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Vol. LXIV, No. 28
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
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Vol. LXIV, No. 28
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
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(Photo Courtesy of the Philadelphia Barrage)
WORLD LEADER: Ryan Boyle triggers the attack for the Philadelphia Barrage earlier in his career with Major League Lacrosse. Former Princeton University great Boyle, who scored 232 points in his Tigers career, will be starting play this week in the 2010 FIL (Federation of International Lacrosse) World Championships in Manchester, England. It is Boyle’s third appearance in the world competition. |
Ryan Boyle is only 28 years old but he has become one of the grizzled veterans on the U.S. men’s national lacrosse team.
A four-time All American at Princeton University, Boyle is getting ready for his third FIL (Federation of International Lacrosse) World Lacrosse Championships, having played for the U.S. in 2002 and 2006.
With the U.S. starting play at the competition this week in Manchester, England, Boyle is brimming with pride to be wearing the USA colors once again.
It didn’t take long for the soul-searching to begin after the U.S. men’s national lacrosse team lost 15-10 to Canada in the title game at the 2006 World Championships.
“I think we got a week off and then the U.S. lacrosse people were calling us to see what the issues were,” said former Princeton University standout Matt Striebel, a midfielder on the national team whose loss was the first since 1978 in the world competition. “There were going to be changes.”
Despite dominating the youth squash scene in the U.S. throughout high school, Todd Harrity felt some apprehension when he rose to the No. 1 spot last winter in his freshman season on the Princeton University men’s squash team.
“It was tough leading the team and playing at the top position,” said Harrity, the top-ranked U.S. boys’ U-19 player during the last three years at Episcopal Academy in Philadelphia.
Facing elimination in the Babe Ruth District One tournament last Monday evening, the Princeton-Cranbury 13-year-old all stars got off to a good start in their clash with Hamilton.
With Jeff Gleason displaying some crafty work on the mound and Zach Tesone, Gideon Friedberg, and Stephen Majeski leading the offense, Princeton jumped off to a 3-0 lead after two innings.
“I like the way we started,” said Princeton manager Jim Tesone. “I liked the spark we seemed to have.”
At first glance, someone passing by the Valley Road baseball fields last Saturday afternoon might have assumed that the baseball game being played on a corner diamond was nothing out of the ordinary.
But upon closer inspection, it would become clear that something different was afoot. Instead of the fancy leather gloves, dry-fit nylon uniforms and aluminum bats that come with today’s game, the players were barehanded, wore rumpled uniforms with strangely-stitched pullover tops and fluffy hats, and wielded clunky wooden bats.
The blast from the past taking place at Valley Road was a reenactment of a 19th century game featuring the Flemington Neshanock against the Elizabeth Resolutes put together by the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP).