Thunderstrike Incoming: U.S. U20 Faceoff Duo Ready to Flip the Script

ITHACA, N.Y. — The sound of coaches barking out instructions and players communicating with one another reverberated around Schoellkopf Field as Brady Wambach and Zach Hayashi looked on.

The two U.S. U20 faceoff men share a slightly different practice experience than their teammates. Instead of running 4-on-3 drills and working on shooting for two hours, Wambach and Hayashi, well, take faceoffs — again and again before taking a break and repeating the same process.

Simply put, there can be a lot of monotony for a faceoff man at practice, like a day at the shore.

“We went into the sandbox, got a little dirty in there,” Wambach joked. “Played at the beach, brought a beach towel, washed off and that was it.”

“We’re faceoff guys, so we’re morale guys,” Hayashi said. “We do our work, get in and get out and then go pump up our guys.”

While Hayashi and Wambach may be two of the brightest personalities on the U20 team, they’re both serious challenges at the X. Coach Shawn Nadelen was presented with two successful college faceoff men who had two years of experience — a combination that could prove vital when the team heads to South Korea next month for the World Lacrosse Men’s U20 Championship.

Nadelen and his coaching staff got their first look at Hayashi and Wambach together this weekend at the team’s final training camp in Ithaca, N.Y.

“These are two seasoned guys that have taken a lot of faceoffs throughout their careers,” Nadelen said. “They’ve had to face a lot of different guys and have been in different types of games. Having that experience and the ability to have two different types of guys, it’s going to be fun.”

The last version of the U.S. U20 team boasted faceoff men Alec Stathakis and Jake Naso, two stalwarts in Division I men’s lacrosse. This summer, it will bring two of the nation’s best to South Korea to battle for another gold medal.

Wambach, the nephew of former U.S. women’s soccer legend Abby Wambach, finished fourth in Division I with a 64.3 faceoff win percentage. The Rochester, N.Y., native started his career as a midfielder, but quickly found his niche at Salisbury School.

He said he’s using his aunt’s World Cup experience to his advantage.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to play for my country, especially carrying on my aunt’s legacy,” he said. “It means a lot for me to represent, with 'USA' on the front of your jersey every day.”

For Hayashi, representing the United States has become second nature. He won 61.2 percent of his faceoffs in his first season at Navy, and despite battling injuries, won more than 50 percent in 2025.

The McDonogh (Md.) alum picked up a stick in Maryland when he was 8, and quickly figured out that facing off was his passion.

“I didn't want to say it, but I'm a little vertically challenged,” said Hayashi, who is 5-foot-8. “I was too small to play any other position. I just fell in love with facing off by high school.”

Wambach is a technician who works to manipulate the ball and send it in a precise direction. Hayashi uses his physicality. Both have quick hands and deliver plenty of power.

Together, they form a strong one-two punch on which the U.S. will depend — the kind that deserves its own nickname.

When prompted, Wambach laughed. “It’s got to be Thunderstrike.”