2013 NCAA Lacrosse Open Thread

[IrishLax]

Silly take to the cage with a flag down... could've carried possession into the 4th if we held the ball until under 30 seconds but went to cage with 35. All things considered, that was a really good 3Q though... hopefully we keep up intensity in the 4th.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I would have been at this game, but 11:00 Sunday start??? That's church and family time for me. Happy to hear they're hanging on right now, but ugh, another close game! You called it Lax.

 

[IrishLax]

Our situational lacrosse with a lead in the late 4Q was pretty bad but that was an impressive effort after a disastrous first quarter. Really out worked Georgetown all game long after giving up that early run of goals.

 

[irishrb]

Defintely controlled the game after the SLOW start. When this team plays with a sense of urgency, they are good. Hopefully come tournament time, they play with that sense from the opening face to the finishing second. I was impressed with their faceoffs and their clearing game was much cleaner. I loved the aggession on offense in the second half too. All in all, I'll take it.
Kemp...Seriously what gives? Do I have just too high of expectations or is he missing a beat from last year?

 

[IrishLax]

Defintely controlled the game after the SLOW start. When this team plays with a sense of urgency, they are good. Hopefully come tournament time, they play with that sense from the opening face to the finishing second. I was impressed with their faceoffs and their clearing game was much cleaner. I loved the aggession on offense in the second half too. All in all, I'll take it.
Kemp...Seriously what gives? Do I have just too high of expectations or is he missing a beat from last year?

No idea. He improved every single year from freshman to junior. Last year a junior he was incredibly dominant. This year? It's weird.

Part of me thinks the book is out on him a little. He is GREAT saving the ball when he can match stick-for-stick with the shooter OR has a clear read on an outside shot. If you shoot high-to-high from 12+ yards it's a save every time... or if you drop your stick and shoot low he typically gobbles it up. But people are really changing levels on him now... and shooting a bunch of bounce shots or through traffic so he can't get a clean read on the ball. He's not a big guy so he relies on actually making a save versus some other goalies who almost have a hockey mentality and focus on body position/cutting off angles with their big frame. And more than that, they're simply not taking "bad" shots because they know it will be a save. Typically, Notre Dame has been a front running team that jumps out on a team by the first or second quarter... so then as the opponent tries to claw their way out of a multi-goal deficit they take settle for saveable shots.

At the same time, there were 3 goals against Georgetown where I was like "wow... he should've made that save".... so who knows. The difference between ND making a playoff run or an early exit is going to be how Kemp plays.

In other news... interesting polls this week. Denver is the consensus #1 (despite needing OT to beat the likes of Bellarmine and Air Force in recent weeks) as a seeming compromise between resume and "look test" due to their flashy offense. ND actually received twice as many first place votes as Denver in the media poll but is being dragged down by people who think we win "ugly" (sound familiar to anyone???) without a dynamic offense. The gap is HUGE between Denver/ND and the next team in the media poll... but in the coaches poll, UNC is actually #2 and has MORE first place than either ND or Denver. It seems that most media members are voting on resume while most coaches are voting on who has the most talented team... and UNC is rolling right now.

Polls:
Nike Division I Top 20 Poll - 04/15/2013 | InsideLacrosse.com
USILA Division I Coaches Poll - 04/15/2013 | InsideLacrosse.com

 

[irishrb]

Sounds LAX. I totally enjoy hearing what you have to say as your insight is spot on. The polls seem crazy to me as teams are definitely getting style points. ND isn't winning pretty but it's crazy that they are not number 1 in both polls right now. Oh well, winning cures all!

 

[IrishLax]

Syracuse upset by Hobart. Wow. This SUCKS for ND... a W over Syracuse would've locked up a #1 seed if they had stayed in the top 5.

 

[irishrb]

From the little clip that I read, it sounds like Hobart's goalie had quite the game, even though it was a higher scoring game. I think the guy said he had 16 saves, half of which were open crease shots.
Anyways, SURELY Notre Dame will be the number one overall seed if they win out. Right?

 

[IrishLax]

From the little clip that I read, it sounds like Hobart's goalie had quite the game, even though it was a higher scoring game. I think the guy said he had 16 saves, half of which were open crease shots.
Anyways, SURELY Notre Dame will be the number one overall seed if they win out. Right?

