Two years ago, Sean Rogers was sitting in a
Holy Trinity (Hicksville, N.Y.) classroom dreaming of what it would be like to play lacrosse in the NCAA Final Four at Notre Dame. This year, Rogers's dream came true when he was a key member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish team that played in the NCAA Lacrosse National Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Unfortunately, for Rogers, his dream of winning the national title came to a halt as the Irish dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to Duke.
Rogers had five post season goals for the Irish in their magical run to the title game. After being shut out in an 8-5 win over Princeton, he came alive with three goals in a 7-5 triumph over No. 3 Maryland. With a trip to the finals on the line, Rogers had a goal and an assist as unranked Notre Dame knocked off Cornell 12-7.
Rogers was amazed by the atmosphere. “It was an amazing feeling to be running out of the tunnel in front of 44,000 people,” Rogers said. “Hearing the crowd roar as you run onto the field is something truly amazing."
Before starting his career at Notre Dame, Rogers was an Under Armour All-America at Holy Trinity. He was an All-Long Island selection, and was named the conference's attackman of the year. He scored 53 goals and had 63 assists as a senior. As a junior, he found the net 32 times and had 52 helpers. He finished with over 300 career points.
Rogers is thankful for his start at Trinity. “Playing at Holy Trinity definitely had a huge effect on the player that I am,” Rogers said. “Having to be the go-to guy early in my career definitely helped me become a leader, and more importantly helped build my confidence. At the college level everyone is very good, so it's not talent that separates you, but rather the intangibles. I feel that playing at Holy Trinity prepared me for college lacrosse."
Rogers had a strong championship game. With the game tied at 4-4, Rogers scored to give the Irish the lead. The sophomore took a pass from David Earl and did what he does best, finding the back of the net at the 11:56 mark of the final quarter. He was excited about putting his team ahead in the title game. “Scoring that goal was amazing,” he said. “It was easily the biggest goal of my life. Scoring that goal, hearing the crowd roar, and turning and seeing my team jumping off the bench was unbelievable.”
Despite the loss, Rogers is confident that the Irish can return to the Final Four. “We have to learn from the past two seasons,” Rogers said. “In '09 we were 15-0 and lost in the first round. This year we were 7-6 and made it to the national championship. So, we have to put it together next year and play consistent throughout the year. We have the talent returning to get back to that stage. The most important thing is to be playing your best lacrosse in May. We were able to do it this year so hopefully we can do it again.”
