Lacrosse has only been played as a competitive sport at the Summer Olympic Games twice: 1904 and 1908.

Though it was included as a demonstration event at a few Summer Games prior to 1950, it won’t be until the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics that lacrosse will officially be back in the fold.

One of our own here from the Diocese of Brooklyn has his sights set on playing in those games, and his recent taste of international competition has him craving more.

Patrick Cahill is a 16-year-old sophomore junior varsity lacrosse player at Xaverian H.S., Bay Ridge. He grew up in Bay Ridge, attending St. Andrew the Apostle Parish and Bay Ridge Catholic Academy before enrolling in Xaverian’s Genesis Program.

As a youngster, Cahill followed the typical athletic path of most boys in Brooklyn: He played baseball and basketball, both for St. Anselm Church’s Catholic Youth Organization program.

Yet as lacrosse continued to gain popularity locally, he started thinking about what it would be like to play.

Going into Xaverian, he knew he wanted to play football in the fall and then test out lacrosse in the spring. He had never played lacrosse before, so he turned to YouTube to watch videos about the game and techniques to help him get started.

“Lacrosse was a contact sport similar to football, so I figured I would just play that,” the budding star said.

Cahill was clearly a quick study, so much so that he dropped playing football in his sophomore year to solely focus on lacrosse.

He has played two seasons for the Clippers as a close D-pole (a defenseman), and in both years, Xaverian has reached the city championship game, each time falling to the powerhouse Msgr. Farrell H.S., Staten Island.

As he continued to improve, Cahill began researching some opportunities centered on eventually trying to play in the Olympics in 2028. Some American athletes are able to represent different countries based on their family tree, so Cahill explored his options.

His grandmother was born in Spain, and his mother was born in Santiago, Chile. As it turns out, Chile was one of the nations competing Memorial Day weekend at an international event, called the Heritage Cup, outside of Boston.

Even more fortuitous for Cahill was that the Chilean team was missing a few players for the tournament. He contacted the coach, sent in highlight reels of himself playing, and next thing you know, he was a starting defender for the team in the tournament.

The Heritage Cup featured 32 teams in the men’s division. Cahill and one other teammate were the only 16-year-olds on Team Chile, which had an impressive overall showing.

An opening-round 7-6 overtime loss to Ireland sent Chile to the consolation bracket immediately. But three straight wins over Costa Rica, Ghana, and Croatia had Chile playing for the consolation bracket championship. The team then fell to the U.S. Virgin Islands, 7-4, to finish the tournament with a 3-2 record.

Cahill was thrilled to be able to play in this kind of international tournament as he continues to improve and now knows what he needs to work on to play with the big boys.

“It was a great experience for me because when you play against people who are better than you, you’re going to get a lot better,” he said. “There’s a level of physicality to the game, and obviously everyone was a lot bigger than me, so it really helped me work on positioning on the defensive end and being a little more conservative with my body.”

As one of the younger players on the team, he soaked in the knowledge of his teammates, many of whom are college lacrosse players. Most of the team members live here in the States, but a handful call Chile home.

“As one of the younger guys, the older guys really  took me under their wing,” Cahill said. “They taught me everything they knew. It felt like a big family.”

Lacrosse has now become a year-round sport for Cahill. This summer, he plans to play for a local club team and also attend some college showcases.

Next up internationally, he will be playing for Chile in the Pan-American Lacrosse Association Sixes Cup this December in Puerto Rico. This event is a key qualifier for the 2028 Olympics, so Team Chile hopes to have a strong showing.

From Xaverian to the Heritage Cup, Cahill’s lacrosse career has developed fast. His next few years will be crucial as he preps for a shot at the ultimate international stage.

“Playing in the Olympics is definitely my goal,” he said. “I know it’s going to be hard, but that’s the goal.”

Not too shabby for someone who taught himself how to play lacrosse on YouTube.