International exchange

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When the South England Lacrosse Club arrived at Neumann-Goretti April 2, one of the first things Saints coach Bill Sytsma heard from his guests was, "Where’s Geno’s?"

"They were happy to find out that it’s a few blocks away from the school," the coach said.

But these high-schoolers didn’t fly all the way over the Atlantic to simply try the cheesesteaks. It’s just a part of their 16-day excursion that also includes stops in North Jersey, Virginia and Connecticut. The South Philly contest between Sytsma’s squad and the club was one of eight scheduled during the tour.

Monday afternoon, they faced Neumann-Goretti and won 20-0. Following this one-sided contest, the players from the British team enjoyed a midfield pile up and invited the South Philly athletes to join in, which they happily did. Afterwards, Tom Slade, 18, commended the efforts of their American opponent.

"All the credit to Neumann-Goretti," Slade said. "They played a physical game for all 60 minutes. It showed how much we jelled as a team."

After all, it’s not every day a high school squad from Philadelphia gets to face a group from England.

"This is absolutely something they’re going to remember for the rest of their lives on both sides," Sytsma said.

Several Neumann-Goretti players hosted the British athletes for a couple days earlier this week, including taking their guests to class Tuesday afternoon.

"I don’t know how much fun that will be for them," Rob Field, who hosted one of the players, said Monday. "I want to show them a little bit of the city and entertain them a little bit."

This experience isn’t exactly something Field envisioned when he signed up for Saints lacrosse. When he first heard the idea, the senior said he was hesitant about playing the host.

"When our coach first brought it up at the beginning of the year, I was a little shocked," the athlete recalled. "After I thought it through a little bit, it seemed like it would be a good experience. It’s nice to experience another culture for a few days."

The whole concept was put into motion in spring 2006 by South England coach Ray Nash.

"Foolishly, last year, at the end of our Easter tournament I said to some of the parents that it would be nice to take the kids to the States," Nash said. "Three weeks later, I got some phone calls from parents saying, ‘We think that’s a really good idea.’ So here I am and here they are."

Nash, now enjoying his seventh visit to the U.S., said he has two long-time friends here (one is a teacher and lacrosse coach in Connecticut). The latter suggested adding a new destination to their American excursion — Philadelphia. Last year, Sytsma received an e-mail from the Pennsylvania Lacrosse Association inquiring about city area teams interested in scheduling a game. The coach, now in his second season, thought it would be a great opportunity to help build up his program.

"We are trying to do a lot of fun things to get kids interested in playing," he said. "Last week, we played at the Wachovia Center after a Wings game."

Unlike the Catholic League season, Monday’s meeting wasn’t about winning and losing. 

"We just want both teams to have a good time and play the game," Sytsma said.

Neumann-Goretti senior Drew Byrne took it as a learning experience.

"I want to see how they practice, see how things are similar and see how different things are," Byrne said.

One of the biggest differences between the two countries is driving on opposite sides of the road. A few parents, along with Nash, are handling those duties during the American vacation.

"Three parents and myself have to worry about driving on the wrong side," Nash said.

Luckily, their trip from Neumann-Goretti at 10th and Moore streets to the field at 26th Street and Moore was via a one-way street.

The three-day stay in the City of Brotherly Love also included a Tuesday scrimmage against North Penn and a tour of Philadelphia’s historical exhibits Wednesday.

"We don’t want to just see the lacrosse fields," Nash said. "We also want to see the towns and places that we go through."

James Tiley was looking forward to getting a taste of the American way of life.

"I just want to get that knowledge of what is going on here," he said.

Slade said he was excited to attend the Phillies-Braves game last night at Citizens Bank Park. Believe it or not, he is actually a Detroit Tigers fan.

Of course, a visit to South Philadelphia wouldn’t be complete without cheesesteaks.

"I’ve heard lots of good things about cheesesteaks," Slade said. "I am a big fan of onions, so I am going to try it with the onions."