If ND wins out, we should be darn close to a lock for the #1 seed. At worst, I could see us at #2.... maaaaybe #3.... both would require Denver/UNC winning out AND our wins losing value... which is almost a contradiction since 2 of our wins are over UNC/Denver. Step 1 is beating #19 Villanova this weekend though... if we win that game, we could lose to Syracuse x2 and still likely grab a top 8 seed. After the #1/#2 seed it's a complete wash with the parity this year... all first round games will be against good opponents.

Georgetown highlights:
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And the yearly freshman bus karaoke... watch at your own peril... it's aca-awful:
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[Wolverine1997]

Stayed through two freaking weather delays yesterday just to have the game suspended and then cancelled today.

Sucks. Would have been Michigan's second to last chance at a win this season. I seriously think John Paul's *** is on the hot seat now. Winless seasons are unacceptable. Michigan won at least one game last year with a team entirely of club players. They now have a class in.

 

[IrishLax]

Stayed through two freaking weather delays yesterday just to have the game suspended and then cancelled today.

Sucks. Would have been Michigan's second to last chance at a win this season. I seriously think John Paul's *** is on the hot seat now. Winless seasons are unacceptable. Michigan won at least one game last year with a team entirely of club players. They now have a class in.

Told you man... I know my lacrosse. Seems like a good guy, just over his head a little. Good news is he's brought in a couple really good pieces like Jackson and Logan that you can build around... and Michigan will be VERY attractive for a middle-top tier coach if/when they do let him go.

So they really cancelled the game with Detroit? They're not going to make it up? That's a bummer. But hey... at least you're not VMI.

 

[IrishLax]

Statement by Rutgers University on Men's Lacrosse Head Coach

Oh boy... is this going to become a thing? Where you're not allowed to yell anymore?

 

[NDinL.A.]

Statement by Rutgers University on Men's Lacrosse Head Coach

Oh boy... is this going to become a thing? Where you're not allowed to yell anymore?

Ha ha...then the ND coach will be fired yesterday!

 

[IrishLax]

#2 ND vs. #19 Villanova conflicts with the Blue & Gold game today (2 PM start time).

Villanova has been playing some really good lacrosse recently and is a very balanced team... will probably be a tough one for ND to win. Villanova does a great job of dominating faceoffs and causing turnovers with one of the best LSMs in the game so possessions will be key for ND. They have a very balanced offense with Rice, Hart, Kluh, and Gartner. Villanova has played 11 games so far this year and every single one except a 5 goal win over Delaware and 4 goal loss to Penn has been decided by 3 goals or less... so expect a tight game. Villanova is 4-0 in the Big East and would win the regular season crown with a W today.

 

[Wolverine1997]

HAIL YES! No goose egg! 11-8 win over St. Joe's. '

Michigan dominated in every facet of the game. Shots were 45-32 U-M, Ground balls 31-22 U-M, Faceoffs 13-9 U-M and Saves 15-12 U-M.

Sounds pretty pathetic that I'm celebrating being 1-12 but it adds confidence to the guys that they got the win. And especially on senior day for the guys who really have worked to get this program where it is at the Varsity level. Those guys came here to play club lacrosse for a dynasty and didn't expect to go varsity.

As for next game......at #1 Denver.....oy.

 

[IrishLax]

Congrats on your win. Ironically, woeful VMI won over Manhattan today just before your game concluded and you still lost (won?) reverse survivor .

ND beat Villanova 13-9 despite woeful play on GBs/faceoffs and a HUGE possession advantage for Villanova. I think ND scored on all but 2 possessions of second half (not counting the one where we ran out the clock) and really had the offense clicking.

If we beat 'Cuse next weekend then we win the regular season Big East crown. If we lose it goes to Villanova and we get a rematch with Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament. Even with 2 losses to Syracuse in our next 2/3 games we're likely locked in to a seed now with the W over #19 Villanova.

 

[Wolverine1997]

Holy ****. Fairfield takes down #1 Denver 10-9 in OT. This has completely turned the ECAC race upside down.

 

[IrishLax]

Denver goes down to Fairfield in OT...... really bad result for ND, but looks like we're headed to that #1 spot in next week's worthless polls.

