Galasso coming back as good as advertised
North Carolina lacrosse player Nicky Galasso is from West Islip.
Nicky Galasso is coming home, even if the New Meadowlands Stadium is more than 50 miles from his family’s residence in West Islip. The North Carolina freshman leads a list of nearly 40 Long Islanders who will participate in the trio of games Sunday in the Big City Classic.
The second game will match North Carolina and Johns Hopkins.
“I’m really excited, going to New York is awesome,’’ Galasso said. “A lot of people from my hometown will be there. Walking into a stadium with thousands of people is going to be a great experience. It’s a big-time place and a great atmosphere for people to watch college lacrosse.’’
Fans will get to see a player expected to dominate the college game during his career. The nation’s No. 1 recruit last season, Galasso leads the Tar Heels with 16 goals and 20 assists. His reputation as a premier scorer has followed him.
“Everyone is going to want to shut you down,’’ he said, “try and strip the ball from you, make a great play on you. People try to prove I’m not that good.’’
Senior teammate Ryan Flanagan, also from West Islip, said: “Everyone knows Nicky is a great lacrosse player. The best part is how well he’s meshed with the team and how well he’s done academically . . . The sky’s the limit because his lacrosse IQ is so high. He’s going to be very, very, very good. It’s just up to Nicky if he wants to be one of the all-time greats.’’
Big City schedule, ticket information
1 p.m.: Rutgers-St. Johns
4 p.m.: North Carolina-Johns Hopkins (ESPNU)
6:30 p.m.: Syracuse-Duke (ESPNU)
Tickets for all three games, priced at $15-$60, are available through TicketMaster (1-800-745-3000)
Lax and the city
The Big City Classic was formulated by the magazine Inside Lacrosse, the veritable encyclopedia of the sport. Associate publisher Andy Bilello chatted with Newsday about the event.
Q. What is the criteria for selection?
A. “We want the highest profile teams in the sport [for the two main games]. Only six to 10 schools fit that criteria.”
Q. Why Rutgers-St. John’s over Hofstra and Stony Brook?
A. “We felt we already had two marquee matchups. We also want to give opportunities to other teams that are trying to get there. It’s the first year of the Big East [in lacrosse] we have two Big East teams in the backyard. Let’s try it.”
Q. Will you consider Division II or women’s games in the future?
A. “It’s been considered . . . We still feel the stars of the game are the high profile Division I men’s teams.”
Q. How many fans do you expect Sunday?
A. “We drew 25,742 last year. I’m hoping can at least match or surpass last year.”
Fun fact
One player on Rutgers is used to seeing games in big stadiums. Stephen Belichick’s dad, Bill, coaches the NFL’s Patriots.
Division I scoring leaders
Men (Goals Assists Points)
1. Rob Pannell, Cornell (Smithtown West) 21 23 44
2. Jeremy Boltus, Army 17 27 44
3. Steel Stanwick, Virginia 20 19 39
4. Scott Perri, Drexel (Smithtown West) 25 13 38
5. Kevin Crowley, Stony Brook University 19 12 31
Women
1. Shannon Smith, Northwestern (West Babylon) 34-26-60
2. (tie) Jasmine DePompeo, Navy (Sayville) 35-22-57
Gina Hoffman, California-Davis 41-16-57
4. Lauren Dykstra, Lehigh 43-11-54
5. Kitty Cullen, Florida 49-4-53
Player of the week
Elizabeth Fey, senior midfielder, Adelphi: The two-time defending national champion in Division II had its hands full with Le Moyne—and a howling snowstorm. Fey, from Kings Park, led Adelphi with four goals in an 11-9 victory for top-ranked Adelphi. “You are playing with your stick completely iced over, snow in your face,” Fey said. “It was insane. Snow was coming down hard, you could barely see.” Fey followed that performance with five goals against Dowling. Biochemistry major who wants to work in forensics for the FBI. Fun fact: Fey shares the birth name of former “Saturday Night Live” and current “30 Rock” star Elizabeth “Tina” Fey.
Countdown
Days to:
NCAA men’s quarterfinals at Hofstra: 52
NCAA women’s Division II and III Final Four at Adelphi: 52
NCAA women’s Final Four at Stony Brook: 58
