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| Coach Michael Baggetta (far right) with his 2019 Beyond Sports USA College Tour team in Australia. |
Ferrum College’s own head lacrosse coach Michael Baggetta was one of four U.S. coaches chosen to mentor the 2019 Beyond Sports USA College Men’s Lacrosse Tour Team, which represented the USA in Australia on a 12-day tour from June 10 - 21.
“This was truly an unbelievable experience,” said Baggetta. “Lacrosse is such an amazing sport. Through the game the guys were able to compete against good clubs, develop great friendships, and experience a world unfamiliar to them. They represented themselves, their schools, and the United States with such class, making the entire trip unforgettable.”
Melbourne, Australia – The USA College Men’s Lacrosse team completed their tour in Australia 3-0. The USA team included student-athletes from 12 different DII/DIII universities and colleges across the country.
The tour began in Sydney, Australia, where the team spent three days and was able to take in all that Sydney had to offer. After arriving to Sydney International Airport, the team was greeted by their Australian Host and Tour Guide Adam “Squizzy” Taylor and headed to Darlington Harbour to get acquainted with each other during a good meal at Stacks Bar Restaurant. The team then had some down time to adjust to the international time change. Later that evening they had their first team meeting to install their offense, defense and clearing game as well as uniform hand out.
The second day in Sydney started with a hike along the coastline of Sydney from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. With over three and a half miles of stunning views, beaches, parks, and cliffs, this is one of the most famous coastal hikes in Australia. The team followed their hike with their first practice of the trip at the University of New South Wales, David Phillips Sports Complex.
Though the time in Sydney was short, the team took in many sights. During the third and final day, the group toured the Sydney Harbour Bridge, saw the Sydney Opera house, took a ferry ride to Manley Beach, and ended the day at the top of The Sydney Tower Eye, overlooking the sunset of the beautiful city.
The second leg of their tour was to the tourist destination of Cairns. Cairns is famously known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Located in Queensland, Australia, Cairns is surrounded by the mountains, is full of beautiful beaches, crocodile infested rivers, and the rainforest. After getting acquainted with the native lingo, the lads adventure of Cairns started at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures where they were taught how to properly care for snake bites. They also observed a snake demonstration filled with three of the world’s deadliest snakes including the Taipan, which tops most lists of deadliest serpents.The group was able to witness feeding time for the crocodiles, took a voyage around the lagoon, interacted with kangaroos and held koalas.
The USA College Tour Team spent their second day in Cairns at Green Island scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef and taking a glass bottom boat ride, getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
On day three, Lacrosse wasn’t the only sport the USA College Tour team played. The lads expanded their comfort zone, hitting the Oval with AFL trainer Kieran Daley, participating in a skills session of what the Australians call Footy or Aussie Rules Football. The team spent their afternoon training as a team at Cazaly’s Stadium, home to Cairns Australian Football League headquarters.
On the third and final leg of the trip, the Americans spent time in Melbourne. With a rich sporting history, Melbourne has been crowned the Sporting Capital of the world. Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is the epicenter of world sports, comprised of three areas Olympic Park, Melbourne Park and Yarra Park. With a great atmosphere this multipurpose sporting precinct hosts a countless number of sporting events each year, causing fans from all over the world to flock and witness the festivities. The precinct holds nine major sporting venues that include the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (the MCG), AAMI Park, Rod Laver Arena, The Holden Center, Margaret Court Arena and Melbourne Park Tennis Complex (home to the Australian Open).
Let the games begin! Upon the team’s arrival in Melbourne, they had their first competition versus the Camberwell Lacrosse Club. The US team opened up with a goal by midfielder Michael Scarfano from Elizabethtown College. The US started off strong at the hands of Salisbury University face-off man Tyler Thompson, jumping out to an 8-4 lead over the Chiefs heading into the third. The Camberwell Chiefs had no answer for Thompson who controlled the X winning 24 out of 25 draws. Once the Chiefs got adjusted to the pace of play by the USA, they played sound defense in the third allowing their offense to go on a six-goal run, leading the US at end of three quarters 10-8. After some third quarter adjustments and a great team effort sparked by ODAC foe Randolph-Macon’s Collin DiSesa and Chris Cerrina. The fourth quarter started with a goal from DiSesa. The Chiefs offense was kept at bay by goalie Chris Cerrina. Cerrina’s performance between the pipes in the fourth gave the American’s the chance to dictate the tempo for the remainder of the game. Cerrina recorded 9 saves for the game. Owning the time of possession in the fourth, led by Stevens Tech’s Max Bailey, Bryan Keegan from SUNY Maritime, and Curry College’s Devin Newell. Piggy backing off of their lead, DiSesa’s relentless effort to get to the cage, saw his second goal of the day, making the game even at 10. With less than two minutes left in regulation Curry College’s Andrew Deleary demanded the ball, attacking the goal downhill from the right ally on the run, Deleary with a laser of a shot notched the game-winning goal. The US started their Australian campaign 1-0 with an 11-10 victory over the Camberwell Lacrosse Club.
