Four Israelis selected to FIL Presidents Team

VANCOUVER, CANADA — Four members of Team Israel — defenseman Noah Knopf, goaltender David Metzger, faceoff specialist Zachary Ornstein and forward Nick Schulkin were honored by the Federation of International Lacrosse for their performance at the 2016 U-19 World Lacrosse Championships.

Their selection to the Presidents Team, which consists of the top 10 players in the tournament not competing in the Blue Division, was indicative of Israel’s strong performance in their first Men’s U-19 World Championship.

The blue-and-white had a perfect 5-0 record against non-Blue teams, including big wins over Germany and Ireland to advance the Israelis to the Quarterfinals.

Knopf, who is considered a long-stick midfielder, was all over the field for the Israelis, commanding the defensive side of the ball, while also adding five goals and four assists on offense.

Metzger led the tournament in saves with 55. He also had a 7.54 goals against average and and a 57.3 save percentage in 434 total minutes between the pipes.

While faceoff stats were not tracked through much of the early rounds, Ornstein was a dominant force,

Schulkin led the tournament in points with 38 — on 21 goals and 17 assists.