Notre Dame Lacrosse Open thread

[Bridgegroom]

Good effort by the Irish today. Thought they fought hard for groundballs. the keeper played solid and the ride was tremendous at times. Obviously the FO drought over the last three quarters didn't help. The rope unit with the exception of #24 is not a strength. Too many bad plays by that unit to count. That has been this Program's Achilles heal since Jack Near and his rope squad departed. Really needs to be a point of emphasis in recruiting and player development.

 

[IrishLax]

Good effort by the Irish today. Thought they fought hard for groundballs. the keeper played solid and the ride was tremendous at times. Obviously the FO drought over the last three quarters didn't help. The rope unit with the exception of #24 is not a strength. Too many bad plays by that unit to count. That has been this Program's Achilles heal since Jack Near and his rope squad departed. Really needs to be a point of emphasis in recruiting and player development.

Pretty much this. Can’t strike out for four years recruiting FOGOs + take no transfers. LSM is a weakness and has been since Sexton left… also used to be able to do thing like double pole the wings with Epple + Landis and we don’t have those kinds of wrinkles anymore.

A lack of possession is going to ultimately kill a very talented Notre Dame team.

 

[irishrb]

The face off unit has to be priority #1.....Now! It's pitiful and this team will very likely break their streak of getting into the tournament if they don't fix it. I love lacrosse, but absolutely HATE face offs. No one player should have that much control over a game. They need to stop messing around with the rules of the actual FOGO's and just move the freakin' wings in! Honestly, I would like to see them within 5 yards. Make it a true battle and deemphasize the value of 1 person!

 

[Bridgegroom]

Pretty much this. Can’t strike out for four years recruiting FOGOs + take no transfers. LSM is a weakness and has been since Sexton left… also used to be able to do thing like double pole the wings with Epple + Landis and we don’t have those kinds of wrinkles anymore.

A lack of possession is going to ultimately kill a very talented Notre Dame team.

Completely agree with your analysis. Really need a top notch FOGO coach whose actively recruiting the entire nation including the transfer portal. You need at least two (like last year) and preferably 3 or 4. Don't understand the LSM and SSDM issues. These kids are out there for the taking. You had Jack Near and John Sexton but couldn't recruit/attract suitable replacements after authoring the blueprint: even if you don't get the ready made studs, spend some time developing a great athlete into one. If you go back over the last ten years and identify the Achilles Heels, the top two in my mind would be FOs and SSDMs.

 

[stpeteirish]

Wil Lynch our freshman face off man from Chaminade was supposed to be one of the best in the nation. He looked good for a while vs Maryland, then got schooled. Maybe he just needs some seasoning.

No excuse for the lack of upperclass talent at the X however.

 

[IrishLax]

Wil Lynch our freshman face off man from Chaminade was supposed to be one of the best in the nation. He looked good for a while vs Maryland, then got schooled. Maybe he just needs some seasoning.

No excuse for the lack of upperclass talent at the X however.

It usually takes FOGOs -- even the best of the best -- about two years to adjust to the D1 game. For example, Sisselberger at Lehigh didn't play as a freshman; won 60% as a Soph; then set an NCAA record at 79.5 last year.

ND is not helping Lynch with poor wing play. They haven't done a good job of recruiting a dynamic LSM that can steal possessions.

 

[irishrb]

Based on all the action on this thread I guess everyone feels like I do...just not even worth posting about....This is the most underwhelming Notre Dame lacrosse team I have ever seen...That is all..

 

[laughingirish90]

Based on all the action on this thread I guess everyone feels like I do...just not even worth posting about....This is the most underwhelming Notre Dame lacrosse team I have ever seen...That is all..

i'm guessing they lost again. the women aren't playing any better as they could have a losing season after being a preseason top ten team

 

[IrishLax]

Based on all the action on this thread I guess everyone feels like I do...just not even worth posting about....This is the most underwhelming Notre Dame lacrosse team I have ever seen...That is all..

Just a coaching disaster. Wasting a great team. I’m checked out until/if they turn things around because right now it’s an embarrassment.

 

[Bridgegroom]

Watched the game today. Offense missed a lot of open shots. Rope unit is still killing this team. Too little too late on the comeback. This team will have to beat the Cuse and Duke and/or win the ACC tourney to salvage this season.

 

[IrishLax]

ACC is looking like a 2-3 bid league at this point so they basically have to win out or they’re toast. They can maybe lose one more game somewhere in their schedule or two if they win the ACC tourney.

