Lacrosse

[middhoops]

.......present coach was due to retire.  That's just not messing around.

[magicman]

Vandy,
Nice wins for Middlebury today. Hope that Coach Foote can go out in a blaze of glory. Good luck to her and the Middlebury women.

Magicman........good to hear from you and thanks.  A little arm weather for a "Spring" sport would help but so far it's just the fans who seem to be bothered by it.   An overdue congrats to the Cardinal women's hockey team on their 2nd consecutive DIII national championship.  Your men's LAX are having a pretty decent season themselves I see.   Is Cortland still the team to beat in the SUNYAC this year?

Cortland is almost always the team to beat in Men's LAX, Women's LAX and Baseball. They usually win the conference crown in softball as well (but came in 2nd last year to Oneonta)  I don't think this year will be any different. Both the Lacrosse teams are nationally ranked (men 16th, women 6th), baseball team is ranked #2 in the D3 poll. Only the softball team is unranked with a 6-6 record, but they will probably win the SUNYAC conference, having done so in 5 of the last 8 years.

Our Men's Lacrosse team is having a decent season...beat Brockport down there over the weekend, but Cortland will probably prove to be a huge obstacle once again. We came close last year losing to them twice by identical 11-10 scores at their place. We get them at home this year...maybe we can get lucky.

See the CAC won the National Championship in Men's Hockey with Trinity preventing Stevens Point from winning national titles on back to back weekends with a 5-2 win. I watched that game online and it was much closer than the final score indicates. Really a 3-2 game plus the 2 empty net goals in the last minute by the Bantams. Glad a team from the East won it. Trinity eliminated my Cards. It didn't help when the game, which was supposed to be in Plattsburgh got switched to Trinity's rink when the Cardinal women were declared the host of their Final Four. I knew we were doomed when that happened. Still, I think the Bantams would probably have won even if the game was played in Plattsburgh. They were the better team. 

Spring just can't be found here in the North Country. Plattsburgh's baseball team had to travel down to Poughkeepsie to play their 3 "home" games against Oswego State. Played one on Sunday night (we lost 5-2) and tomorrow we play them in a double header at the home field of Bard College. I know the scientists are correct when they speak of global warming and the fact is that this has been one of the warmest years on record...but you'll be hard pressed to find many in the North Country that believe that after the past two winters we've had.        

[PolarCat]

Having started the season with great wins over Williams and Amherst (ranked #1 at the time), Bowdoin's had a couple tough weeks.  We lost to Midd on 3/21, and it's almost not fair: in D3 you typically have "very good" but not "amazing" athletes, particularly in NESCAC with its rigorous admissions standards.  So coaching can make a huge difference.  And Midd has 2 National Champion coaches, which is an unfair advantage.  (Think of Bill Belichick and and Don Shula being co-head-coaches of a D3 team).

We gave Trinity a run for their money on 3/28, pulling within 1 until a late 4 goal rally put the game away for the Bantams.  Trinity's coaches are both Bowdoin alums, and young (the assistant was class of 2014), but very, very good.  And the players are spectacular, including a junior on the Teewaraton watch list.

In my mind Trinity and Midd should be #1 and #2 in the country.  (Particularly with the way F&M, Salisbury and Cortland have stumbled this year).  Having watched them back-to-back, I'd give the edge to Trinity.  Add in Hamilton and Colby, and there is some GREAT women's lacrosse being played in NESCAC.  It's almost an unfair DISadvantage for the NESCAC teams, since every game has got to have a loser, and the league is so incredibly tough this year.  Hopefully, SOS counts when it comes time for the NCAA tournament, as Trinity, Midd, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton (and maybe Amherst) are all deserving of a trip to the Big Dance in Philly.

The weakness in the game continues to be the inconsistency of the refs.  Last Saturday we had a 3 woman team, 2 of whom were superb, and one was clueless.  Lots of conferences to sort out calls, and a couple of "mystery" calls which I think were just compensation by the good refs for the horrendous calls of their partner.  It's a shame to see the girls work so hard, and get rewarded with capricious calls and non-calls.

I expect Saturday, April 18th will be the D3 Regular Season Game of The Year, when Midd travels to the Coop to face the Bantams.

[Vandy74]

Having started the season with great wins over Williams and Amherst (ranked #1 at the time), Bowdoin's had a couple tough weeks.  We lost to Midd on 3/21, and it's almost not fair: in D3 you typically have "very good" but not "amazing" athletes, particularly in NESCAC with its rigorous admissions standards.  So coaching can make a huge difference.  And Midd has 2 National Champion coaches, which is an unfair advantage.  (Think of Bill Belichick and and Don Shula being co-head-coaches of a D3 team).

We gave Trinity a run for their money on 3/28, pulling within 1 until a late 4 goal rally put the game away for the Bantams.  Trinity's coaches are both Bowdoin alums, and young (the assistant was class of 2014), but very, very good.  And the players are spectacular, including a junior on the Teewaraton watch list.

