Nearly two months ago at the Dick's Sporting Goods Colorado Cup, the Utah Select lacrosse team found itself looking for redemption in the championship game against the Mile High Magic.

In the previous 48 hours, Utah Select rolled through a grueling six-game schedule in pool play, compiling a 5-1 record, with its only loss coming in a heartbreaking 7-6 setback at the hands of the Mile High Magic.

After trailing 4-3 in the second half of the championship game, Utah Select roared back to a 7-4 championship win in the rematch.

"After our first loss, we felt like we weren't clicking anymore," said Utah Select Coach Brandon Horoba. "So in the title game, we knew we had to prove something, and thankfully we pulled it together and came out on top."

With the Colorado Cup title in hand, Utah Select earned itself a chance to compete for the NDP Lacrosse national championship, snagging a bid for the Dicks Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions next January in Florida.

With virtually the entire team remaining intact through the next seven months, the high school talent of Utah Select will have plenty of time to shape up for the difficult competition on the national stage.

Utah Select, which holds annual tryouts for the varsity team, will be back to weekly practices in August, upgrading to several practices per week by September.

The squad is led by a core of stellar offensive threats, including Jayden Haws, Griffin Perkiel, Dillon Tran and Colorado Cup MVP Collin Madsen. Defensively, the squad will look for leaders such as Ryan Barraco, Brad Davis and phenom goalie Nate Wilkinson to weather the attack from some of the highly touted east-coast teams competing at the tournament.

"It will be a huge test for us," Horoba said. "Offensively we are very diverse, with a lot of guys that can score at any given time, and Nate [Wilkinson] has been phenomenal in all three tournaments we have been in."

In addition to preparing for the competition at the national tournament, Utah Select is forced to take on the difficult fundraising task that comes with any team preparing to travel across the country.

"It's been hard so far, but we still have some time left," Horoba said. "The kids are excited and their confidence will be on a level that gives them a good chance of success at the tournament, so hopefully we have enough cash in time to get them there."

Any potential sponsors or those with fundraising opportunities are encouraged to contact Coach Horoba at BrandonH@gmedical.com