 

[irishrb]

Away for the day so I taped the game....After driving in crappy traffic/weather, I decided I didn't want to feel frustrated anymore so I just looked the score up to see if it was even worth watching......delete....

 

[IrishTusker]

Tiffany has built a better program than we have in only a couple of years at UVA. (As I recall, they wanted Corrigan initially. Things seemed to have worked out for them, though.)

 

[IrishLax]

Tiffany has built a better program than we have in only a couple of years at UVA. (As I recall, they wanted Corrigan initially. Things seemed to have worked out for them, though.)

They offered Corrigan the job and he turned it down to stay at ND. Crazy to see how the two programs have diverged since then, but UVA is much more of a “blue blood” than Notre Dame and a top 3 job in lacrosse. Notre Dame is barely a top 10 job.

 

[Bridgegroom]

Tiffany has built a better program than we have in only a couple of years at UVA. (As I recall, they wanted Corrigan initially. Things seemed to have worked out for them, though.)

Ya think. In 2015 I spent a day with Coach Tiffany (same staff as UVA) at Brown where he laid out his blueprint for what ended up being his 2016 Final Four team. His blueprint consisted of blending his defensive concepts, organization and leadership skills with the Tufts offensive philosophy. That and a great FOGO and keeper. When he went to UVA he finally got the top tier talent he needed to achieve his vision of winning the national championship. UVA is easier to recruit to than ND (closer to hotbeds, warmer, better scenery). As I've posted previously, in the past two decades ND had the offensive talent to win it all but was restricted by the HC and his offensive philosophy: The HC is still coaching his 1980 squads who had to cherish every possession to have a chance to win. He seems to have loosened up a bit offensively but not enough. Lars also focused on the FO X which is critical to reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Aside from last year, ND's never had a great FO game. The rest is history.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

Tiffany has built a better program than we have in only a couple of years at UVA. (As I recall, they wanted Corrigan initially. Things seemed to have worked out for them, though.)

UVA has always been a better program historically. Tiffany has evolved lacrosse wise as mentioned above and Virginia has a lot to offer. Especially if they are still able to sneak guys in with in state tuition.

 

[IrishLax]

Ya think. In 2015 I spent a day with Coach Tiffany (same staff as UVA) at Brown where he laid out his blueprint for what ended up being his 2016 Final Four team. His blueprint consisted of blending his defensive concepts, organization and leadership skills with the Tufts offensive philosophy. That and a great FOGO and keeper. When he went to UVA he finally got the top tier talent he needed to achieve his vision of winning the national championship. UVA is easier to recruit to than ND (closer to hotbeds, warmer, better scenery). As I've posted previously, in the past two decades ND had the offensive talent to win it all but was restricted by the HC and his offensive philosophy: The HC is still coaching his 1980 squads who had to cherish every possession to have a chance to win. He seems to have loosened up a bit offensively but not enough. Lars also focused on the FO X which is critical to reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Aside from last year, ND's never had a great FO game. The rest is history.

Ironically, the faceoff game with Taylor Claggett is half of what put ND on the map for good in the 00s. Coupled with no shot clock, they strangled the life out of teams with possession + defense.

My big issue is that ND relied on innovation from Byrne and then stopped innovating. Nothing they do on either side of the ball is cutting edge, and then they are way behind in terms of recruiting and developing talent at the faceoff dot.

 

[Bridgegroom]

The Cuse game is a must win for the Irish. They have a real opportunity to turn the season around here. Let's hope they bounce back and go on a big winning streak!

 

[IrishLax]

The Cuse game is a must win for the Irish. They have a real opportunity to turn the season around here. Let's hope they bounce back and go on a big winning streak!

Absolutely. If they lose this game, I think they would literally need to win out to make the playoffs. Win this game, and it probably buys them a toe stub later in the ACC tourney or against Duke/Carolina.

It’s sad that this is the situation they’re in, but when you don’t build a schedule with any filler then this is the inherent risk. You don’t have the luxury of dropping games to Georgetown and Ohio State.

 

[stpeteirish]

Seems absolutely crazy that we play less games than everybody else. I presume this is a head coaching decision am wondering what the rational is.

 

[IrishLax]

Seems absolutely crazy that we play less games than everybody else. I presume this is a head coaching decision am wondering what the rational is.

