from Army in the afternoon for a youth clinic. On Sunday morning, the team took off the pads for a walk-through to prepare for exhibitions against outside competition.