In my mind Trinity and Midd should be #1 and #2 in the country.  (Particularly with the way F&M, Salisbury and Cortland have stumbled this year).  Having watched them back-to-back, I'd give the edge to Trinity.  Add in Hamilton and Colby, and there is some GREAT women's lacrosse being played in NESCAC.  It's almost an unfair DISadvantage for the NESCAC teams, since every game has got to have a loser, and the league is so incredibly tough this year.  Hopefully, SOS counts when it comes time for the NCAA tournament, as Trinity, Midd, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton (and maybe Amherst) are all deserving of a trip to the Big Dance in Philly.

The weakness in the game continues to be the inconsistency of the refs.  Last Saturday we had a 3 woman team, 2 of whom were superb, and one was clueless.  Lots of conferences to sort out calls, and a couple of "mystery" calls which I think were just compensation by the good refs for the horrendous calls of their partner.  It's a shame to see the girls work so hard, and get rewarded with capricious calls and non-calls.

I expect Saturday, April 18th will be the D3 Regular Season Game of The Year, when Midd travels to the Coop to face the Bantams.

Kate Perine Livesay is a Middlebury native and starred on what were probably Missy Foote's best teams ever.  I would assume Livesay had her eye on her old coach's job all along but the reasons for playing asst. coach for one season are personal.  Three key performers on this season's squad are daughters of MC's football and women's ice hockey coaches, Katie and Chrissy Ritter and Katie Mandigo.  Allison Aldrich was a key factor in Amherst's 2003 (I think) national championship and her father is the retired coach of MC's women's cross country team that won 5 national titles under his tenure.  We grow our own talent here and even share it from time to time.   As for stacking the deck coaching-wise I remember (just barely) watching a NY Giants football team that had offensive and defensive coordinators named Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi.

Who is #1 will be determined on the field and 4 CAC teams usually make the tournament field.  Typically 8 have the talent to deserve it.  Three conference schools, Middlebury, Amherst and Trinity have won 7 national titles, 4 including Hamilton although they won just prior to joining the NESCAC.  Williams and Bowdoin have lost the championship game.  Colby has been as good, if not better than any of them consistently over most of the last decade but haven't managed to clear that last hurdle.  They have owned Middlebury the past 4-5 seasons.  I considered them the best team in the conference last season.

That said, Salisbury, Gettysburg, Franklin & Marshall, TCNJ, Cortland State and a few others I'm blanking on are equally as good year after year.  I thought Cortland was the team that would win it all.  These schools simply play in conferences with fewer legit contenders than the CAC. 

What is exciting though is the rapid growth of the sport elsewhere, particularly in the Midwest.  More conferences are playing it each season and there are some serious programs out there.  I've watching Augustana, in particular, the last two years.  The CCIW is playing it's first sponsored season and the Augies, along with North Central and Carthage give the new league instant credibility.  They have beaten Redlands, the NCAA tournament representative out of the SCIAC , in each of the last two opening rounds.  Two seasons back they won the road game on a Wednesday and then traveled to play host Trinity on Saturday.  Talk about baptism under fire.  Last year they lost to eventual champion Salisbury in the second round.  It was their only loss after 19 victories.  Most of these new programs are only 3-5 years old.  This season both Augustana and Mount Union have beaten Denison, one of the better teams each season in the more established NCAC, by scores comparable to Denison's loss at the hands of Connecticut College.  Redlands opened the season losing to Bates 16-11, to put the talent level of some of the better West/Midwest teams in a NESCAC perspective.  And Independent Colorado College appears to be back after a decade of mediocrity.  Prior to that they made some serious noise in the NCAA tournament even reaching the Final Four.  One more CAC related note, Wis-Concordia has been impressive as well and the young program is coached by Emily Mason, former player at Conn. Coll. and daughter of longtime Williams HC Christine Mason.

There is a lot of exciting women's lacrosse (and men's lax as well) being played out there as interest in the game grows all over the country.  It would be fun if we could have more chatter on this board.

 

[amh63]

Vandy74.....good history lesson .  remember the teams with Allison Aldrich.  Remember chatting with her mother in Baltimore at the Johns Hopkins field.  Those teams had some fine Baltimore bred players...one a transfer from Goucher who became an All- American.  Allison is the AD? at nearby  Deerfield I believe.
I did notice the Caputi player on the MC team defensive side.  She does play a tough game...body checked several Amherst players.
Oh yes....Allison caught my eye...saw a tall graceful player outrunning her defenders down the field to get into scoring position.  No eye googles days
Seems the local Lacrosse players from MD stay around home these days or go to Div1. It is sport that is growing fast around the D.C. Area too....both men and women.
Watched a number of D1 men games this weekend....Duke, UNC, VA, JHU,ND, etc match ups.  Seems that one is beginning to see" upsets" all the time over the long standing power schools.  The talent pool is growing and spreading.  Another thing that indicate the growth of the sport...in both women and men.....the number of young skilled players.  It is reflected in the number of FY starters on the teams these days.

[magicman]

That's why I visit this page....to get history lessons from Vandy. I'll try to keep this board updated from time to time on the SUNYAC races for men and women. Just so Vandy gets a little more chatter here.

[middhoops]

Hey Vandy, any thought toward starting your own D3 Lacrosse Newsletter?

