Saturday’s Team USA Fall Classic doubleheader between the U.S. men’s and women’s teams against Yale and James Madison, respectively, will be streamed live and free of charge on several US Lacrosse social media channels (YouTube, Facebook and Twitter) and on Lax Sports Network.
In addition to the game, Lax Sports Network will produce a 30-minute pre-game show at 11:30 a.m. featuring access to coaches and players in the two games. Also, between games, Lax Sports Network will have highlights and analysis of the men's game and a preview of the women's game. Coverage of the day on Lax Sports Network will conclude on Lacrosse Now at 9 p.m. with post game reaction from Tierney Field.
The doubleheader opens with the U.S. men playing Yale at 12 noon on Tierney Field at the US Lacrosse campus in Sparks, Md., followed by the U.S. women playing James Madison at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online (as low as $10 for students) at a $5 discount over the walkup price. Proceeds benefit the U.S. National Teams Program.
The U.S. men’s team roster features seven players that helped Team USA capture gold at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Men’s World Championship in Netanya, Israel this past July. Among those players are tournament MVP Michael Ehrhardt and all-world attackman Ryan Brown.
Yale, which won its first NCAA championship last May, returns a pair of All-Americans. Sophomore defenseman Chris Fake earned second team honors and was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Senior midfielder Jack Tigh, who had three goals in the NCAA championship game win over Duke, was a third-team selection after scoring 35 goals for the Bulldogs.
An intriguing newcomer to the Yale roster is faceoff specialist TD Ierlan, who transferred to the school after setting NCAA single-season records for faceoff percentage (79.1), faceoff wins (359) and ground balls (254) for Albany last year. One of his matchups against Team USA is former Denver star Trevor Baptiste. The duo staged an epic battle during last year’s NCAA quarterfinal round, evenly splitting 30 faceoffs.
The U.S. women’s team, which won both the FIL World Cup in England and the International World Games Championship in Poland in 2017, will be making its debut under new head coach Jenny Levy.
Levy’s 27-player roster includes 12 players that won gold medals at the FIL World Cup, including four all-world selections — Taylor Cummings, Megan Douty, Kayla Treanor and Michelle Tumolo.
JMU downed Boston College to win its first NCAA championship last season. The Dukes return three All-CAA players in senior attacker Hanna Haven, senior defender Caroline Sdanowich and sophomore goalie Molly Dougherty.
Kristen Gaudian, a Tewaaraton finalist for last year’s JMU national championship team, will be making her debut as a member of the U.S. national team program.
The U.S. men’s national team trains and plays using best-in class products provided by Nike (apparel and footwear), Cascade (helmets), STX (equipment), Warrior (equipment), SISU Guard (mouthguards), The Pearl by Guardian (balls) and DJO (sports braces).
The U.S. women’s national team trains and plays using best-in-class products provided by Nike (apparel and footwear), Brine (equipment), STX (equipment), SISU Guard (mouthguards), The Pearl by Guardian (balls) and DJO (sports braces).
In addition to these partners, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Greenfields, Nationwide and MedStar Sports Medicine are official sponsors of Team USA. Team training is also aided by products from Motive Pure, NormaTec Recovery and Athletic Republic.