It’s always difficult to play with guys you meet only six days earlier and only after a few practices. Adjustments were made, the guys got more comfortable with each other as the game went on and they played hard all 60 minutes. In the end, the team walked away with a good team win.
On their Second day in Melbourne, the team toured the MCG, the tenth largest stadium in the world. The MCG is the home to the Australian National Sports Museum, the Melbourne Cricket Club (a member only club comprised of over 120,000 members with a waitlist of approximately 27 years), four AFL teams, four professional cricket teams, hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and The AFL Grand Final, as well as many other events. To end their tour, the team got the chance to study Australian sporting history at the National Sports Museum.
After getting a history lesson of Australian sports, what’s more fitting than the Aussie National U19 Team hosting the USA Team? The game began as a defensive battle, the US lead 2-1 over the Aussies at the end of the first quarter with goals from Collin DiSesa and Devin Newell. The Americans found their mojo during the second quarter with a 5-2 run. During that run, Scranton University’s Tim Dolan found the net for the first time of the tour. Ryan Tiffey from Randolph-Macon notched the fifth goal of the game for the American’s, with DiSesa adding three more to the count. Closing out the Half, the US lead the Aussies 7-3. Dolan opened up the second half scoring for the US, and DiSesa once again found the back of the net for the US, giving them a 9-5 advantage. But SUNY Maritime’s Bryan Keegan wanted in on the fun, scoring his first of the tour giving the US a commanding 10-5 lead heading into the fourth. The Aussies weren’t going away that easy, firing on all cylinders and displaying what that rich Australian sporting tradition was all about. They went on a five-goal run to bring the win within their grasps. Being tied up was a scenario the Americans were accustomed to. Once again with short time, unfazed, the US took possession, with the hot hand the ball ended up in DiSesa’s stick. Not going to be denied, DiSesa made his way to the goal scoring the lone goal in the fourth for the Americans, giving them the 11-10 lead with only a few ticks left on the clock. DiSesa’s game-winning goal gave him six on the day bringing the USA Men’s College Tour team to 2-0.
As the USA College Men’s Lacrosse team’s tour of Australia drew to an end, they spent their final morning in Melbourn at the Queen Victoria Market. Where the team was able to do a little souvenir shopping to find a few keepsakes of their trip to Australia to bring home to their loved ones. The team had one more task to complete before heading home, a win in their third and final game that evening versus the Altona Lacrosse Club.
As game time neared so did the rain, making for a muddy competition under the lights. Collin DiSesa struck first, scoring the opening two goals. Altona was able to cut the lead by one. Elizabethtown’s Michael Scarfano wasn’t going to allow it to be that easy and put the ball in the back of the net for the US, giving them a 3-1 lead. Altona responded with a goal making it a 3-2 game, but Jake Stebbins joined the fun scoring the fourth goal for the Americans. The US ended the first quarter with a 4-2 lead. With the USA squad Controlling the pace of the game, Altona was unable to match the skill. Keeping the serge going in the second quarter, Jeffery Karnoff from Theil College got himself into the scoring column for the first time of the tour, putting the Americans ahead 5-2. As the rain continued to fall, the men were splashing around and having fun. Max Bailey made it look easy scoring number six for the US. Unable to find an answer to the dominate play of the US, Altona was forced to call a time out to regroup. Coming after the timeout, Altona was able to string together a solid possession and netted their third goal of the game cutting the lead in half at 6-3. The US wasn’t going to allow Altona to get in any sort of rhythm offensively. Bringing the lead to four goals, Stebbins found the back of the net again. Altona’s unrelenting effort put them in position to score two back-to-back goals, making it a 7-5 game late in the second quarter. Jacob McFarland helped the US bookend their first half scoring. The Americans went into halftime up 8-5. As the third quarter began, Tyler Thompson cleanly won the draw, and with a fast break, Thompson got to the cage uncontested scoring the ninth goal for the US. Altona committing the first penalty of the game, giving the US a man advantage, capitalizing on an outside shot, Ryan Tiffey recorded goal number 10 for the US. Down 10-5, Altona began to chip away at the five-goal lead scoring two unanswered goals. As the rain subsided, Altona began to gain some traction with a good offensive possession, ending in a loose ball scooped up by defenseman Austin Evans who took the ball coast-to-coast, finding Randolph-Macon College teammate Collin DiSesa who scored the 11th goal of the game for the US. With the scoreboard reading 11-7, the US found themselves in a broken situation that allowed Altona to create transition, resulting in their eight goal of the game. Before the end of the third quarter Devin Newell and Ryan Tiffey added two more for the US to make the lead 13-8. As the fourth got underway, once again the US found the net first with a goal from Tim Dolan, increasing the lead to 14-8. Late in the fourth Altona was able to score, making it 14-9. Eric Radbourne ended the game in style, showing off his Canadian stick skills to give the US a 15-9 victory over the Altona Lacrosse Club.
