Joe Alberici just completed his fifth season as the head coach of the Army lacrosse team. Alberici and his team are coming off a run to the 2010 Patriot League title and second round of the NCAA Tournament where the Black Knights knocked off two-time defending national champion Syracuse in the opening round at the Carrier Dome. Alberici is currently serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the FIL World Championships in Manchester, England. He will chronicle the team's time across the pond through this blog.
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Sunday, July 25
Mission Accomplished!
In a back and forth struggle Team USA prevailed over defending champs Team Canada 12-10. It was truly a struggle to the very end. After racing out to an 8-4 halftime lead Canada battled back knot it up at 8-8 going into the 4th quarter.
Canada held the lead for most of the fourth quarter until Ned Crotty stung one into the upper corner to bring us to a 10-10 tie. On his next shift, Crotty finished off a terrific dodge to stake USA to a lead we would not give up. The whole tournament was nothing short of a phenomenal experience.
It was a true privilege to be in the company of so many outstanding people. The administrators/coaches/trainers and players were tremendous to be around and will forever have that bond of winning the gold together.
There were so many distinct moments yesterday that I will cherish for a long time. The first was during the National Anthem. The U.S. fans were belting out the familiar song with tremendous enthusiasm, and I could not help but think once again how fortunate I am to be part of this great nation and to be representing it on this stage. The second moment was after the game when the players were running around the field with the championship trophy. They stopped to greet the fans and share the moment. With the trophy being hoisted and the American flag waving, Kyle Dixon put my son Maximus on his shoulders. It was an awesome sight and a very proud moment!
Go USA! Go Army!
Coach A.
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