We are giving our readers ‘axcess’ inside the New York Lizards as they prepare for the 2020 Major League Lacrosse season. We spoke with New York Lizards midfielder Nicky Galasso on how he and his team are training.
Axcess Sports (AS): You are looking at a potential seven games in nine days for a season. Have you played in anything like this before?
Nicky Galasso (NG): Probably when I was younger. I remember having to go in tournaments and having to play in consecutive games like that in one day. But, that is also when we are not as old, and our legs are a little bit under us when we’re younger. It is definitely going to be interesting [and] fun.
AS: Have you been able to train during the pandemic?
NG: It has been tough, you know, with fields in town closed and not having access to cages. And also getting with guys on the team has been a little bit harder. I know some of us are in a group chat and we try to get together and make the most of the opportunities we get. I have been lucky, I have a field [and net] in my brother’s backyard and have been able to get a few reps in.
AS: Do you see the shortened season benefiting the New York Lizards?
NG: I don’t know if it benefits, I think it is going to stay the same for everyone. Trades happened, new guys are coming in from college so I think we are all going to be on the same boat. We are all lucky enough that– we have 13 guys from Long Island on the Lizards. It has been good to try and get together with some of the guys and get the chemistry going. Or, at least get the sticks going and be a team.
AS: How do you feel knowing over half of the team is made up of ‘local guys’?
NG: I think it is great. Long Island is a hotbed for lacrosse and the fact we play for the Lizards and a lot of us are local [means] a lot of us can meet up with each other and play together. It is just going to keep growing like that because people are going to want to stay in their hometown and play in their state.
AS: How does it feel getting to play pro lacrosse only 20 minutes away from home?
NG: It made my schedule a lot more easier for me to commit and be a part of the team for almost full-time. It was awesome to be out there. Playing in front of your family, it is great.
Note: Galasso resides from West Islip, N.Y. The New York Lizards home games are played at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.
AS: What do you expect the atmosphere playing at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, M.D. in front of no fans to be like in?
NG: It is going to be different. We are all at the same playing field. The games will be televised so it will be good to know my family will watch and support us through television. It is going to be different not having a reaction after a goal is scored, where there is a lot of screaming.
AS: Do you see your role on offense increasing this season?
NG: Yeah, I think I see myself with the ball in my stick a little bit more, kind of dodging and creating offensive slides and being a passer. That is how I was in the beginning of my high school career and college career– I was an attack-end. I was a feeder first mentality.
AS: You are the Long Island high school all-time points leader with 500 during your time at West Islip. Is there anything from back then you can apply to your game today?
NG: I think I just got to play with that mentality that I did, when I was younger. As I had two injuries in college, that put me a step back and then I had to get back into everything. When I went to Syracuse, they put me in the midfield so I had to get comfortable playing from up top rather than behind [the cage]. I just have to play with that confidence, I just let the game come to me.
AS: What is the atmosphere with your coaches like?
NG: I have a good relationship with Coach O’Hara, we communicate a lot. Coach Gongas, Coach Glick, Coach Garber– we have a great coaching staff, those guys are awesome. They know how to make the locker room a good atmosphere, not that it comes from them all the time. They listen to your input but ultimately they are going to do what they think is best.
AS: What is key for the Lizards in order to win the MLL Championship this season?
NG: I think the biggest thing offensively is sharing the ball. The new guys are going to have to step in and get comfortable right away. It is different from the college game. I think it is not going to be an individual [effort], it is going to be a full 25-man effort.
Tomorrow: Q&A with Lizards head coach BJ O’Hara on the upcoming season
