Recently I caught up with Matt Toth. Matt is a mainstay for the Outlaws in the Philadelphia Box Lacrosse Association, and is a member of the Baltimore Bombers of the North American Lacrosse League.
KMN-"Can you tell
us your lacrosse background?"
MT- "I started playing Lacrosse when I was really young and when High School came around I had to make a decision about whether I would continue to play or not. I decided to continue and eventually ended up at Neumann University. I started playing box early in my lacrosse career and slowly transcended to field until my sophomore year of college when I played for the US Developmental team and started playing more box than field. After college I continued to play some club ball when the opportunity to play in the NALL came about and I jumped on the chance. I ended up playing for the Reading Rockets in the PLL (Professional Lacrosse League) this past year and now I am on the Baltimore Bombers of the NALL".
KMN-"We have seen
you play a few seasons in the PBLA, tell us about the league and why you
play"
MT- "The PBLA is a great league to play in. The competition is great and I have made a lot of friends through the league that I would not have made otherwise. I play in the league because it's a great way to get a run in during the summer and seeing all of my friends makes it that much better".
KMN-"You scored a
high light reel goal the other night, those who know your game were surprised
that you showed the acrobatics, what was going on that made you react like
that?"
MT-"It was more luck than anything. I picked up a loose ball in the corner and rolled away from the pressure and just jumped and hoped for the best. I'm lucky it went in because I'm pretty sure I had my eyes closed the whole time"
KMN-"Can you tell
us about a typical game day routine for a NALL player?"
MT-"A typical game day routine would be meetings in the mornings for the offense and defense to go over match ups and the game plan. Then just relax and wait until we have to be at the arena. I'm not a very superstitious person so I just take it easy all day and try to stay as relaxed as possible."
KMN-" Chris
Collins, Ethan Farrell...both from similar backgrounds as yourself, are they an
inspiration?"
MT- "Chris and Ethan are both phenomenal players and they are definitely an inspiration to me. Just to see how hard they worked to get where they are is definitely something to look up to. They are both stand-up guys off the floor which is even more reason to try to strive to get where they are and do the things they have done in their Lacrosse careers."
KMN-"Where do you
see yourself going in the Lacrosse world?"
MT- "I hope to
continue playing as long as I can. If that means local recreational leagues or
the NLL, I'll be happy with either direction. After playing, I would like to
continue coaching. I have had so many great coaches in my career to guide me
and put me on the right path, it would be great to give something back to the
Lacrosse world and share some of the knowledge that they gave me with the next
generation of players."
KMN-".Tell us about
the Outlaws from the PBLA. What does the future hold for them?
MT- "Hopefully the
future holds another championship. We have a great group of guys on the team
and we hope to keep together as much as we can for the next few years. It's amazing
to play with the group of guys we have because we all consider each other
friends on and off the floor."
KMN-"Professionally,
where do you see lacrosse taking you?"
MT- "I would like
to see my lacrosse career turning into the direction of coaching when I am done
playing. I would like to coach just to pass on the game and keep it going in a
positive direction".
Thank You Matt!!!
