Duke Quartet Named for U.S. Under-21 National Team
DURHAM, NC—Blue Devils Quartet Kenny Brower, Jake Caputo, Jake Naso and Brennan O’Neill has been named to the final 23-man roster of the U.S. Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship that will represent the United States at the 2022 FIFA U21 Men’s World Cup as announced by head coach Nick Myers. The event will take place from August 10 to 20 in Limerick, Ireland.
Much has changed since practice sessions were held for the team in the summer of 2019. The Championship, originally an Under-19 event scheduled for 2020, has been postponed twice due to the pandemic. Global COVID-19. World Lacrosse has since permanently increased the age group to the U20s with the one-year exception for the Under-21s to compete in the 2022 championship due to the postponement.
Four Duke representatives are associated with Yale in most of the university’s skate programs. Four of the five ACC teams – Duke, North Caroline, Notre Dame and Virginia – have at least one player on the roster.
“This national team process is unlike any other national team,” said Myers, who led the U.S. U19 team in 2016 to a gold medal. “We are very grateful for the opportunity we have to compete against outside opponents. It has been almost two years since we have seen a different colored shirt. It is a great step forward in the game. Our team building process We feel strongly about this team of men who have been in the United States of America as it has been in different ways over the past three years. This team is what it is today, and we will be playing for them and many others next summer.”
Brower, the Blue Devils junior defender, benefits from an exceptional year for U21 players. Having just started two years, Brower is a top defender and will lead Duke’s defense this year after playing behind the National Defender of the Year in 2021. JT Giles-Harris the past two years and with Cade Van Raaphorst his rookie season.
A starter in all 17 games last season, Massapequa, NY, is home to third on the team with 11 revenue triggers and fifth among non-face-to-face players in ground tackles with 21. Sometimes, Brower gets a top attacking player for the opponent. a ball on the ground in 13 games and registered a total of five revenue triggers in three NCAA Tournament games last season.
Caputo, a mainstay in the U.S. Under-21 National Team’s roster for the past two years, is a young midfielder for the Blues. Having primarily played as a defensive midfielder during his Duke career, Holly Springs, NC, the native is capable of contributing a lot in attack. In 2021, his first season playing college football, Caputo helped anchor the ACC’s second-best defense, collecting 15 balls on the ground and generating revenue twice. He has played in 24 games in his career and has scored three goals and one assist.
Naso and O’Neill were the outstanding freshmen of the Blue Devils last season, recognized by USILA All America. Naso handled head-to-head missions for Duke, winning 63% of face-offs (227 of 361) and picking up 133 balls on the ground. His 227 head-to-head wins are the most for a Duke freshman in program history, while his 0.629 win rate at the mark is the best in the ACC and 10th nationally. He also scored three goals and provided two assists during his rookie season.
The best new student of ACC in 2021, O’Neill led the entire Blue Devils with 45 goals and finished with 55 points on a talented attack. The Bay Shore, NY, native ranks second in the league in goals per game (2.65) and leads all freshmen nationally. O’Neill has registered nine hat-tricks and scored four more in his four outings in 2021 and is lethal to the subs with nine warm-up points to place second among all of his players. Division I
The US has won all eight previous men’s championships at the under-19 age group, winning them in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2012 and 2016. The 2016 championship saw a rebound. America’s recovery with a score of 8-2 against rival Canada. , won 13-12 thanks to Ryan Conrad’s last second goal in the gold medal match.
The final 23 players represent 14 different colleges and come from high schools in 10 different states. The team’s next event will be training weekend at USA Lacrosse headquarters in June.
U.S. Men’s U21 World Championship Teams in 2022
| Name | Location | high school | Graduates | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Alexander | NS | West Islip (NY) | 2019 | Yale |
| Jackson Bonitz | NS | McDonogh (Md.) | Year 2020 | Navy |
| Kenny Brower | NS | Massapequa (NY) | 2019 | Duke |
| Graham Bundy Jr. | NS | MICS (Mo.) | 2019 | Georgetown |
| Jake Caputo | NS | Middle Creek (NC) | 2019 | Duke |
| Liam Entenmann | NS | Chaminade (NY) | 2019 | Notre Dame |
| Brendan Grimes | NS | Latin for Boys (Md.) | Year 2020 | Johns Hopkins |
| Patrick Hackler | NS | Skaneateles (NY) | 2019 | Yale |
| Cole Herbert | NS | Calvert Hall (Md.) | Year 2020 | North Carolina |
| Patrick Kavanagh | ONE | Chaminade (NY) | 2019 | Notre Dame |
| Cole Kirst | ONE | Seton Hall Prep (NJ) | 2018 | Lehigh |
| Shane Knobloch | NS | Moorestown (NJ) | Year 2020 | Rutgers |
| Quentin Matsui | NS | Eden Prairie (Minn.) | 2019 | Virginia |
| Jack Monfort | NS | Syosset (NY) | 2019 | Yale |
| Jake Naso | NS | St. Anthony’s (NY) | Year 2020 | Duke |
| Brennan O’Neill | ONE | St. Anthony’s (NY) | Year 2020 | Duke |
| Jared Paquette | NS | West Islip (NY) | 2019 | Yale |
| Danny Parker | NS | St. Anthony’s (NY) | 2019 | Virginia |
| Ryan Schriber | NS | Wilton (Conn.) | 2019 | Michigan |
| Alex Slusher | ONE | Oregon Episcopal School (Ore.) | 2019 | Princeton |
| Jacob Snyder | NS | Calvert Hall (Md.) | 2019 | Ohio State |
| Alec Stathakis | NS | Culver Military (India) | 2019 | Denver |
| Lance Tillman | ONE | Valor Christian (Colo.) | 2019 | North Carolina |
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