TAMPA, FL – – Long Island went 4-0 overall during the weekend of play, downing Maryland on Friday, 12-6, for the Brine National Lacrosse championship and then also beating Maryland, 11-8, earlier today. The win over Canada came after the Canadians had scored two goals in the final two minutes of regulation to force OT. But USA (Long Island) capitalized on some critical Canada penalties by scoring twice with two men up to seize a lead in overtime it would never relinquish (two overtimes are played under International rules). “It was absolutely amazing; I have been coaching 20-some years and this is as good as it gets,” said Long Island coach Jim Konen. “The kids refused to lose and this year we ended up going 10-0 in Brine play. “This was a bunch of unheralded guys that are not going to the big schools. But they are all really good players; there were 19 kids on the team and every single one played a pivotal role.” Long Island featured balanced scoring, air-tight defense, standout face-off work by Phil Brady (Massapequa, 2015) and brilliant goaltending by the tandem of Kevin Carbone (2015 from Chaminade, Binghamton commit) and Dylan Moser (2015 from Westminster, CT, Wesleyan commit) were strong. “Our face-off guy, Phil Brady, was lights out,” said Konen. “He had to win 80 percent of his face-offs. The goalies were unbelievable. Moser is fantastic and Carbone was even better. He was ridiculous! He had to make 8 or 9 saves in the third quarter when the game was on the line kept. He kept it at at 4-4 going into the fourth period by making saves on five or six point blank shots.” The offense was led by Carter Hawthorne (2015 Wesleyan commit), Ryan Tierney (2016 Hofstra commit), Griffin Konen (2015 Binghamton commit), Ryan Ozsvath (Half Hollow Hills West, 2015 Stony Brook commit), Luke Cummings (Paul D. Schreiber, 2015 Lafayette commit) and Christopher Bacotti (Massapequa, 2016 Dartmouth commit). But the team’s ability to pass and share the ball was the key. “Last night’s game (15-12 win over Canada) was unbelievable,” said coach Konen, Griffin’s father. “It was 15-12, and it was up and down. I told our guys this was a challenge and that we were playing at the highest level. It was a great experience for our guys; they just shared the ball and really didn’t care who scored. “It’s not often in life you get to wear the USA jersey and what an honor and a thrill.” Visit NationalLacrosseClassic.com for more information on this event