Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/9/15
From Staff Report and Press Release
Lafayette coach Jim Rogalski said it was a no-brainer when he was asked by the HEADstrong Foundation™ to have his Patriot League game vs. Bucknell serve as the showcase game Saturday at the 3rd Annual Relentless Cup at Ridley High School.
“We’ve gone to HEADstrong events in the past and we have nothing but respect for the Colleluori family and HEADstrong and any time the opportunity to give back to community through lacrosse comes we will take it,” said Rogalski. “They called and asked if we would play our Bucknell game in the Relentless Games and we saw it as a great opportunity for us, especially since we will be back in the Philadelphia area. It was kind of a no-brainer.”
The event will feature a college men’s lacrosse doubleheader pairing Cabrini College vs. Keystone College in a Colonial States Athletic Conference game (at 4:30 p.m.) as well the Lafayette College vs. Bucknell University matchup (7:30).
The Relentless Cup is a special fundraising lacrosse event uniting communities by combining interstate youth games, high school and college games. The youth component of the Relentless Cup is one that makes the event truly unique.
Community-based youth lacrosse programs have been hand-selected by the Relentless Cup Committee to represent their specific region. This year Ridley Youth Lacrosse will represent SEPYLA, Kingsway Youth Lacrosse will represent SJYLA, Silverbacks Lacrosse Association will represent DYLA and Lower Macungie Youth Lacrosse will represent LVYLL.
Boys’ teams competing at the U11, U13 and U15 levels will have the opportunity to play 3 full games against non-conference opponents. Participating teams are raising funds for the cause through #ProjectGameDay, HEADstrong’s online fundraising platform.
“The HEADstrong Foundation gives us all a sense of pride and a sense of inspiration for the lacrosse world. It gives a tangible resolve in a real world fight against cancer. We are humbled and proud to be involved.”
Even better for Lafayette is that the Leopards have won three straight games after a tough eight-game losing streak. They are 4-8 overall and 1-5 in the Patriot League with also a game against arch-rival Lehigh to go. Bucknell is 6-5 and 3-3.
“We’re all in a dogfight in the Patriot League, and all fighting for our playoff lives,” said Rogalski. “It’s a huge game for us and a huge game for Bucknell.
“We’re starting to peak at the right moment and starting to play with confidence. We’re learning how to finish games and playing with a lot of confidence.”
Cabrini is 7-5 overall and 3-0 in the CSAC. Keystone, a first-year program is 2-5 and 1-3 in the conference.
“It is a tremendous honor for our Cabrini program to be playing in the Relentless Games this weekend,” said Cabrini coach Steve Colfer. “We look forward to the opportunity to be involved with the HEADstrong Foundation each year and this is another wonderful day of lacrosse in the Philadelphia area. We will play hard and we will play For Nick.”
3rd Annual Relentless Cup Timeline
9:00AM-4:30PM – Regional Youth Lacrosse Play Day
1:00PM – Ridley Varsity/JV Girls Lacrosse vs. Interboro Girls’ Lacrosse
4:30PM – DIII Collegiate Matchup – Keystone College vs. Cabrini College
7:00PM – The Relentless Cup – Lafayette College vs. Bucknell University
“We are thrilled and honored to be part of the lineup of the 3rd Annual Relentless Cup. Cancer is a disease that practically touched every member of our program and we strongly believe in the importance that HEADstrong has in the lacrosse community on behalf of the cancer community. We are very proud to be part of an event that raises awareness and funds to support real people dealing with the costs and devastation of the disease. We share the stage with some incredible teams this year and are looking forward to facing-off on Nick Colleluori’s home field to support his vision.” says Lafayette Head Coach Jim Rogalski
The Relentless Cup was introduced in 2012 as a spring fundraising event to support the HEADstrong Foundation’s fight against cancer. In its inaugural year, the event featured Hofstra University who captured the coveted trophy in a 13-1 victory over St. Joseph’s University. In 2013, it was the Lehigh Mountain Hawks who captured the cup with a 12-3 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas.
Proceeds from the Relentless Cup will support Nick’s House™ as well as the quality of life services for cancer patients and families provided by the HEADstrong Foundation™.
Please visit, www.HEADstrong.org to learn more about how HEADstrong is improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their families.
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