Sports
Kensington Teenager Enjoys National Spotlight
Matt Borda's 80 yard lacrosse goal was captured on video.
Gonzaga sophomore Matt Borda had no idea when he launched a shot against Good Counsel in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference boys’ lacrosse championship game on May 9 that he would become famous.
Actually, the Kensington teenager wasn’t even trying to score, he just wanted to milk the clock with his team nursing a one-goal lead.
The Purple Eagles were a man down and Borda was just trying to make a big play for his team.
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However, Borda’s rocket sailed 80 yards through the air and ended up in the back of the net, securing Gonzaga’s second straight league title, a 10-8 victory over Good Counsel.
“It probably wasn’t the best decision,” said Borda, reflecting on the shot that made him a YouTube sensation and an ESPN fixture. “I saw the net move and everyone started running toward me.”
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The amazing shot was captured on video by Solomon Taylor of Bethesda-based Prominent Productions and placed on YouTube shortly thereafter.
The video has received nearly two million hits thanks to cable sports giant ESPN which has shown the goal during SportsCenter broadcasts.
“It’s kind of unbelievable just to see myself on national television,” said Borda, who once attended Kensington’s Holy Redeemer School.
Borda has been a part of Gonzaga’s back-to-back WCAC championship squads and hopes to play Division I college lacrosse. The defenseman has already made unofficial visits to Maryland, and North Carolina.
“I’m looking to visit some more schools this summer,” he added.
Despite the goal that has catapulted him into the national spotlight, Borda is still just an ordinary high school student-athlete and viewed by observers as a college lacrosse prospect.
“He’s a very good player, regardless,” said Casey O’Neill, Gonzaga’s lacrosse coach. “He definitely wants to play Division I lacrosse and has the ability to. He definitely has the talent.”
Borda, who boasts a 3.94 grade point average, also competes on Gonzaga’s basketball team but plans to focus his efforts on playing lacrosse at the next level.
“I’m just going to stick to lacrosse,” he said. “It would be way too much for me to play both sports in college.”
In the meantime, however, Borda seems content to bask in the glory of his team’s back-to-back league championship and his new-found fame.