[Vandy74]

That's why I visit this page....to get history lessons from Vandy. I'll try to keep this board updated from time to time on the SUNYAC races for men and women. Just so Vandy gets a little more chatter here.

Your input on any board is always astute and appreciated magicman.  It's a shame Plattsburgh doesn't play the women's game yet.  Keep campaigning for that.   And as this Middlebury fan knows from experience, if you don't fear Cortland, you were born yesterday.

[Vandy74]

Hey Vandy, any thought toward starting your own D3 Lacrosse Newsletter?

I'd be in way over my head Cuz.  I returned to the area 8-9 years ago.  Missy welcomed me home and drafted me to work the time clock for her home games.  I knew nothing about lacrosse.  I told her that.  She said, "You'll figure it out."  End of discussion.  To some extent I did.  But I also became a big fan of the women's game.  It's different from the way the men play and I enjoy watching that as well but don't follow it as closely. 

[middhoops]

See the 4th entry on this page, then tell us you don't know anything.
That synopsis was more than a little impressive, as I think my friend amh63 noted.  You are a living encyclopedia of this stuff.  Still, the modesty is charming.

[PolarCat]

Watched a number of D1 men games this weekend....Duke, UNC, VA, JHU,ND, etc match ups.  Seems that one is beginning to see" upsets" all the time over the long standing power schools.  The talent pool is growing and spreading.  Another thing that indicate the growth of the sport...in both women and men.....the number of young skilled players.  It is reflected in the number of FY starters on the teams these days.

Great points.  Part of what is driving the sport (at least on the women's side) is the simultaneous emergence of 2 factors: The number of colleges and universities which are adding WLAX teams for Title IX purposes, and the emergence of strong club teams that market themselves as a way to get your middle school or high school daughter a college scholarship.

I'm not knocking them, as a lot of talented athletes are making the switch from soccer, field hockey, etc.  and that's great for the sport.  Some of the club teams over-promise and under-deliver, but that's true in any sport.  Our daughter was lucky enough to be on one of the better ones, and she not only got wonderful coaching but also excellent help navigating the college recruiting / admissions process.

And the "FY starters" comment has an interesting dynamic behind it, at least in DIII.  Many of these girls had multiple DI offers, but elected to go DIII.  Partly because they perceived they would get a better education if they weren't an indentured servant of the Athletic Department; in some cases because they wanted to play 2 (or 3!) NCAA sports; and in many cases because they wanted a chance to compete for a starting role as a FY, rather than riding the bench (or not even suiting up) for half of their college careers.  (They all know girls from their club teams who got recruited by Dartmouth or Maryland, never played, and burned out of the sport).

There are some TERRIFIC athletes on the better DIII teams, including some who were recruited / matriculated at a DI program, then transferred to DIII.  (I believe one of the Midd stars may fall into this category).  It really makes the game a joy to watch.

[amh63]

Amherst's men's and women's teams rebounded today with wins over Wesleyan.  Women won handily at Middletown....the men's team won by 1....14-13 over the Cardinals on Pratt field...after falling behind by 2 in the first period.

Polarcat....about a decade ago...times fly and my memory is also flying away...there was a Harvard transfer that played Three sports at Amherst.  Was a terrific athlete...started in all the sports, including lacrosse.  One reason was that she wanted the choice to play those sports....not given the choice at Harvard as I understand.  Great student too.

[Vandy74]

 The 7th ranked Middlebury men let a 6-2 halftime lead shrink to 6-5 after three quarters before taking charge with 5 unanswered goals to beat Hamilton 11-8 Wednesday afternoon upping their record to 8-2 and 5-1 in the conference.  Playing without the services of team leading scorer Jack Rautiola eight different Panthers put the ball in the net with Henry Riehl scoring thrice.   Next up is Colby (6-3) (2-3) home on Saturday.

[amh63]

One thing for sure in lacrosse....snow and cold does not stop matches. .  Lots of postponed/cancelled games in other Spring sports.
Amherst will match- up with Williams this weekend.  To me, Williams' men are flying under the radar.
Not too related here....but Middlebury's baseball team arrives for a double header this weekend with the field in " unknown " condition!   Guess it is go on the grass field....in New England....strange weather conditions this season.

Oh yes....saw a "strange" play near the end of the women's battle between Bates and Bowdoin at Bates.  Game tied at 7-7 with about 5 plus minutes to go.  Bates gets the ball...what does one call the lacrosse ball but a ball...after the P'Bears think they scored but did not.  The goalie tries to pass the ball but cannot and seems to be killing time and goes towards the sideline and then loses the ball to Bowdoin.  With the Goalie out of position, Bowdoin scores which ends up to be the final game winner.
Announcer mentions that there was a yellow card on Bates...player down situation?  Whatever, the situation seemed strange to me and I wonder if the Bates' goalie had instructions to kill some time.
Polarcat....did you catch the game?  Any thoughts?

[magicman]

Plattsburgh State men defeated St Lawrence by an 11-7 final score yesterday. The Cardinals had never beaten the Saints until last season and now have done so for the 2nd straight year.