Rai turning heads in freshman season

Story on Lacrosse Magazine Website

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations

Lehigh freshman Tristan Rai is one of the nation's most prolific scorers. He is second on the Mountain Hawks with 24 goals on just 39 shots. His .615 shooting percentage currently leads the nation.

Watch Rai play and you would think he was a highly-coveted prospect, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Playing at Westminster School in Connecticut, the Edmonton, Alberta native was determined to play Division I college lacrosse. Coaches weren't coming to him, so he was proactive and reached out to dozens of head coaches. Only one showed interest: Lehigh's Kevin Cassese.

"I wasn't getting a lot of looks, so I decided to throw my name out there to a bunch of schools," said Rai. "I was a little discouraged and down on myself. I thought I was going to play Division III hockey or not play sports in college, then my dad got on me and said I have to do whatever it takes to reach my goal. You have to email all these people, email every school where you'd like to go, tell them who you are show them your highlight reel."

That persistence paid off. All it took was one coach for Rai to earn the break he needed.
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"The email was very well-written," said Cassese. "After doing this now for more than 10 years, you can decipher if an email is written by a parent, by a coach or by a kid and this one was clearly written by Tristan. His passion for the game along with his high level of academics and will to win came through. Then, watching his film playing both field lacrosse and box lacrosse, it was evident to me that this was someone we had to explore a little bit further."

Rai was thrilled to garner interest from any coach, never mind one as decorated as Cassese.

"He is a very-highly respected coach in the lacrosse world, so Coach Cassese having interest in me was really mind-blowing," said Rai. "It really gave me hope. One thing led to another and now I'm here."

"My initial thoughts when I saw his highlight film was that Tristan would score a million goals in college lacrosse," said Cassese. "You could just tell by the way he moved a little differently when he didn't have the ball because typically, high school players stand still.

"I could see a really smart, instinctive ability and I felt like he could really utilize that ability to help us score a bunch of goals," Cassese continued. "More than just himself, he could also help our offense score goals by the attention he would eventually draw."

It didn't take long for Rai to demand attention from opposing defenses this year. He began his collegiate career with a bang, scoring five first-half goals on five shots in the season opener. Included was a behind-the-back goal, not taking long to give fans a glimpse of what was to come. Rai followed the effort with a game-high four goals at No. 3 Duke.

It was evident from the time he walked on campus that Rai's skills were special. Those skills didn't happen overnight; they were developed over a long period of time while growing up with the sport.

"I've had a stick in my hand ever since I could walk," said Rai. "Lacrosse is the type of sport where you can just go out there and play. All you need is a stick and a ball; you don't need a hockey rink or a basketball hoop. You can just go out there and throw the ball around."

Rai plays with a creativeness that is pretty to watch. Playing box lacrosse in Canada led to developing some pretty special skills.

"There's not a lot of room in box lacrosse and it's a lot more physical, so you have to be good with your stick to stand a chance," said Rai. "You have to make quick plays, move your feet and move the ball. A lot of the best finishers out there are Canadian and they can get the ball out of their stick in an instant, which is attributed to box lacrosse."

Rai displays more than just stick skills. He plays with a smoothness and instinct that you can't teach. For all the highlight-reel goals he's scored, the most impressive may be his game-tying, fourth-quarter goal against Holy Cross.

"I basically threw one around my head," said Rai. "After it happened, I asked myself why I would do that in crunch time.'"

Rai wasn't looking to be flashy. In fact, he's a very modest and humble young man. In that moment, his instincts took over. All the years with a stick in his hand paid off.

"Tristan often pulls out something brand new in practice and the reaction from the guys and the coaches is unbelievable," said Cassese. "Tristan does things we have never seen before. I compare his skills to guys like Lyle and Miles Thompson. If I can compare him to those guys, that's pretty darn impressive."

Movement without the ball has always been key to Rai's success, something Cassese noticed about Rai even before he got to Lehigh. Without movement, Rai wouldn't be in position to score.

"By moving, Tristan puts himself into positions where other players aren't," said Cassese. "Those positions are usually advantageous to scoring goals and driving the defense to help others create scoring opportunities."

Lehigh has become known for developing strong Canadian players as of late. Two examples are Dan Taylor and Patrick Corbett, who graduated last spring. Seeing other Canadian players thrive in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania only encourages others to consider Lehigh.

"Dan is from Alberta where I'm from, so I played against him growing up," said Rai. "My dad has coached him, so I knew he went here. He was doing well, so I added Lehigh to my list of schools to contact."

Cassese is sure glad Rai contacted him and fell into his lap.

"I felt like it was meant to be," said Cassese. "I can show you my inbox right now and I have about 1,800 unopened emails, most of them from recruits. It's just impossible to keep up, but there was something about Tristan's. I needed to open it, I needed to read it and watch the film. I'm thankful that I did because it brought Tristan here."

Rai has enjoyed a successful start. Through 10 games, he has reached double-figure goals on six occasions, including five hat tricks.
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"So far, Tristan has absolutely lived up to our expectations," said Cassese. "When recruiting him, I told him we would literally try and build our offense around him. More than even what he does lacrosse-wise, he's just a great person, a really humble kid, a hard worker, a student of the game and he's his own biggest critic. With the best players I have been around, that's been the case."

For as good as Rai has been, his potential is through the roof.

"A lot of people think this guy came out of nowhere, but this is what we've been seeing in practice all fall and all preseason, and this is what I saw in the video he sent a few years ago," said Cassese. "I'm excited he's been able to realize the success pretty early in his career and I'm excited about what he can continue to do as he improves. There's still a lot more meat on the bone when it comes to him fulfilling his potential and raising the bar."

It's been a perfect match for all parties.

"I feel like this is the right fit for him, the right stop for him," said Cassese. "We feel like this is home for Tristan."

Lehigh University Athletics

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Colgate on April 29, 2025 , Loss , 10, to, 14

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Lafayette College on April 25, 2025 , Loss , 7, to, 12

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at Boston University on April 19, 2025 , Loss , 7, to, 12

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Colgate University on April 12, 2025 , Win , 12, to, 9

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at Holy Cross on April 5, 2025 , Win , 10, to, 6

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse at No. 4 Princeton University on April 1, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 17

Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Loyola University Maryland on March 29, 2025 , Win , 7, to, 3

Players Mentioned

Patrick Corbett

Tristan Rai

Dan Taylor

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