Lalli captains first Patriot lacrosse champs
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Matt Lalli got the West Windsor-Plainsboro North boys’ lacrosse program off the ground over a standout four-year career.
He wanted to do the same for the Colgate University men’s team, but even he wasn’t sure the Red Raiders could fly this high.
”You can dream about it,” said Lalli, a midfielder with the Red Raiders. “It’s tough when you’re consistently producing .500 records with a mediocre schedule.”
In four years, he has seen the Red Raiders rise from a .500 team to champions. In his senior season, he helped Colgate to its first-ever Patriot League Tournament Championship with four assists in a 13-9 win over Bucknell. He followed it up on Senior Day with a career-high seven points in a 12-11 upset of then-No. 2 Syracuse for a seventh straight win last Saturday, and hopes to build on it when the 11-5 Red Raiders open the NCAA Tournament at Notre Dame noon Sunday.
”They are riding pretty similar momentum,” Lalli said of the Fighting Irish. “They’ve won 18 in a row at home. We saved our best lacrosse for now. There’s no better way to go into the tournament than riding the sort of streak we’re riding.”
It’s been quite a ride for Lalli, a tri-captain this season who set every offensive record at WW-P North, and has done similar things at Colgate. He will graduate as the all-time career leader in assists at the school. He has 94 going into the NCAA Tournament and this year was honored to be selected as a member of the Patriot League first team for the second straight season.
”I definitely did not think I’d rank on the Colgate leader board,” he said. “It’s been a privilege. I’m grateful for what I’ve accomplished so far and I hope it keeps rolling.”
If the Red Raiders can roll to one more win, they will break the school record for wins in a season. Colgate has never won more than 11 games in a season, and Lalli can certainly recall thinner days. Colgate was 7-7 in his freshman year, 1-5 in the Patriot League.
”The biggest thing for me was to not get discouraged,” Lalli said. “My freshman year was a perfect example. My freshman year at North, we were 4-12. Sophomore year, we were something like 12-4. I saw a similar turnaround with the team at Colgate. We went from being .500 and one of the weaker teams in the Patriot League to now being the best.”
In his sophomore year, Lalli helped the team win the Patriot League regular season. Last year, the Red Raiders reached the Patriot League title game before falling. This year, they have found success down the stretch after a slow start.
”We knew that we lost some solid guys at pretty much every position,” Lalli said. “We lost one of our top middies and an attack and two of our three defenders. But we had Brandon Corp, the Patriot League Player of the Year coming back on offense so we thought we were OK there. And we saw a lot of people getting better. We had our hopes up high. They were a little shattered at the beginning of the season when we lost our first two games. We improved and saved our best for the later part of the season.”
It’s hard to find more momentum than the Red Raiders. They weren’t satisfied with a Patriot championship and they showed it by topping Syracuse for a second straight season.
”I think we were still pretty high up from the Patriot League championship, winning those two games,” Lalli said. “We were confident going into the game. But Syracuse is Syracuse. They had one loss. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little intimidated. Once we got on the field though, we realized we belonged out there on the same field with them.”
Lalli hasn’t had any doubts about belonging at Colgate. He had other choices coming out of WW-P North. Rutgers was high on his list and had the draw of staying close to home. Massachusetts was a solid program that wanted him. Ivy League schools and other Patriots like Army and Navy were in pursuit. Johns Hopkins sent him a letter. But he chose Colgate.
”The best fit for me proved to be Colgate,” said Lalli, who has earned a degree in political science and will follow up a successful internship from last summer by consulting for Mercer in New York City. “I have no regrets.”
Lalli was a solid two-way player at WW-P North. He proved he could score, or shut down opposing attackmen when necessary. His role has changed somewhat at Colgate.
”In high school, I played offense and defense,” he said. “Since I’ve been in college, I’ve been more of an offensively minded midfielder. I come off now when we don’t have the ball if I can not only to get better defensive guys on the field, but to be more rested. I’m still confident on the defensive end. I still end up on both sides of the ball, but primarily I work as an offensive midfielder.
”In high school, the overall defensive packages were not nearly as complex,” he added. “Once you get to college, all the guys are big. In the high school level, I was able to use my size to my advantage. Now there are plenty of guys bigger than me. Now I have to be smarter and try to rely on my skill more. I think my skill level is adequate. Most of the time, the guy guarding you is just as skilled.”
Lalli still cuts an imposing figure at the college level. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, he has the size to handle himself, perhaps at the next level as well. Upon graduation, he will explore his opportunities to play professionally in addition to working in New York.
”It’s such a fun sport,” Lalli said. “It’s not something you do as a career for most people. It’s great to be able to give back to the sport, and being able to say you’re playing a professional sport is something I’d like to pursue.”
But first, there’s the matter of concluding his career at Colgate. He would like that career to end on Memorial Day, whether in the North-South all-star game that weekend or in the national final.
”Every senior dreams of capping his career at the national championship,” Lalli said. “We’ve thought about it. Making the tournament for the first time is a great way to cap it off too. At the same time, we’re not satisfied.”
That’s Matt Lalli. Flying high with the Colgate men’s lacrosse team, and looking to go higher.