Lacrosse heavyweights from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) crossed sticks at the inaugural Long Island Fall Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Dean G. Skelos Sports Complex in Rockville Center, N.Y. NYIT’s three-time NCAA Division II champs participated in the tournament, which featured high-profile teams from all three NCAA divisions, including Division III Springfield College, Division II Molloy College, and Division I powerhouses Duke University, Hofstra University, Rutgers University, Towson University, and Brigham Young University.

All proceeds benefited the Nassau County Police Activity League (PAL) Special Needs Unit, a charitable organization that provides sports programs and activities for children with autism, Down syndrome, and various other learning and physical disabilities. Nassau County has the only PAL in the United States with a Special Needs Unit.

In the tournament opener, the Bears defeated Springfield College 19-7 in their first meeting since 1994. Next, NYIT took on Brigham Young, which recently moved up to Division I. Unfortunately, the team proved to be a formidable opponent for the Bears, defeating them 11-6.

NYIT closed out the day facing off against the elite Duke University Blue Devils. The Bears held their own into halftime, with the game tied at 5-5, but Duke sealed its victory in the second half with four unanswered goals to win 9-5.

At the end of the tourney, Bears’ Head Coach Jack Kaley was proud of his team and their reason for being on the field. “This tournament was about great lacrosse and a great charity, and that is what the fans saw,” he says. “It was a great day for Long Island lacrosse, it was a win-win situation for all of the teams involved, and, above all else, the proceeds went to a worthy cause.”