Six years ago, Jack Kelly was getting ready for his senior season at West Islip (N.Y.) having never started for his high school program.

On Sunday, he was named one of two goaltenders who will represent the United States at this summer’s Federation of International Lacrosse Men’s World Championship in Netanya, Israel.

Pretty amazing.

More than any position in the sport, goalies have the toughest road to finding playing time. Especially when the guy in front of you is one like Kyle Turri. Turri helped West Islip to three straight Suffolk County championships from 2009 to 2011 and a New York Class A state title in 2010. He went on to earn a spot on the 2012 U.S. U19 team that won a gold medal in Finland, and then was a part of two national championship teams at Duke.

Waiting in the wings was Kelly.

“I always kind of knew the situation I was going to be in, so I just kind of went with it,” Kelly said. “[Kyle] was a year older than me and he was fantastic. He’s the best clutch goalie I’ve ever seen play in my life, the way he can make saves in big-time moments.”

His lack of playing time left him relatively lightly-recruited on the college scene.

Kelly went to Brown’s lacrosse camp the summer before his senior year of high school — and then-Brown head coach Lars Tiffany was impressed — but didn’t know what to make of the competition he had just faced. Still, Tiffany offered him a spot and started to get more excited as Kelly’s senior year at West Islip wore on.

West Islip lost just once that 2012 season, a 7-6 early season setback against Chaminade. They finished 21-1, holding all but one opponent to single digit goals and capped off the year with a 12-7 victory over Ithaca in the state championship game. Kelly saved over 65 percent of the shots he saw and was named an All-American.

The following year, Kelly was on the bench for Brown’s opener, a 9-7 loss to Quinnipiac. The next game, Brown went on the road to play at Massachusetts, which was coming off a win over North Carolina. The Minutemen were sitting at 3-0 and No. 5 in the polls. Tiffany made the decision to give his freshman the starting nod at a venue notorious for being difficult for the opposition to play, especially goalies.

“Just the way he walked on the field in pregame warmups, he gave confidence to everyone that we desperately needed,” Tiffany said.

Kelly made eight saves as the Bears upset the Minutemen 8-7 in overtime.

Over the next four years, Kelly kept improving under the tutelage of former Virginia star goalie Kip Turner. In Kelly’s junior year, Brown went 12-5 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.

As a senior in 2016, Brown went on a magical run to the NCAA semifinals for just the second time in school history before falling to Maryland 15-14 in overtime. They finished the year with a school record 16 victories while Kelly earned first team All-American honors after leading the nation in save percentage (60.6). He finished his Brown career with a school record 673 saves.

As good as he was on the field, his impact off the field paid even bigger dividends for Brown.

“He was a two-time captain and we had a lot of really good leaders in the class ahead of him,” Tiffany said. “He doesn't talk a lot, but when he does, people listened, they followed and they jumped. He would challenge me in a very polite way. He has a command and presence that I haven't seen very often.”

When Brown went to an up-tempo full-field pressure style before his junior year, Kelly faced a barrage of shots, often as he was retreating to the goal and being asked to come up with a one-on-one save. It not only got him ready for a pro career in the MLL, it helped fortify his mental makeup.

“My last two years at Brown, I saw the most shots in Division I,” Kelly said. “The ball comes at you quickly and that’s the style of play in the MLL. That was very advantageous for me because it helped my transition game – starting offense from the defensive end, which I think is one of my strong suits. Seeing all those shots for my goalie development, and on the flip side pushing the ball and being able to clear the ball into transition, it helped my game tremendously.”

Joe Amplo, the head coach at Marquette and an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s team said Kelly was selected for the team because of his consistency, but they also feel his background of playing a high-intensity style has prepared him for the challenge ahead.

“That’s an indication that he can handle the pressure of the big stage,” Amplo said. “He’s certainly seen a lot of shots and the craziness in the brand of lacrosse that he’s played in his past, but his poise has shown through in those moments. That was an indication when I watched him in college and I’ve seen firsthand here.”

Denver Outlaws head coach B.J. O’Hara saw the same thing, even when he wasn't looking for it. Kelly wasn't taken until the seventh round of the 2016 MLL Collegiate Draft, the 57th overall player taken and the sixth goalie selected.

"It's no secret that we got him in a steal," O'Hara said. "We weren't really looking for a goalie in that draft class, but when we saw he was still there, we decided to go for it. That was before his senior year when he really took off."

The Outlaws were 2-5 when Kelly joined the team following his graduation from Brown. It didn't start pretty. He made 13 saves in a 19-16 loss to Florida.

He didn't lose again.

The Outlaws won the final six games of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs and then won the MLL championship over Ohio. Kelly was named the league's Rookie of the Year and then followed that up earning the league's Goaltender of the Year Award last season.

"He really instilled a confidence in our defense," O'Hara said. "If I had to describe him in two words, I'd say steady and unflappable. A lot of goalies are really emotional, and he's anything but."

That's part of the reason he earned the trust of the U.S. team coaching staff.

"There’s no bad choices at any position, especially the goaltending position," Amplo said. "I think Jack’s body of work over the last year or so has proven that he deserves an opportunity to compete at this level."

It's a level he's dreamed about and never lost sight of, even when he didn't always get the chance to prove himself on the field.

"This is the pinnacle," Kelly said. "I’ve been playing since second grade and always wanted to put on the red, white and blue and play for Team USA. Now that I’m finally here, it’s awesome. I put in a lot of work and to see it come to fruition is amazing. I’ve kind of been waiting my whole career for an opportunity like this and was able to take advantage of it."