By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/31/09
Phillylacrosse.com has confirmed a much-discussed rumor that Steve Rastivo, Penn State’s highly-touted freshman redshirt goalie, has left the school and given a verbal commitment to play at North Carolina in 2010.
Rastivo’s father, Russ, told Phillylacrosse.com that his son was transferring to North Carolina because the school was a better fit.
Rastivo was an All-American at Ward Melville (N.Y.) High and was the MVP of the 2008 Under Armour All-American game. He was redshirted this year because Penn State returned senior goalie Drew Adams, a Springfield-Delco graduate who finished his career as a three-time All-American.
Rastivo’s departure from Penn State has affected at least one of Philly’s top goalie recruits. Recently, after Rastivo informed Penn State that he planned to leave, another Springfield-Delco goalie, rising senior goalie Austin Kaut, changed his commitment from Drexel to Penn State.
Kaut said his first choice of college had been Penn State, but that the school had no room for a goalie until Rastivo left.
This past year, Malvern Prep rising senior goalie Andrew O’Connell verbally committed to North Carolina. O’Connell, who missed half the 2009 season with injuries, is considered one of the top rising senior goalies in the country and last weekend led the Duke’s Lacrosse Club to its fourth straight championship at Champ Camp 20.
Penn State also lost its top assistant coach last week when Guy Van Arsdale, responsible for recruiting a large number of Philly players to University Park, took the head coaching job at Colorado College.
