Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University alumni Kevin Unterstein, '08, and Stephen DeNapoli, '11, are two of the 59 players that US Lacrosse has selected to try out for the 2018 U.S. Men's National Team. The first round of tryouts will be held July 9-11 at the new U.S. national teams training center at US Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.
 
Following the initial round of tryouts, U.S. head coach John Danowski and his staff will follow up with additional tryouts and training weekends at US Lacrosse on the weekends of Sept. 1-4 and Oct. 6-9.

Unterstein, Hofstra's Associate Men's Lacrosse Head Coach, plays professionally in Major League Lacrosse, playing for the Long Island/New York Lizards in 2009, and 2012 through the present, and the Denver Outlaws in 2010 and 2011. He was a member of the Lizards MLL Championship team in 2015. Unterstein has played in 95 regular season games in 10 seasons as a short-stick defensive midfielder in the MLL, accumulating 15 goals, seven assists and 208 ground balls. He has also played in eight playoff games during his career, scoring six goals.

Unterstein trained with the U.S. Men's National Team in 2013 and was named to the U.S. roster for the Champions Challenge in January, 2013, an intra-squad scrimmage in September, 2016 and an exhibition contest in January, 2017.
 
A 2008 graduate of Hofstra with a degree in sociology, Unterstein enjoyed a stellar playing career as a short-stick defensive midfielder from 2005 through 2008. As a senior he recorded a team-leading 70 ground balls while helping to guide the Pride to the Colonial Athletic Association title and the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, he was an All-CAA first team selection, and was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, and the CAA Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player.

In 2007 as a junior, Unterstein earned USILA All-American honorable mention honors, and was named to the All-CAA second team as well as the All-CAA Tournament team. As a sophomore in 2006, Kevin, his twin brother Mike, and their older brother Chris combined to help lead Hofstra to a 17-2 record, a No. 2 national ranking and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. He was also named to the All-CAA Rookie Team as a freshman.

Following graduation in 2008, Unterstein served as an assistant coach under Bill Tierney at Princeton in 2009, working with the defense and face-off specialists. He would follow Tierney to Denver in 2010. Unterstein completed his seventh season on the Hofstra Men's Lacrosse coaching staff and his fourth year as associate head coach in 2016-17. Unterstein has worked with the defense, the face-off specialists and the man-down unit during his tenure at Hofstra.

DeNapoli, a native of Hewlett, New York, is in his seventh season in the MLL and his third year with the New York Lizards. He is a two-time MLL All-Star selection, receiving honors in 2012 with the Rochester Rattlers and in 2014 with the Lizards. He has played in 75 regular season games in the MLL, recording 32 goals and 21 assists. He has also played in four playoff contests during his professional career and was also a member of the Lizards MLL Championship team. In 2016, he tallied seven goals, three assists and 42 ground balls in 13 games for the Lizards.

DeNapoli began his professional career with the Chesapeake Bayhawks in 2011. He played in five games and tallied one assist, seven shots and 16 ground balls. The next two seasons DeNapoli played in Rochester, playing in 13 games in 2012 and recording 11 goals and four assists for 16 points that tied for eighth on the team in goals and points. He also picked up 43 ground balls. In 2013, he played in 14 games for the Rattlers and tallied four goals and picked up 29 ground balls. In 2014, he posted four goals and six assists with 31 ground balls in 14 games for the Lizards, and tallied six goals and seven assists and 38 ground balls in 14 games in 2015.

In 2014, he returned to Long Island with the Lizards and has seen action in five games and picked up eight ground balls. Like Unterstein, DeNapoli trained with the U.S. Men's National Team in 2013 and was named to the U.S. roster for the Champions Challenge in January of 2013.

A four-year letterman at Hofstra, DeNapoli was a two-time All-CAA selection in 2009 and 2011. He was also named to CAA Championship Tournament teams in 2009 and 2011. DeNapoli, a Pride captain in 2009 and 2010, was also a USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game selection in 2011.

Twenty of the players in the tryout pool have previously played for a U.S. team in Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship competition – either at the senior, U19 or indoor championships. That list includes Ned Crotty and Paul Rabil, who will both be attempting to make their third U.S. senior team roster. Rabil was the MVP of the 2010 FIL World Championship and Crotty scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal game against Canada that summer.
 
The U.S. is coming off of a silver medal finish at the 2014 FIL World Championship in Denver. The FIL recently announced that the 2018 world championship was moving from England to Israel with exact dates and location to be announced later this month.
 
Since 1967, the U.S. has won gold or silver medal at every men's international world championship in field lacrosse. The U.S. won gold in 1967, 1974, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2010. The U.S. finished as the runner-up to Canada in 1978, 2006 and 2014.

Hofstra Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Seth Tierney serves as an assistant coach on the U.S. Lacrosse Men's Senior National Team staff.