The USA College Men’s Tour Team returned to the states June 21 with an unblemished 3-0 record. The team was able to take in all the experiences Australia had to offer and have memories that will last a lifetime.
In addition to the USA College Lacrosse Tours in Australia, Beyond Sports provides tours for other sports like field hockey, softball, basketball, volleyball and soccer throughout the world. Beyond Sports has offered international programs for over 2,700 college athletes over the last nine years, they've created mutually beneficial opportunities for US student-athletes, international athletes, and international youth to enjoy a life-changing cross-cultural experience through sport. The staff is made up of former college athletes, educators, coaches, and international adventurers. They are passionate about Connecting the World Through Sports. For more information on Beyond Sports and programs they offer check out https://www.beyondsportstours.com.
The tour began in Sydney, Australia, where the team spent three days and was able to take in all that Sydney had to offer. After arriving to Sydney International Airport, the team was greeted by their Australian Host and Tour Guide Adam “Squizzy” Taylor and headed to Darlington Harbour to get acquainted with each other during a good meal at Stacks Bar Restaurant. The team then had some down time to adjust to the international time change. Later that evening they had their first team meeting to install their offense, defense and clearing game as well as uniform hand out.
The second day in Sydney started with a hike along the coastline of Sydney from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. With over three and a half miles of stunning views, beaches, parks, and cliffs, this is one of the most famous coastal hikes in Australia. The team followed their hike with their first practice of the trip at the University of New South Wales, David Phillips Sports Complex.
Though the time in Sydney was short, the team took in many sights. During the third and final day, the group toured the Sydney Harbour Bridge, saw the Sydney Opera house, took a ferry ride to Manley Beach, and ended the day at the top of The Sydney Tower Eye, overlooking the sunset of the beautiful city.
The second leg of their tour was to the tourist destination of Cairns. Cairns is famously known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Located in Queensland, Australia, Cairns is surrounded by the mountains, is full of beautiful beaches, crocodile infested rivers, and the rainforest. After getting acquainted with the native lingo, the lads adventure of Cairns started at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures where they were taught how to properly care for snake bites. They also observed a snake demonstration filled with three of the world’s deadliest snakes including the Taipan, which tops most lists of deadliest serpents.The group was able to witness feeding time for the crocodiles, took a voyage around the lagoon, interacted with kangaroos and held koalas.The USA College Tour Team spent their second day in Cairns at Green Island scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef and taking a glass bottom boat ride, getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
On day three, Lacrosse wasn’t the only sport the USA College Tour team played. The lads expanded their comfort zone, hitting the Oval with AFL trainer Kieran Daley, participating in a skills session of what the Australians call Footy or Aussie Rules Football. The team spent their afternoon training as a team at Cazaly’s Stadium, home to Cairns Australian Football League headquarters.
On the third and final leg of the trip, the Americans spent time in Melbourne. With a rich sporting history, Melbourne has been crowned the Sporting Capital of the world. Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct is the epicenter of world sports, comprised of three areas Olympic Park, Melbourne Park and Yarra Park. With a great atmosphere this multipurpose sporting precinct hosts a countless number of sporting events each year, causing fans from all over the world to flock and witness the festivities. The precinct holds nine major sporting venues that include the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (the MCG), AAMI Park, Rod Laver Arena, The Holden Center, Margaret Court Arena and Melbourne Park Tennis Complex (home to the Australian Open).
