Notre Dame Lacrosse #1!!!!

[IrishLax]

Nike Division I Top 20 Poll - 04/18/2011 | InsideLacrosse.com

Off the top of my head, first time ever in the program's history. The Irish should take care of business against Providence this week setting up a #1 vs. #2 matchup with Syracuse (I'm assuming the voters will get it right and move 'Cuse back up to where they belong) on ESPN in two weeks.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Nice.

 

[IrishLax]

And coaches poll: USILA Division I Coaches Poll - 04/18/2011 | InsideLacrosse.com

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Awesome job to those guys!

In other news:

Notre Dame golf: Irish men share early lead - southbendtribune.com

Great times for Notre Dame athletics.

 

[NDIrishlover3]

the lax team is having a very successful season thus far but I am a little scared about how we would play against teams like maryland, j-hops, cuse, virginia, and unc. I know we beat duke who is a very good team but some could use the old "it was the first game of the season" excuse for explaining why Duke lost. I guess we will just have to see how we do against syracuse

 

[IrishLax]

the lax team is having a very successful season thus far but I am a little scared about how we would play against teams like maryland, j-hops, cuse, virginia, and unc. I know we beat duke who is a very good team but some could use the old "it was the first game of the season" excuse for explaining why Duke lost. I guess we will just have to see how we do against syracuse

Well, we beat Denver @Denver... which is the hardest place to play on the planet. Completely packed house (over capacity standing room only tickets with people sitting in the isles), altitude is a huge issue and they are #5 and just beat Duke by 3 on a neutral field.

Hopkins is darn good and getting better each week. So many finishers... and that will give our style of defense fits. Maryland is overrated and we beat a better version of their team last year by 3 goals in the playoffs with a worse version of our current team. I like our chances against undisciplined UVa and UNC. 'Cuse is going to come out firing on all cylinders against us and is the best team in the country... I don't expect us to beat them in the Carrier Dome.

We aren't head and shoulders above anyone but we can beat any team on any given day... should be a great May. I'm pumped to see us as #1 for the first time ever as well as the first time ever that #1 hasn't been an East Coast team. Huge for the sport.

 

[NDIrishlover3]

Oh wow I didn't even know Denver beat Duke! I just kind of disregarded the legitimacy of Denver and thought nothing of our win over them but now I guess I should have paid more attention to that win. As for the rest of your post, that was a very inciteful breakdown of those teams and you are right that we are not head and shoulders above any team but we will at least have a chance with any team we play. The only reason I am a little scared is that we didn't play as well as I think we should have against St. John's but that was probably due to the horrible weather

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I don't like the sport but it's always good to see Notre Dame at #1.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

I don't like the sport but it's always good to see Notre Dame at #1.

Then you have never played. Dude, the game is a BLAST. Not much fun to watch, but awesome to play.

 

[IrishLax]

Then you have never played. Dude, the game is a BLAST. Not much fun to watch, but awesome to play.

Indeed. It's like a perfect blend of hockey, football and basketball. It's crazy how similar offensive/defensive sets are to basketball; the play style is basically hockey on two feet with better possession of the ball; and the game has a lot of physicality, aggression and all that manly stuff like football.

One thing that annoys me are the rule changes that are making it harder to play physical and destroy people like you could 5 years ago. A lot of that is because of concussion research in the NFL. The other thing that bothers me is how much the game has slowed down with "specialists" in recent years. They really need to look into forcing teams to keep it in the box as soon as they step it in... that will make it much easier for defenses to pressure the ball and result in less downtime/prolonged substitution. A shot clock like they have in the MLL is terrible idea and makes the game far too hokey/tough to watch.

I've found that people who like baseball tend to dislike lacrosse. And people who like hockey tend to like lacrosse. One of my favorite trends is big time athletes playing lacrosse as their spring sport... in my high school career I lined up against half a dozen BCS caliber football players... a couple of which are in/will be in the NFL. Always cracks me up that I was faster than and once schooled the starting safety for the Bucs.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

You can add maybe a touch of Soccer to that list. When I played, I knocked the s.hit out of folks for fun. Sat in the penalty box more than once, but that "Squish" you hear and feel when you destroy a non football playing lacrosse athlete was worth the chuckle and penalty time.

 

[military_irish]

great to see them at #1, lets hope they make it back to the Championship game again.

 

[NDIrishlover3]

Neutered and irishlax, you guys must have been defensemen because as an attackman there is nothing I like more than a nice finesse game where you control the ball on offense the entire time haha. And to title2012, just as neutered and irishlax have said it is an extremely fun game to play. It is rough when you first start but once you develop your skills it becomes so fun. I was a huge baseball fan before I started playing and now I can't even stand to watch an inning of baseball due to the slowness of the game compared to lacrosse

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Neutered and irishlax, you guys must have been defensemen because as an attackman there is nothing I like more than a nice finesse game where you control the ball on offense the entire time haha. And to title2012, just as neutered and irishlax have said it is an extremely fun game to play. It is rough when you first start but once you develop your skills it becomes so fun. I was a huge baseball fan before I started playing and now I can't even stand to watch an inning of baseball due to the slowness of the game compared to lacrosse

You nailed it buddy. I was back 3 on defense. My goalie loved me. I made his job quite easy.

