Centennial Conference 2019

D3 Mens Lacrosse
Cheeseandcrackers
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:33 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by Cheeseandcrackers »

Congrats to Coach Merc on taking the U to Centennial title in his first season at the helm. This is a tremendous accomplishment - made especially significant because it meant winning back-to-back road games including at Gettysburg which has been historically a house of horrors for the U and other Centennial challengers.

Now starts a new season for the the last three standing. This is where coaches really earn their stripes. Exams, graduation, the entire student body going home for the summer - all of this creates a surreal environment in which to win games and keep the season going. On paper all three should win their first round game, but on the field I think somebody will be upset. Question is who?
NYLaxer
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:38 am

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by NYLaxer »

CTlaxer12 wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 10:39 am I was equal parts surprised and thrilled that the CC has three teams representing the conference in the tourney. I think Ursinus winning the CC helped F&M tremendously. Three favorable second round match-ups for the CC, all home games all very winnable.

- Ursinus v. Springfield: Springfield a historically strong program that struggled this year. They struggled a fair amount against good teams this year and coupled with the trip to PA, I think Ursinus wins this one by a few. I like the Ursinus "grit" and think they have one of the best keepers in the country.What is the status of DeSimone, I understand he was out and possibly for the season?

- Gburg v. SJF: Admittedly, I do not have a lot of knowledge about SJF, but from reading about them a bit, they should pose a challenge to the Bullets. SJF had a good year, and had a great victory at the end over Stevens. However, a trip to PA against a battle tested Bullet team that has been there and done that, should result in the CC moving on here.

- F&M v. Stevenson: This is not a vintage Stevenson team, and one that struggled away from the "friendly" confines of the MAC. F&M was on a roll until the "collapse" against Ursinus. F&M can score with anyone, but I sometimes worry about shot selection with them, which has come back to haunt them late in games. Can F&M play enough defense and get enough saves to thwart the Mustangs? Can they close out a team in the 4th qtr? This is the closest of the three games to me and may very well be a "pick-em." However, if we can see the F&M that showed up against Gburg, and for 3 1/2 qtrs against Dickinson, Ursinus, and W&L they can win convincingly.

Good luck to all three, and here's hoping all three advance!
I believe DeSimone is out for good. I heard the knee was more than just a strain & I think surgery will be involved.
~~Played in the days when the helmets weren't nearly as cool!
SpartanLaxFanatic
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:52 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by SpartanLaxFanatic »

NYLaxer wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 11:11 am
CTlaxer12 wrote: Mon May 06, 2019 10:39 am I was equal parts surprised and thrilled that the CC has three teams representing the conference in the tourney. I think Ursinus winning the CC helped F&M tremendously. Three favorable second round match-ups for the CC, all home games all very winnable.

- Ursinus v. Springfield: Springfield a historically strong program that struggled this year. They struggled a fair amount against good teams this year and coupled with the trip to PA, I think Ursinus wins this one by a few. I like the Ursinus "grit" and think they have one of the best keepers in the country.What is the status of DeSimone, I understand he was out and possibly for the season?

- Gburg v. SJF: Admittedly, I do not have a lot of knowledge about SJF, but from reading about them a bit, they should pose a challenge to the Bullets. SJF had a good year, and had a great victory at the end over Stevens. However, a trip to PA against a battle tested Bullet team that has been there and done that, should result in the CC moving on here.

- F&M v. Stevenson: This is not a vintage Stevenson team, and one that struggled away from the "friendly" confines of the MAC. F&M was on a roll until the "collapse" against Ursinus. F&M can score with anyone, but I sometimes worry about shot selection with them, which has come back to haunt them late in games. Can F&M play enough defense and get enough saves to thwart the Mustangs? Can they close out a team in the 4th qtr? This is the closest of the three games to me and may very well be a "pick-em." However, if we can see the F&M that showed up against Gburg, and for 3 1/2 qtrs against Dickinson, Ursinus, and W&L they can win convincingly.

