Meet Miles Silva, a West Point graduate and professional lacrosse player in the MLL for the Denver Outlaws. In today's episode of Going Offsides, Nick and Ryan learn more about what Army Lacrosse is all about, how Coach Joe Alberici runs a successful program, and the unique hurdles servicemen have to overcome to achieve their goals in sport.

Silva was essentially born to play Army Lacrosse. Despite his family’s best efforts to convince him otherwise, he knew Army was the only place for him. With both parents having attended West Point themselves, they wanted to make sure that Silva had come to the decision to attend on his own.

A bit of a late-bloomer in college, Silva really hit the scene during his junior year. In 2019, he collected 30 ground balls and buried 39 goals. Silva followed up with a team-high 22 tallies and 15 ground balls in 2020, only to have the season cut short by coronavirus lockdowns in March.

Despite being one of the nation's top players as a senior, his future in professional lacrosse was unclear. The United States passed a law that allows service academy graduates to play professional sports and delay their duty. However, with professional lacrosse not being considered a full-time profession, Silva relied on the help the administrators at West Point to make his dreams come true.

In his first season with the Outlaws, Silva registered four goals in the five games the team played. His rookie stats include a hat trick against Connecticut in the season opener and a solo shot in the MLL Championship Game.

We thank Miles Silva for his commitment to the country and for joining the podcast.