Denver just is not nearly as good as advertised. 4 of their last 6 games have gone to OT... three of them against NOT GOOD teams. Going to OT against Air Force, Bellarmine, and Fairfield is something ND would get destroyed over.

 

[IrishLax]

Holy ****. Fairfield takes down #1 Denver 10-9 in OT. This has completely turned the ECAC race upside down.

Yeah man... that's a crazy result. Lots of crazy results recently. Maryland just barely squeaked by Yale today on a goal with 13 seconds left. Syracuse struggled to survive Georgetown by 1.

Lacrosse is chaos this year.

 

[Wolverine1997]

The ECAC Tournament is determined now. It will feature DU, LU, Ohio and Fairfield. Just a matter of who will play who.

Denver wins next weekend and they will be the #1 seed due to them owning the tiebreaker with LU. Ohio and Fairfield play next weekend in a battle for the 3 seed.

 

[irishrb]

Good win for the Irish..especially with the lack of time on Offense.
It is definitely a chaotic year this year. I'll say this, if ND's offense clicks like they did in the second half, watch out. Great aggression and ball movement.

 

[IrishLax]

Good win for the Irish..especially with the lack of time on Offense.
It is definitely a chaotic year this year. I'll say this, if ND's offense clicks like they did in the second half, watch out. Great aggression and ball movement.

Yeah, totally. ND lost the groundball battle... blew 4 clears... and lost the faceoff battle handily... and still found a way to win going away. Kemp had a pretty darn solid day with 14 saves... most of them weren't pretty, but they got the job done.

After going down 6-4 midway into the 3rd quarter ND outscored Villanova 9-3 over the final quarter and a half which is a LOT of offense. The key for ND is clearly winning faceoffs and possessing the ball... when we merely almost split faceoffs in the 4Q we were able to produce 7 goals. Those 7 goals came on effectively 8 offensive possessions and the only time we didn't score we hit a post. John Scioscia is just a great finisher and if we can create offense through other players with him as the off-ball scorer I think this team can be really dangerous. It might be worth considering running Conor Doyle as an O middie in place of Will Corrigan sometimes and leaving Scioscia full time at attack. The only bummer with Scioscia is that he isn't a real dodging threat.

 

[irishrb]

Yeah, totally. ND lost the groundball battle... blew 4 clears... and lost the faceoff battle handily... and still found a way to win going away. Kemp had a pretty darn solid day with 14 saves... most of them weren't pretty, but they got the job done.

After going down 6-4 midway into the 3rd quarter ND outscored Villanova 9-3 over the final quarter and a half which is a LOT of offense. The key for ND is clearly winning faceoffs and possessing the ball... when we merely almost split faceoffs in the 4Q we were able to produce 7 goals. Those 7 goals came on effectively 8 offensive possessions and the only time we didn't score we hit a post. John Scioscia is just a great finisher and if we can create offense through other players with him as the off-ball scorer I think this team can be really dangerous. It might be worth considering running Conor Doyle as an O middie in place of Will Corrigan sometimes and leaving Scioscia full time at attack. The only bummer with Scioscia is that he isn't a real dodging threat.

I honestly said the same thing to my boys during this game. Scioscia isn't a great dodger but he finds open space, and like you said, is a good closer. I'd like to see it, especially while he is hot. It definitely would give defenses something more to think about! The second half of this game pumped me up and has me believing this team can really take it this year!

 

[IrishLax]

Highlights:
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[NDinL.A.]

Congrats on your win. Ironically, woeful VMI won over Manhattan today just before your game concluded and you still lost (won?) reverse survivor .

ND beat Villanova 13-9 despite woeful play on GBs/faceoffs and a HUGE possession advantage for Villanova. I think ND scored on all but 2 possessions of second half (not counting the one where we ran out the clock) and really had the offense clicking.

If we beat 'Cuse next weekend then we win the regular season Big East crown. If we lose it goes to Villanova and we get a rematch with Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament. Even with 2 losses to Syracuse in our next 2/3 games we're likely locked in to a seed now with the W over #19 Villanova.

I made it over to the lacrosse game after the spring game. I'm not going to sit here and say I am 100% responsible for the Irish win, but I will say that we were down 6-4 when I walked in, and like you said we finished on a 9-3 when I was in the stands. So I'll take 93% of the credit, cause the players do deserve their fair share.

