July 13, 2008

COQUITLAM, B.C - (From press release/U.S. Lacrosse) Team captain Craig Dowd (East Northport, N.Y./Northport/Georgetown) had three goals and two assists, goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman (Syosset, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor/Virginia) made 19 saves and specialist Matthew Dolente (Phoenixville, Pa./Malvern Prep/Johns Hopkins) won 22 of 30 faceoffs to lead the U.S. under-19 men's lacrosse team to a 19-12 victory over Canada in the gold medal match of the 2008 International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championships before an estimated 3,400 fans at Percy Perry Stadium.

Nick Elsmo (Edgewater, Md./Severn/Virginia) and Dean Gibbons (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City/Harvard) added three goals apiece in Team USA's most complete effort of the tournament. The U.S., a six-time gold medalist, is now 36-0 all-time in ILF U-19 play dating back to the championships' inception in 1988.

"It was a lot of pressure. You try not to talk about it, but there is that pressure to win," said U.S. head coach Chuck Apel. "But the kids had a pretty good handle on it. It's still lacrosse, and they've all played for a thousand years. It's what they do best."

Team USA built a 7-3 first-quarter lead behind a series of extraordinary individual efforts, including two unassisted goals by Dowd. Six of the Americans' first seven goals were unassisted.

Canada stormed back in the second quarter, scoring four unanswered goals within the first 10 minutes. Adam Jones (Canisius) used a one-handed cradle and dove as he scored to tie the game at 7 at the 10:48 mark.

Two minutes later, the U.S. answered. After Matthew Mackrides (Newton Square, Pa./Malvern Prep/Penn State) hit a pipe, the rebound caromed to Tony Mendes (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill/Maryland, who swung it to Elsmo. Elsmo split dodged, faked high and shot high to beat Canadian goalie Remington Steele (Robert Morris) and put the U.S back up by one. An extra-man goal by Mendes made it 9-7 at the 3:01 mark.

On Team USA's final possession of the first half, Dowd found Josh Amidon (Lafayette, N.Y./Lafayette/Syracuse) on a feed from behind the goal with 34 seconds remaining. The U.S. led 10-7 at halftime.

Jones scored the third of his game-high five goals at the 16:57 mark, as Canada closed within 10-8. The U.S. responded with three unanswered goals in the next three minutes by Ryan Young (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset/Maryland), Elsmo and Gibbons to take a 13-8 lead.

Jones scored tallied two more goals, the second of which came on a delayed penalty against Ghitelman with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter. In a critical man-down sequence for Team USA, backup goalie Tyler Fiorito (Phoenix, Md./McDonough/Princeton) made a point-blank stop on Jones, then stuffed Jones high once the penalty expired.

Fiorito managed one more save high on Kevin Crowley (Stony Brook), before U.S. midfielder Rhamel Bratton (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington/Virginia) scored going in the other direction to put Team USA back up by four at 14-10, as Ghitelman returned.

Matt Cockerton's goal with 2:29 left in the third quarter made it 14-11, but that's the closest Canada would get.

Dolente got into a groove in the fourth quarter, winning five unanswered faceoffs, scoring his only goal of the tournament on one, as the U.S. pushed its lead to 18-11.

Canada's Zachary Palmer and Team USA's Tim Donovan (Parkton, Md./Loyola Blakefield/Johns Hopkins) exchanged goals for the final margin.

U.S. Goals Dean Gibbons 3, Nick Elsmo 3, Craig Dowd 3, Tony Mendes 2, Tim Donovan 2, Rhamel Bratton 2, Ryan Young 1, Matthew Dolente 1, Andrew Feinberg 1, Josh Amidon 1

U.S. Assists Dowd 2, Young 2, Mendes 1, Donovan 1