A journey from Rough Riders to college lax

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hen they first started playing lacrosse for Rough Rider Lacrosse in kindergarten, Aidan Lough, Cole Aasheim and Philip “PJ” Verdi could never have imagined that they would play together for the next 13 years. Now the three friends will be playing lacrosse in college, where they will take the lessons and skills learned as Rough Riders to the next level.

The Oyster Bay and East Norwich residents started playing together under Patrick Lough, Aidan’s father and one of the coaches and founders of Rough Rider Lacrosse. Lough explained that he and other former lacrosse players who had moved to the area were shocked by the fact that there was no local team, and in 2005 the organization was established.

The Rough Riders are part of the Nassau/Suffolk P.A.L. Lacrosse League, and for years the three friends would play against teams around Long Island. Over the six years that the three friends played on the Rough Riders, they never lost a game according to the coach.

“These kids got so used to playing with one another, and just by the amount of play, they got so good,” Lough said. “These three are probably the best players I’ve ever coached since we started the program.”

After the three friends finished playing for the Rough Riders in the eighth grade, they continued to practice together and play on travel teams alongside each other. Lough, a midfielder, and Verdi, a goalie, also played on the same team at Chaminade High School, where they frequently squared off against Aasheim, who played long-stick defense for St. Anthony’s High School.

The young men said that they attributed much of their development as players to working with their friends. Because each of them played a different position, they were able to expand their offensive and defensive skillsets, and having Verdi as a goalie allowed the others to improve their shooting while he worked on his reaction time and goal-saving ability.

“We were kinda like the perfect trio, in that we could run any plays or drills we wanted and just get better,” Aasheim said. “We’d practice on the turf for hours or go one-on-one against each other, and that’s really where our competitiveness comes from.”

While the three friends will no longer be playing on the same team, they will still be facing off against each other in college. Lough will be attending the United States Naval Academy, Verdi will play for Johns Hopkins University, and Aasheim is committed to the University of North Carolina.

While all three have said they’re a bit sad to no longer be playing together, they’re all looking forward to continue their careers and get the chance to play against each other. 

“I’m absolutely ecstatic to get to play against them,” Verdi said. “(Johns Hopkins) plays against North Carolina and Navy every year, so I think it’ll be great to be able to see them during the season.”