It is rooted in travel costs. Teams don't want to come play out here because of the costs, and we likewise don't travel as much as we could OOC because of travel cost. I'm a big proponent of playing Bellarmine/Cleveland State/Detroit Mercy/Robert Morris at the start of each season OR if we can't get them to agree to play real games then we should find the money to travel to SoCon schools.

 

[stpeteirish]

Don't know what Corrigan did but we are ready to play today. 9-0 after 1st period 15-3 at the half. Looks like a totally different team that previously.

Jake Taylor with 5 goals, some spectacular. Didn't really play this year until today.
't

 

[IrishLax]

Don't know what Corrigan did but we are ready to play today. 9-0 after 1st period 15-3 at the half. Looks like a totally different team that previously.

Jake Taylor with 5 goals, some spectacular. Didn't really play this year until today.
't

It will be hard to replicate today’s success because teams will have a scout on Taylor moving forward but inserting him as an offball player was sorely needed. You have to balance your offense and don’t need 6 guys dodging for their own shot.

 

[Bridgegroom]

It will be hard to replicate today’s success because teams will have a scout on Taylor moving forward but inserting him as an offball player was sorely needed. You have to balance your offense and don’t need 6 guys dodging for their own shot.

Can I ask the "elephant in the room" question? How does a guy whose hardly touched the field in three years set your scoring record? In watching him on film, he has all of the shots in his bag and can shoot accurately. Reminds of times past, when a very good player is "discovered" late in his ND career like Kyle Trolley among others.

 

[IrishLax]

Can I ask the "elephant in the room" question? How does a guy whose hardly touched the field in three years set your scoring record? In watching him on film, he has all of the shots in his bag and can shoot accurately. Reminds of times past, when a very good player is "discovered" late in his ND career like Kyle Trolley among others.

To be fair, they absolutely have tried using him in spots in the past as an offball player. For example, they put him out there against Marquette a year ago when they ran a zone. Last year, you had Will Yorke who had 25 goals and shot 50%+ as an offball player. So it wasn't like there was a chump filling his role.

 

[BobbyMac]

Ran across a 'Cuse tweet saying yesterday's loss was their worst in 45 years.

 

[stpeteirish]

To be fair, they absolutely have tried using him in spots in the past as an offball player. For example, they put him out there against Marquette a year ago when they ran a zone. Last year, you had Will Yorke who had 25 goals and shot 50%+ as an offball player. So it wasn't like there was a chump filling his role.

Yeah Yorke was quite good as a one and done last year. And its no surprise that anyone not named Kavanaugh sits as a Frosh. But what the hell happened this year? They stuck with Westlin who didn't do squat and last week they tried a different guy (Walker) who was not a factor (nobody was). Four losses in five games and Taylr barely plays, then breaks the school record for goals in a game.

Broadcast team yesterday kind of addressed the issue. They surmised that Taylor isn't impressive in practice. He was so good yesterday I can't see how he could be that bad in practice....but I'm not there of course.

 

[Bridgegroom]

Yeah Yorke was quite good as a one and done last year. And its no surprise that anyone not named Kavanaugh sits as a Frosh. But what the hell happened this year? They stuck with Westlin who didn't do squat and last week they tried a different guy (Walker) who was not a factor (nobody was). Four losses in five games and Taylr barely plays, then breaks the school record for goals in a game.

Broadcast team yesterday kind of addressed the issue. They surmised that Taylor isn't impressive in practice. He was so good yesterday I can't see how he could be that bad in practice....but I'm not there of course.

Cleary Yorke was a proven off ball scorer coming from Bucknell. Taylor should have been his back up last year. The other folks they've rotated through that spot since 2018 haven't done much during their ND careers given the prolific offensive players around them. This is a program which has struggled to reach its offensive potential despite being stock full of blue chip players. No, I'm not giving the staff a pass: they have failed to develop and field the best offensive unit more often than not. Yesterday's record setting performance was a case in point. I once heard a college coach joke, this is the staff who would have sat the Gait brothers for not following their outdated rules (playing with their off hands, no behind the back passes).

 

[stpeteirish]

Nice win today at Duke. Not much to complain about as we got off to good start and led all the way. Faceoffs and goalkeeping were both good, better than Duke's. My only big issue was the number of turnovers while siting on the lead in the 4th quarter.

Schedule eases up a little. We should be able to nail down another NCAA bid if we keep playing like we have been. Two of the remaining games are against teams we just beat, Syracuse and Duke.

Next game is at Marquette on Tuesday. Don't recall ever playing on a Tuesday.

 

[IrishLax]

Not dead yet!