The best surprises pop up in the strangest places.

For Bob Leary, that locale was ... a Ping-Pong table.

As the SUNY Utica/Rome soccer coach strolled from the lunchroom to his office in January a year ago, he spotted his starting goalie tearing up the competition. Impressed with the speed of his hands, Leary watched in amazement for a while and then invited him to join the lacrosse team, which Leary also coaches.

Long Gu, a native of Jinan, China, agreed, even though he knew virtually nothing about lacrosse.

"If I didn't help him the first day, he would have put the chest protector on backward," Leary said. "He didn't know what was going on."

Without adequate stick skills at first, Gu relied on soccer techniques to make saves. That translated into bumps and bruises.

"I have a pretty good reaction on the ball, but my stick skills were not good," he said, "I had to make a lot of body saves."

But the combination of his soccer experience and quick hands helped him adapt.

"I just love it," Gu said. "My coach told me I have quick feet and hands and I could be a good goalie. I never did know this game before. I just came in and joined the team and fell in love with it."

Gu came to the states in 1997 to SUNY Delhi as an exchange student and soon moved to Utica/Rome to continue his career. Leary recruited Gu to be a third goalie, but he soon learned the position and became the No. 2.

Last season, he made a team-high 80 saves in seven games for the Division III team, which finished 2-9.

To improve his lacrosse instincts, Leary set Gu up in a Utica summer league. Gu attended the open tryouts for the five-team Tri-City Lacrosse league and stumbled into the right situation.

Rob Buck, the goalie for 12 North Tavern, had to miss the season because his wife was pregnant. Team captain Geno DeCondo reluctantly took a chance on the inexperienced Gu.

"Yeah, we were wondering how we were going to make it through," DeCondo said. "It was a concern that we'd be able to compete. We were kind of at the end of the rope, not sure what we were going to do."

Gu ended up leading the league with 93 saves and forged an odd relationship with his teammates. His shy nature got the best of him, and he rarely communicated anything more than a nod of approval or his trademark ear-to-ear grin.

Gu's teammates needed time to adjust to his unorthodox style - not just the one on the field.

"Long, he's kind of a funny guy," DeCondo said. "He'd show up three minutes before the game and run to the net. Just always with a smile. No matter what you said to him."

By season's end, the 12 North Tavern team found its way into the championship game against Estate Homes, featuring none other than attackman Bob Leary.

In the matchup of mentor versus student, Leary had the better of Gu for most of the game. The mentor had eight points, but in the end, the student had his chance for redemption. With his team trailing 15-13 and three minutes left, Leary beat the defense and faced Gu one-on-one, and ...

"He stuffed me," Leary quietly admitted.

"There were some serious players in that game," DeCondo said. "In crunch time, (Gu) really made some huge saves against some really good players, who were legitimate players at the next level."

DeCondo said he would welcome Gu back this summer, but Gu has other plans. He has landed a spot on the Hong Kong national team, which will compete at the World Games this summer in Perth, Australia.

Immediately after the Utica/Rome season ends, he'll hop a flight to China and start preparing for the Games. His first mission is to meet his teammates: He could not name a single one.

But adjusting to new teams has become part of Gu's life, and doing so one more time back home should not pose too much of a challenge to the kid who always smiles.

So which sport has Gu's heart? "Right now, lacrosse is on top of soccer."