Zach Ambrosino’s introduction to lacrosse came while a youngster growing up in an area with a deep passion for baseball.
But as far as Ambrosino’s young peers were concerned, lacrosse — and not baseball — is where the action was in Dover, Mass., located just west of Boston.
“I was introduced to lacrosse when I moved to Dover because everyone there was quitting baseball to play lax instead,” Ambrosino said.
Now, less than five years after his introduction to the sport, Ambrosino is set to play at the highest level of collegiate lacrosse. The sophomore defender/longstick midfielder from the Taft School (Conn.) has verbally committed to Virginia.
The 6-foot-1, 187-pound righty is a technically sound player with strong stick skills, attributes on display in his highlight film. He also plays football at Taft.
Ambrosino is No. 7 on Inside Lacrosse’s recently released Top 25 Young Gun Sophomore Rankings.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Zach on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
When considering schools, I really wanted to make sure I was looking at top-notch academic universities, and once my family and I realized we essentially couldn’t go wrong as far as the actual education I was going to get went, it really became how comfortable I felt around the players and coaches.
Something I made an effort to put a lot of emphasis on was where I would want to go to school if I wasn’t playing lacrosse, and for me that was UVa.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I toured and considered Notre Dame, UNC, Princeton and OSU.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My defensive technique and lax IQ. The way I have been coached has molded my style in to one in which I almost never throw wasted checks, so I can really focus on my footwork as well as my placement of checks.
As far as lax IQ goes, I really focus on my off-ball D as well as seeing the whole field when making a play in the offensive zone. I would describe my style of play as physical and minimalistic.
Where did you grow up, how did you get introduced to lacrosse and do you play any other sports at Taft?
I grew up in Dover, Mass., about 25 minutes west of Boston. I was introduced to lacrosse when I moved to Dover because everyone there was quitting baseball to play lax instead. I also play football at Taft.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on you during your development as a player?
My old coaches, Brian McLaughlin and Gino Zanella, really taught me a lot about the game and how to play it the right way. Some older guys from my town, both now at D-I schools for lacrosse, helped me refine my game a great deal and helped motivate and push me throughout the last few summers and most recently this spring.
John Middleton and the Team Central coaching staff gave me a shot to prove myself a few years ago by playing me on a u-19 team as a freshman, and with the help of Justin Walker and the whole (Top Gun Fighting) Clams’ coaching staff, as well as (Head) Coach (Casey) D’Annolfo here at Taft, I have been able to realize my dream.
What travel team did you play on and what were some of the big showcase events you participated in this past summer?
Last summer I played with the Top Gun Fighting Clams, and played at King of the Hill, Gait Cup and Adrenaline Black Card Showcase, among others.
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Posted In: Recruiting Rundown
Sounds like a well grounded young man and a talented player.