Bringing home the gold

For Matt Kavanagh and the rest of the U.S. under-19 men’s national lacrosse team, a players-only meeting after a disappointing split of four pool play games made all the difference in the world at the World Championships.

“We had a super group of kids that bonded strongly,” USA coach Tim Flynn said. “They had a long meeting before the elimination games and leaned on the closeness they already developed to accomplish what they set out to accomplish.

“They produced a strong dose of good ole’ American spirit and played their best when it counted,” he added.

Team USA brought home the gold from Finland by winning its last three games, capped by a thrilling 10-8 victory over Canada in the finals on July 21. Kavanagh, a Rockville Centre native and 2011 graduate of Chaminade High School, was the offensive catalyst and earned MVP honors after racking up 19 goals and 15 assists during the two-week tournament that featured 12 teams.

“It’s my first championship of any kind,” said Kavanagh, who had two goals and two assists in the gold-medal game. “It was unbelievable.”

The players-only meeting led to a change in offensive philosophy, Flynn said, and Kavanagh’s role was tweaked. The 5-foot-8 attackman nicknamed “Kavanaughty” was still the go-to guy but operated in front of the crease more often. “We picked up the pace on offense and got Matt a little more room and time to shoot,” Flynn said. “He’s consistently excellent in all phases, and he was getting special attention from the defense. “He’s a great dodger and feeder, and he’s lightning quick.”

During pool play, the U.S. lost to Canada, 11-9 in overtime, and to the Iroquois Nationals, 15-13, despite getting four goals and two assists from Kavanagh.

The U.S. also got redemption against the Iroquois in the semifinals, coming back from an early three-goal deficit to take a 12-7 decision behind Kavanagh’s two goals and two assists.

“It’s not like we weren’t in the games we lost,” said Kavanagh, an incoming freshman at Notre Dame. “We were right there. We just needed to make some adjustments and do all the little things right.”