Let the games begin! Upon the team’s arrival in Melbourne, they had their first competition versus the Camberwell Lacrosse Club. The US team opened up with a goal by midfielder Michael Scarfano from Elizabethtown College. The US started off strong at the hands of Salisbury University face-off man Tyler Thompson, jumping out to an 8-4 lead over the Chiefs heading into the third. The Camberwell Chiefs had no answer for Thompson who controlled the X winning 24 out of 25 draws. Once the Chiefs got adjusted to the pace of play by the USA, they played sound defense in the third allowing their offense to go on a six-goal run, leading the US at end of three quarters 10-8. After some third quarter adjustments and a great team effort sparked by ODAC foe Randolph-Macon’s Collin DiSesa and Chris Cerrina. The fourth quarter started with a goal from DiSesa. The Chiefs offense was kept at bay by goalie Chris Cerrina. Cerrina’s performance between the pipes in the fourth gave the American’s the chance to dictate the tempo for the remainder of the game. Cerrina recorded 9 saves for the game. Owning the time of possession in the fourth, led by Stevens Tech’s Max Bailey, Bryan Keegan from SUNY Maritime, and Curry College’s Devin Newell. Piggy backing off of their lead, DiSesa’s relentless effort to get to the cage, saw his second goal of the day, making the game even at 10. With less than two minutes left in regulation Curry College’s Andrew Deleary demanded the ball, attacking the goal downhill from the right ally on the run, Deleary with a laser of a shot notched the game-winning goal. The US started their Australian campaign 1-0 with an 11-10 victory over the Camberwell Lacrosse Club.
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| Scoring: Andrew Deleary (Curry College) 2g, Collin DiSesa (Randolph-Macon College) 2g, Eric Rabourne (Stevens Institute of Technology) 2g, Michael Scarfano (Elizabethtown College) 1g, Devin Newell (Curry College) 1g, Max Bailey (Stevens Institute of Technology) 1g, Jacob McFarland (Norte Dame de Namur Univ) 1g, Ryan Tiffey (Randolph-Macon College) 1g, Tyler Thompson (Salisbury University) 1g |
It’s always difficult to play with guys you meet only six days earlier and only after a few practices. Adjustments were made, the guys got more comfortable with each other as the game went on and they played hard all 60 minutes. In the end, the team walked away with a good team win.
On their Second day in Melbourne, the team toured the MCG, the tenth largest stadium in the world. The MCG is the home to the Australian National Sports Museum, the Melbourne Cricket Club (a member only club comprised of over 120,000 members with a waitlist of approximately 27 years), four AFL teams, four professional cricket teams, hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and The AFL Grand Final, as well as many other events. To end their tour, the team got the chance to study Australian sporting history at the National Sports Museum.
After getting a history lesson of Australian sports, what’s more fitting than the Aussie National U19 Team hosting the USA Team? The game began as a defensive battle, the US lead 2-1 over the Aussies at the end of the first quarter with goals from Collin DiSesa and Devin Newell. The Americans found their mojo during the second quarter with a 5-2 run. During that run, Scranton University’s Tim Dolan found the net for the first time of the tour. Ryan Tiffey from Randolph-Macon notched the fifth goal of the game for the American’s, with DiSesa adding three more to the count. Closing out the Half, the US lead the Aussies 7-3. Dolan opened up the second half scoring for the US, and DiSesa once again found the back of the net for the US, giving them a 9-5 advantage. But SUNY Maritime’s Bryan Keegan wanted in on the fun, scoring his first of the tour giving the US a commanding 10-5 lead heading into the fourth. The Aussies weren’t going away that easy, firing on all cylinders and displaying what that rich Australian sporting tradition was all about. They went on a five-goal run to bring the win within their grasps. Being tied up was a scenario the Americans were accustomed to. Once again with short time, unfazed, the US took possession, with the hot hand the ball ended up in DiSesa’s stick. Not going to be denied, DiSesa made his way to the goal scoring the lone goal in the fourth for the Americans, giving them the 11-10 lead with only a few ticks left on the clock. DiSesa’s game-winning goal gave him six on the day bringing the USA Men’s College Tour team to 2-0.
