Duke Quartet Going for Gold Saturday

DURHAM – Duke men's lacrosse quartet Kenny Brower, Jake Caputo, Jake Naso and Brennan O'Neill go for gold Saturday afternoon with the United States U-21 Men's National Team at the 2022 World Lacrosse Men's U-21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland.

The United States battles Canada for the gold medal Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised by ESPNU. The game is a rematch of the tournament opener, which the U.S. won 7-5.

How They Got Here

The United States cruised through pool play, outscoring its four opponents 54-12. After emerging unscathed in Pool A, the red, white and blue beat Puerto Rico, 21-3, in the quarterfinals. The following afternoon the U.S. outlasted Haudenosaunee by a 10-2 score, holding its opponents without and even strength goal.
Brennan O'Neill has 15 goals in the tournament and had a stellar outing with five goals and three points against Puerto Rico. Seemingly hitting his stride, O'Neill dropped in a hat trick in the semifinal victory. He was named the team's Player of the Game against Puerto Rico.
Jake Naso was outstanding in the opener against Canada, winning all but one of his restarts. After missing the rest of pool play and the quarterfinals, Naso won all four of his faceoffs against the Haudenosaunee.
Kenny Brower has helped anchor a close defense that has allowed only 17 goals in six games. He garnered the Player of the Game honor following the win against England.
Jake Caputo has been instrumental in the United States' faceoff success from the wing and crucial in the defensive midfield and in clearing.

About the Matchup

The United States and Canada meet with the gold on the line for the eighth time Saturday. The U.S. is 53-2 all-time in junior championship play and will be vying for its ninth gold medal.
In the first meeting between the rivals, O'Neill registered two goals, including the seventh, and Naso won 10 of 11 at the faceoff dot with seven ground balls.
Since the first game, Canada has outscored its opponents 81-18, including a 19-1 victory against Australia in the semifinals. Syracuse attackman Owen Hiltz led Canada in the semifinals with five goals and six points overall. Ross Scott contributed four goals and two assists.

Quote
"We've got to take care of our bodies, hydrate, go over a few things in film and I think we'll be ready. We've been training for this for a long time. It's very exciting that we get to be in this game." - Brennan O'Neill

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