MESA FRESH 2010 - DICK'S SPORTING GOODS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TEAM PREVIEW
(August 20, 2008)
Location: Malvern, Pa.
Head Coach: Dan Altschuler
Established: 2007
Colors: Red & white
Qualified at: MVP Lacrosse Team Tournament – June
by Lisa Garel
Formed by a group of parents who sons played high school lacrosse with and against each other, Mesa Fresh 2010’s team mission was simple.
“We wanted to make local high schools better [for future seasons] by playing during the summer,” said team administrator Ben Jacobs.
Despite lacking a single senior on the roster, the team still had a very dominant year, compiling a 31-4 record.
Possessions are often easy to come by for the Pennsylvania-based squad, as midfielder Liam O’Connor’s (The Haverford School / Haverford, Pa.) dominance at the face-off X frequently leads to fast-breaks.
But this team is about more than just one player, as evidence by one key stat suggests; very few of its goals this summer were scored in one-on-one situations.
“If any one individual is having a bad day, he’s got the rest of the team to pick him up,” explained coach Rob Lord. “We’re not over-leveraged on any one individual.”
“We’ll be one of the top five teams there,” said attackman Steve Aitken (The Haverford School / Wayne, Pa.), #19 on Inside Lacrosse's list of the nation's top rising juniors. “It shows in all the tournaments we’ve played in. We’ve won two championships [this year]. I think we’ll do just fine.”
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