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| Scoring: Collin DiSesa(Randolph-Macon) 6g, 1a; Tim Dolan (Scranton Univ) 2g, Devin Newell (Curry College) 1g, Ryan Tiffey(Randolph-Macon) 1g, 2a; Bryan Keegan(SUNY Maritime) 1g; Jake Stebbins (Curry College) 1a |
As the USA College Men’s Lacrosse team’s tour of Australia drew to an end, they spent their final morning in Melbourn at the Queen Victoria Market. Where the team was able to do a little souvenir shopping to find a few keepsakes of their trip to Australia to bring home to their loved ones. The team had one more task to complete before heading home, a win in their third and final game that evening versus the Altona Lacrosse Club.
As game time neared so did the rain, making for a muddy competition under the lights. Collin DiSesa struck first, scoring the opening two goals. Altona was able to cut the lead by one. Elizabethtown’s Michael Scarfano wasn’t going to allow it to be that easy and put the ball in the back of the net for the US, giving them a 3-1 lead. Altona responded with a goal making it a 3-2 game, but Jake Stebbins joined the fun scoring the fourth goal for the Americans. The US ended the first quarter with a 4-2 lead. With the USA squad Controlling the pace of the game, Altona was unable to match the skill. Keeping the serge going in the second quarter, Jeffery Karnoff from Theil College got himself into the scoring column for the first time of the tour, putting the Americans ahead 5-2. As the rain continued to fall, the men were splashing around and having fun. Max Bailey made it look easy scoring number six for the US. Unable to find an answer to the dominate play of the US, Altona was forced to call a time out to regroup. Coming after the timeout, Altona was able to string together a solid possession and netted their third goal of the game cutting the lead in half at 6-3. The US wasn’t going to allow Altona to get in any sort of rhythm offensively. Bringing the lead to four goals, Stebbins found the back of the net again. Altona’s unrelenting effort put them in position to score two back-to-back goals, making it a 7-5 game late in the second quarter. Jacob McFarland helped the US bookend their first half scoring. The Americans went into halftime up 8-5. As the third quarter began, Tyler Thompson cleanly won the draw, and with a fast break, Thompson got to the cage uncontested scoring the ninth goal for the US. Altona committing the first penalty of the game, giving the US a man advantage, capitalizing on an outside shot, Ryan Tiffey recorded goal number 10 for the US. Down 10-5, Altona began to chip away at the five-goal lead scoring two unanswered goals. As the rain subsided, Altona began to gain some traction with a good offensive possession, ending in a loose ball scooped up by defenseman Austin Evans who took the ball coast-to-coast, finding Randolph-Macon College teammate Collin DiSesa who scored the 11th goal of the game for the US. With the scoreboard reading 11-7, the US found themselves in a broken situation that allowed Altona to create transition, resulting in their eight goal of the game. Before the end of the third quarter Devin Newell and Ryan Tiffey added two more for the US to make the lead 13-8. As the fourth got underway, once again the US found the net first with a goal from Tim Dolan, increasing the lead to 14-8. Late in the fourth Altona was able to score, making it 14-9. Eric Radbourne ended the game in style, showing off his Canadian stick skills to give the US a 15-9 victory over the Altona Lacrosse Club.
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| Scoring: Jake Stebbin(Curry College) 2g; Collin DiSesa(Randolph-Macon) 3g; Ryan Tiffey(Randolph-Macon) 2g,1a; Michael Scarfano(Elizabethtown) 1g; Jeffery Karnoff(Theil College) 1g; Max Bailey(Stevens Tech) 1g; Jacob McFarland(Norte Dame de Namur Univ) 1g; Tyler Thompson(Salisbury University) 1g; Devin Newell (Curry College) 1g; Tim Dolan(Scranton University) 1g; Eric Radbourne (Stevens Tech) 1g, Austin Evans(Randolph-Macon) 1a |
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| Australian host and tour guide Adam "Squizzy" Taylor stands with Coach Baggetta. |
In addition to the USA College Lacrosse Tours in Australia, Beyond Sports provides tours for other sports like field hockey, softball, basketball, volleyball and soccer throughout the world. Beyond Sports has offered international programs for over 2,700 college athletes over the last nine years, they've created mutually beneficial opportunities for US student-athletes, international athletes, and international youth to enjoy a life-changing cross-cultural experience through sport. The staff is made up of former college athletes, educators, coaches, and international adventurers. They are passionate about Connecting the World Through Sports. For more information on Beyond Sports and programs they offer check out https://www.beyondsportstours.com.
