#3 Notre Dame Lacrosse @ Penn State (2/27)

[IrishLax]

Not a bad article by the Observer people: " + artTitle.replace("-","") + " - " + "The Observer" + " - " + "Sports" + "

Game starts at 1 PM EST... I will be there in person covering the game live for the ESPN lacrosse affiliate Inside Lacrosse. I'll come back and post a link here to the live blog once I open it up.

The tricky thing is that they are calling for snow and apparently Penn State is too Busch league to have a press box at their soccer/lacrosse stadium. Totally pathetic considering the facilities at much smaller schools for those sports. It's been an absolute bear talking to the SIDs over there and who knows if I will even get wifi out at the field... or be able to pop open a laptop at the scorer's table if it's rain/snowing. The lack of facilities is doubly surprising considering PSU just stole Cornell's coach this past offseason with a hefty paycheck and a promise of more dedication to the sport. The saddest part? Lacrosse has been around at Penn State for 98 years. Epic fail.

Looking at the game... due to the severe elements and new style for Penn State this is the epitome of a trap game. When the weather gets crazy sticks start breaking, ball become hard to track against the snow, people break fingers or pull muscles, etc. Assuming everyone stays healthy and the game is 'normal' I expect something on the order of a 12-5 victory. I think Liam O'Connor can dominate faceoffs and ND will play a settled game scoring at a pretty consistent click and not really giving up many goals until garbage time where they might play some reserves.

 

[NDLacrosse]

Sounds pretty terrible! Tambroni better get State College pumped up for lacrosse. It's interesting that Big Ten teams, after years of lax being a club or MLCA sport, are starting to consider going D1 for lacrosse. Ohio State, Penn State, and now Marquette is going Division 1 also. Michigan will be D1 soon after years of dominating MCLA.

 

[NDLacrosse]

Anyone know where to watch the game online?

 

[Irish Man3]

I dont but I did see that Duke lost again yesterday.

 

[NDLacrosse]

Yea, Duke was pretty terribly overrated. They just lost way too many playmakers. Mainly because they really graduated two classes last year, because the NCAA granted the team an extra year of eligibility after the scandal in 2006

 

[NDLacrosse]

02/27/2011 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Penn State Nittany Lions | Inside Lacrosse

 

[IrishLax]

Link to my blog: 02/27/2011 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Penn State Nittany Lions | Inside Lacrosse

sorry having a bunch of technical difficulties at the field. ND dominating right now should be 8-0.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Sweet! I love beating those no good nittany kittens. Go Irish!

 

[Irish Insanity]

Wish it was on a channel I could watch more often. I know little to nothing about lacrosse. But I really enjoy watching it and my son has expressed alot of interest in playing.

 

[IrishLax]

Finally home from State College. Speaking more frankly here than I can in an ESPN blog... holy crap was the the worst blogging experience ever. No press box so I had to do it all outside on a card table in the cold. No wifi because PSU just sucks so I had to buy the 3G mobile hotspot application on my Droid to even cover the game which caused all kinds of technical difficulties. And no chairs so I had to start the game blogging on my lap and then eventually got a chair from one of the PSU radio guys because he just felt bad for me. Worst blog I have ever written... I'm sure it is full of typos as I couldn't feel my fingers by the end of the game and had my game notes/rosters blown off the table numerous times... but at least I sorta got the job done in adverse conditions. Hopefully the new lacrosse Czar they hired this year doesn't fire me as this is my first impression.

So disappointed. No wonder all of their sports teams besides volleyball and football totally suck... their athletic department is no even close to having its sh*t together and their facilities are beyond a joke.

In other news... of the four PSU radio guys by me on the crowded card table... two were huge ND fans even though they currently attend PSU. One said he watched Rudy incessantly growing up and thinks it is the greatest movie of all time.

As far as the game goes... Notre Dame has without a doubt the best defense in the country. Penn State scored man up on their first goal and got super lucky for their other to go in. Could've easily been a shutout. However, ND really needs the young guys on their second line of midfielders (Keppeler, Cotter and Murphy) to grow up quickly and realize their potential. All of those guys have a world of talent they just seem to look a little uncomfortable out there at times. As the season progresses the difference between a NC and an early tournament exit is going to be how the young guns on attack (Foley & Hopkins) and the second line of midfielders progress. If we can get consistency out of them we will be scary good.

Go Irish.