Tesoriero Hopes for More Syosset Lax Memories

Doug Tesoriero mixed a Cornell lacrosse hat with a Syosset lacrosse T-shirt Tuesday, a perfect wardrobe for someone whose past, present and future are all meshing at once.

Last week the midfielder and four-year starter for the Braves was at Stony Brook watching Cornell advance to the NCAA's Final Four, a pleasant view since he will suit up for the Big Red next season.

Winning his home finale in first-round playoff action last week against Baldwin made him reflective. He was able to think back to his sophomore year, when Syosset advanced all the way to the state title game--yet one of Tesoriero's memories centered around the team's red jumpsuits.

"[The team] went on a trip to Durham, North Carolina," Tesoriero said. "We were going around the terminal and people were asking us where we were from," Tesoriero says with a wide grin. "Some of them thought we were Team Russia."

But Tesoriero hopes he isn't done making special memories, some of which could come Wednesday night against Farmingdale in the Nassau County Class A semifinals.

Either way, he seems comfortable with how everything has gone, especially when he got the tip of the cap coach John Calabria typically gives to his seniors.

"When I got here, Coach Calabria talked about Matt Davie, who now plays at UNC, and how the years just flew by and how special it was to coach him," Tesoriero says. "Then later he said the same things about Jeff [Cohen, who now stars at Harvard]. So, now having him talk that way about me and the other seniors, it means a lot."

Tesoriero says his Syosset years made a big difference in his college selection. "I actually visited some schools where they said they didn't like you wearing your lacrosse [T-shirts and hats] around campus because they didn't want you to seem like you were separating yourself from the other students," Tesoriero says. "And I didn't like that. That stuff is part of building a brotherhood, and those feelings are where I see a lot of similarity between Coach Calabria and Coach [Jeff] Tambroni from Cornell."

The only problem? The potential for more red jump suits at airports.

Tesoriero seems like he can take it.