The path Solomon forged began with a pair of fiddle sticks, makeshift lacrosse sticks he toyed with until he got physically big enough to buy a kid’s size at the store. His idea of a well-spent Saturday afternoon was peppering shots at his net, where he played in the Georgia heat until sunset.
Solomon grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia, about 25 miles north of Atlanta. Throughout middle school, neighbors strolling by his front yard stopped when their eyes met his lacrosse net. “We got a lot of questions, like, ‘What the hell is that?’” Solomon’s father, Neal, said.
When he reached first grade, Solomon began to watch SU games on TV. In high school, he studied Syracuse greats, including most recent star attacks Dylan Donahue and Kevin Rice. Solomon admired how they dodged, how they moved off ball and how they felt their defender’s stick. He began to fall in love with a sport where it was hardly recognizable.
Rooted in Solomon’s background are direct ties to Syracuse that, over time, made a skinny kid from the South a natural fit for SU. His mother, Nanci, grew up in DeWitt and rode her bike to watch Syracuse lacrosse teams practice inside Manley Field House. His father, Neal, is from Manlius, and has worn Syracuse sweatshirts, shorts and T-shirts since leaving the area. That exposed Solomon to SU.
Powell was one of the first to introduce the sport to him. Hanging on a wall in Solomon’s home bedroom is a signed jersey of his. Former SU All-American Liam Banks coached Solomon for years at his LB3 lacrosse academy. Solomon also is the nephew of former Syracuse football coach Paul Pasqualoni.
Solomon’s younger brother, Nick, committed to North Carolina before he stepped foot in high school. Nate Solomon didn’t get offers from top schools. Hailing from a place still untapped in the lacrosse world wouldn’t work at Division I powers, coaches told him.
The four-year varsity starter and three-time high school All-American built on his 100-goal freshman season. Harvard, Dartmouth and Lehigh wanted him. He fell in love with the Big Green’s coaching stuff until he decommitted after a coaching change.
One day as a junior, Solomon lit up a tournament in a Philadelphia suburb. When he saw SU assistant coach Kevin Donahue show up, Solomon put his head down. He mowed through the defense to score seven straight goals. Afterward, a coach asked him if he wanted to play at Syracuse. Incredulous, Solomon chuckled.
“I’m serious — you need to call Syracuse right now,” the coach told him.
Soon he committed to SU. Hidden beneath his facemask was an ear-to-ear smile that belied the get-at-the-goal mentality he still harnesses today. On the lacrosse field, Solomon plays bigger than his 5-foot-10, 178-pound frame. Getting overlooked by Northeast schools fuels him. Against North Carolina in last year’s ACC title game, Solomon scored a pair of goals to lead Syracuse to the win only 20 miles from where he grew up.