But seriously, what a huge crowd! It was obviously youth day (or team day) or something, b/c not only were the grandstands packed, but so were all the grass areas around the field and the bleachers behind one of the goals as well. I think the goal with 2 seconds left in the 3rd period by ND was a demoralizer (sp) for 'Nova, as the Irish just dominated the start of the 4th. Their 8th goal (I believe) was a thing of beauty...4 quick passes (the equivalent of a fast break in basketball where the ball never touches the ground and leads to a dunk) lead to a point blank shot in front of the goal for an awesome goal.

One funny thing (again, from a novice), I was saying to myself that Cavanaugh, for being such a highly touted freshman, never really does much for me, but yet he never leaves the field and is obviously highly regarded by the coaching staff. Exactly as I was thinking that, he slickly eluded his defender forcing help-side defense and he passed off to a teammate for an easy goal that he basically was responsible for. THAT was the kid I was hoping to see when I heard how much he dominated for the USA this past summer.

Anyways, excited for the Syracuse game!

 

[IrishLax]

A lot of amazing lacrosse games this weekend on TV... including #1 ND in prime time against Syracuse in the Big City Classic.

Virginia against Maryland about to faceoff. I actually like Virginia in this one... mostly because Maryland has played like barely a Top 20 team in recent weeks and seems to have no offense. UNC vs. Duke at 7:30... Duke owns UNC but there is no one playing better than UNC right now. I like the Tarheels.

Then this weekend we have Loyola vs. Hopkins at 2 PM on Saturday. Should be a war... both teams need a win. I like the Greyhounds pulling this one out.

Princeton vs. Cornell is at 4 in the Big City Classic prequel to ND vs. 'Cuse and I think the Big Red should be Big Favorites but this is the kind of game Princeton plays flawless lacrosse and wins.

ND vs. 'Cuse should be interesting... 'Cuse is a REALLY bad matchup for ND at all positions so I like the Orange to win by 3 if they bring their A game. But what if they bring their F game? Doubtful on such a big stage, but if that happened ND could dominate possession and pull out a W. Defense on Marasco will be key... doubling early will leave open passes to shooters... and Kemp will have to be on his game. It will be interesting to see if ND starts Doyle or Scioscia at attack... very different skillsets. Can any ND middies run by their guy? Definitely not Corrigan.

 

[IrishLax]

Duke has rallied from NINE down and now leads 17-16 with 6 to play in the ACC semis. Epic game.

 

[irishrb]

It's pretty amazing how spot on you are with your lacrosse. The Virginia/Maryland game played out to a T with your prediction, and UNC HELD ON to top Duke. That was a pretty crazy game. I found myself rooting for Duke, just to complete the comeback.
I really hope you're wrong about the Irish today. I have a good feeling about the game. I think they come together and finally play 4 strong periods and beat the Cuse by 2.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

This has been a pretty crazy season so far with the ups and downs. Maryland looked like world beaters at the start of the season, now not so much. As much as I hate to admit it, Hopkins looks poised to knock of their across the street rival hounds today. I have a genuine dislike for Hopkins and I don't know why. Really odd actually!
Predictions for the day are:
Irish over Cuse in a somewhat low scoring game. Neither team gets to 10. Cuse has been having major face off issues. Need to capitalize on this. Irish need to absorb Orange's first onslaught, they should come out rested and ready after a bunch of games on short time and loss to Hobart.
Princeton over Cornell. I love Pannell, but he has just not taken over games at the end. Great numbers of course, but for some reason he just does not take control late. Schreiber is a stone cold assassin from the top creating. I hate the Ivies, just hate Princeton a little less today.
Hopkins over loyola. Guida back and face-offs. Durkin neutralizes Sawyer, Hop midfield gets it done.
If anyone is interested btw, MLL season starts tonight on ESPN.

 

[IrishLax]

I think ND can definitely win tonight but it depends on what Syracuse team shows up. They've been vulnerable all year against midfield dodgers.... we don't have any. They been vulnerable all year to outside shooting... we don't have any except Marlatt. Their O revolves around drawing a slide and using crisp ball movement... and we like to slide very early to dodgers. Just really the antithesis of a good matchup for us BUT Syracuse has been known to seriously lay some eggs this year and if we can dominate faceoffs we could definitely pull it out.