Favorite Lacrosse memory: I guess I had been scouted and silly number 14's job was to whack me on the head no matter where the ball was. After a time out, I walked to my goalie and said "see that #14? F.ucker is pissing me off. I'm going to knock him out. 5 seconds after I said that, other team threw a cross field 40 yard pass to him. He was a sitting duck. I had a 30 yard running head start (I ran about a 4.5 - 40 and squatted about 700 around that time...). Motherf.ucker flew about 5 yards in the air after I popped him. The refs charged me so hard I thought they were either going to hit me or call me bad names. They simply yelled at me to go to penalty. Meanwhile, as.swipe #14 was gasping for air in convulsion-like status.

It was cool.

He stayed about 30 yards away from me the rest of the game. We won.

By the way, I also played organized baseball and softball for about 25 years. Either shortstop, 1st, catcher, and mostly pitcher (southpaw - coaches seemed to like that). I'll take Lacrosse over many sports. But the only sport I watch religiously is ND football.

 

[IrishLax]

Neutered and irishlax, you guys must have been defensemen because as an attackman there is nothing I like more than a nice finesse game where you control the ball on offense the entire time haha. And to title2012, just as neutered and irishlax have said it is an extremely fun game to play. It is rough when you first start but once you develop your skills it becomes so fun. I was a huge baseball fan before I started playing and now I can't even stand to watch an inning of baseball due to the slowness of the game compared to lacrosse

So freaking true.

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

Fantastic game. Hockey or soccer in the air.

And you can send a motherfoccer flying and only spend time in penalty box as penance. No "Our Father" for days on end.

 

[NDIrishlover3]

You nailed it buddy. I was back 3 on defense. My goalie loved me. I made his job quite easy.

Favorite Lacrosse memory: I guess I had been scouted and silly number 14's job was to whack me on the head no matter where the ball was. After a time out, I walked to my goalie and said "see that #14? F.ucker is pissing me off. I'm going to knock him out. 5 seconds after I said that, other team threw a cross field 40 yard pass to him. He was a sitting duck. I had a 30 yard running head start (I ran about a 4.5 - 40 and squatted about 700 around that time...). Motherf.ucker flew about 5 yards in the air after I popped him. The refs charged me so hard I thought they were either going to hit me or call me bad names. They simply yelled at me to go to penalty. Meanwhile, as.swipe #14 was gasping for air in convulsion-like status.

It was cool.

He stayed about 30 yards away from me the rest of the game. We won.

By the way, I also played organized baseball and softball for about 25 years. Either shortstop, 1st, catcher, and mostly pitcher (southpaw - coaches seemed to like that). I'll take Lacrosse over many sports. But the only sport I watch religiously is ND football.

Hahaha yea that's not fun as an attackman when you get left out to dry like that and a defender destroys you. I assume you also made the area in front of the crease a very unfriendly place as well

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

I was well respected.

If memory is correct, we gave up one goal. All season.

30
yard
full sprint
head start.
Helmet
Aimed at his gut.

F.Ucker went flying.
His chest and belly and ribs
Clutched my helmet like a virgin.
Convulsion.
Medics.

SQUISH!

Penalty box allowed for a breather and some giggles.

Even better football stories, but that's another thread.

 

[NDIrishlover3]

Hahaha and people wonder why lax players love the sport so much! and btw it sounds like your team was amazing so I'm assuming you grew up on the east coast?

 

[IrishLax]

Hahaha and people wonder why lax players love the sport so much! and btw it sounds like your team was amazing so I'm assuming you grew up on the east coast?

Speaking of the east coast I notice you're from Jersey... play for any of the big programs out there like Delbarton, Mountain Lakes, Summit, etc?

 

[NDIrishlover3]

Speaking of the east coast I notice you're from Jersey... play for any of the big programs out there like Delbarton, Mountain Lakes, Summit, etc?

No unfortunately my team is horrible. I live in Western New Jersey, Warren Hills Regional, and this is only my high school's second year of lacrosse. Although, I have been playing for four years and I consider myself to be decent (fluent right and left hands, can hit corners occasionaly, shot that can at times get in the 70's, and one who doesn't drop the ball) but I am just not fast enough to ever go D1. We don't play any of those teams because they would probably put up triple digits on us hahaha. But we did play Summit in football and they totally killed us like 49-6 or something.