July 4, 2006

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Central New York apparently heard the word that Casey, Michael and Ryan Powell were returning to their alma mater for an exhibition game as part of the 2006 U.S. Men's National Team. And while an overflow crowd of 3,500 shoehorned into and around Coyne Field on the Syracuse University campus to see their favorite alumni, a group of current area college stars and some rust left the U.S. and their fans with the realization that there's still plenty of work to do before the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championship July 13-22 in London, Canada.

Midway through the first quarter, Ryan Powell made a nifty feed to his brother, Michael, for a goal that put Team USA up for good at 2-1. But it would also represent the lone tally by a Powell on the night, although Ryan and Casey did hand out three assists apiece.

"Ryan passed to Mike and that was a neat play, but we need to play together more," said Casey Powell.

"When you play in front of so many familiar faces and family, and a great Syracuse crowd, you hope to throw the ball around a little bit better than we did," added Ryan Powell. "We certainly had better nights out in the backyard than what we showed tonight."

The Powells' venture onto Team USA represents the first official time they have played together. Their performance ranged from brilliant - such as the aforementioned scoring play - to rusty: in the second half, an unguarded Michael Powell mishandled a pass and then accidentally kicked the ball out of bounds. But players and coaches all echoed Casey's sentiment that the squad needs more time together.

"The big things were turnovers (the U.S. was officially charged with 16) and things we could've taken control of," said Team USA coach John Desko. "But when you put that many talented players on the field, they want to make things happen. We don't want to take the creativity out, yet we want to make sure we make good decisions on the field and get rid of some of the turnovers."

"It's going to be a process because a lot of us don't play together all season long," said Kyle Harrison, who won 5 of 6 faceoffs but got off just one shot. "Today we struggled a little, but we still ended up 15-6 even though some of our guys didn't play their best, including myself."

Several of Casey's and Ryan's six combined assists went to Kevin Cassese and Roy Colsey, who tallied three goals each to lead the U.S. The Americans used two 5-0 runs to eventually wear down the Syracuse All-Stars, 15-6, in the second of three exhibition games. The third will likely be the most daunting - a tango with Major League Lacrosse's All-Stars (many of which tried out but did not qualify for the U.S. team) Thursday night in Boston in a game that will be aired on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Current Syracuse University player Kenny Nims led his squad with two goals, but the star of the club team, and perhaps the game, may have been Cornell goalie Matt McMonagle. He went this distance and counted several acrobatic stops among his 16 saves.

"I think we underestimated them a little bit. They were in great shape. It was a great test and something that we needed," said Casey Powell.

"We're all playing through the lineup now. I think in the next couple days Coach is going to pick the lineup and who's going to be playing most of the games. It's hard to run in and out and get into the flow of a game."

"It's what this game was about. It's about tuning up, getting better and getting the kinks out. We hopefully got some of the kinks out tonight," said Ryan Powell.

While the players will continue to work through some surprises on the field, there was apparently little surprise at the size of the gathering for the exhibition. Admission had to be cut off as the crowd taxed Coyne Field's 2,700 capacity, forcing several hundred to the surrounding hills to get a look.

"I think some of the people up on the hill might have poison ivy in the morning. But it's great to see people lining around the fence and enjoying a great lacrosse game," said Casey Powell.

"A couple of the guys on the team came up to me and said Syracuse should be the home of a Major League Lacrosse team. It was awesome. It made me very proud of this area," said Ryan Powell.

"There's been so much publicity. Just being out in public, you heard all the people talking about the U.S. team coming to Syracuse. They wanted to be out and support the teams and watch great lacrosse," said Desko.

Jalbert Returns
Jay Jalbert of Team USA entered in the second quarter for his first game action since a concussion forced him out of the May 14 National Lacrosse League championship game. He assisted a Roy Colsey goal with 3:54 to play in the quarter, but perhaps more promising was a frenetic series of stick checks he threw while pressuring a Syracuse player before halftime.

"Trying to play 80 percent is always difficult," he said. "When I step on the field, I think about one thing, and that's playing hard. It's good to get out there and get the legs under you."

Teammates Christian Cook (ankle) and Doug Shanahan (impending fatherhood) did not dress. Alternates Paul Cantabene and Matt Danowski dressed and played. Cantabene won 8 of 11 faceoffs.

Moment of Silence
Both teams and fans observed a moment of silence prior to the game for Michael Smiley, a member of the 1993 and 1993 NCAA champion Syracuse lacrosse teams who was found deceased at his Hopewell, Mass., home Saturday.

"He was really an outstanding individual. To know Michael was to love Michael. He was a friend of everyone, and it's a big loss for the Syracuse family," said Desko.

Smiley was 32. A cause of death has not been determined.