Good luck to all three, and here's hoping all three advance!
I believe DeSimone is out for good. I heard the knee was more than just a strain & I think surgery will be involved.
If that’s true that’s terrible for that kid, he’s been one of the pillars of that program over the past 4 years and was having his best year in 2019, hope there’s no serious knee damage even if surgery is required.
Either way UC looks like they have enough to make a run without him.
SixBySix
Posts: 220
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:42 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by SixBySix »

Well, that was a tough day for the conference.
HappyGilmore
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2019 5:33 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by HappyGilmore »

F&M chokes again!!!! Don’t know what you all see in this coach.
CTlaxer12
Posts: 63
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2019 11:07 am

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by CTlaxer12 »

Ouch. Centennial takes it on the chin. Not a good look for a conference that fancies itself as one of the better ones in the country. I caught much of the F&M game, some portions of Gburg, and OT for Ursinus.

F&M looked like it had its bags packed for Boston when it took control in the 3rd quarter, and looked ready to run and hide. Unfortunately, the all too familiar 4th quarter woes came back to haunt the Dips. Lack of composure on both ends and seemingly no communication on D. They return a lot of talent next year. Both the players and coaching staff have a lot of soul searching to do if they want to step into a true national contender, too many similar recurring issues.

SJF was better than I thought and by the looks of it Gburg thought. Hard to fault the Bullets here, they played a very good game as did SJF. The SJF keeper was lights out, I think he had something like 20 saves.

Ursinus, didn't see much of the game. Looks like the blew a few goal lead themselves. Hard to fault a team missing one of its best players, though I did expect a W. Nonetheless, expect them back strong next year.

Would like to see the CC improve its out of conference record next year as well. Here's to next season.
palaxoff
Posts: 199
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 1:01 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by palaxoff »

Can anyone tell me about the Ursinus game? Saw early on they were up 7-1 in 1st qtr. figured it was going t be a easy win.
HappyGilmore
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2019 5:33 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by HappyGilmore »

Why does the F&M coach keep getting a pass. It’s the same story year after year.
Cheeseandcrackers
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:33 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by Cheeseandcrackers »

U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again. U raced down and got a great look at the horn, but missed the cage (that was a refrain - lots of great looks in transition, but shots were not on cage). U won the faceoff to start OT, but turned it over before getting settled on O. Springfield scored on first possession. U had better games (like both last weekend), but give Springfield credit for overcoming a huge deficit and playing with lots of heart. Hopefully they keep it up vs Cabrini.
CTlaxer12
Posts: 63
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2019 11:07 am

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by CTlaxer12 »

HappyGilmore wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:25 am Why does the F&M coach keep getting a pass. It’s the same story year after year.
Is there a personal grudge here? I think the F&M coach gets a lot of credit (as well he should) for resurrecting a historically strong program from the brink of irrelevance under the prior regime in the mid to late 2000s. I've been critical of F&M and think they need a long offseason of reevaluation and mental fortitude training, evidence by the repeated 4th quarter collapses this year. However, I also think the program is on the verge of true emergence onto the national scene, there is a tremendous amount of talent on the team and more in the pipeline. I am sure the coach takes these losses harder than anyone and will make the necessary adjustments.
Empirelaxer
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue May 07, 2019 2:12 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by Empirelaxer »

Cheeseandcrackers wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again. U raced down and got a great look at the horn, but missed the cage (that was a refrain - lots of great looks in transition, but shots were not on cage). U won the faceoff to start OT, but turned it over before getting settled on O. Springfield scored on first possession. U had better games (like both last weekend), but give Springfield credit for overcoming a huge deficit and playing with lots of heart. Hopefully they keep it up vs Cabrini.
Springfield went 0-2 v. Liberty League by a combined score of 36-8. Went 0-2 v. NESCAC by a combined score of 37-15. Not sure this result says anything about Springfield's chances against Cabrini
RoyRike
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2019 6:52 am

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by RoyRike »

Lots of conferences would hope they were as strong as the Centennial, the NCAC for starters. Centennial may have had a off year overall but consistently have 3-4 teams in the top 20. Still in my opinion second best conference in terms of quality of play top to bottom.
richard
Posts: 459
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:14 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by richard »

Empirelaxer wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 10:20 am
Cheeseandcrackers wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again. U raced down and got a great look at the horn, but missed the cage (that was a refrain - lots of great looks in transition, but shots were not on cage). U won the faceoff to start OT, but turned it over before getting settled on O. Springfield scored on first possession. U had better games (like both last weekend), but give Springfield credit for overcoming a huge deficit and playing with lots of heart. Hopefully they keep it up vs Cabrini.
Springfield went 0-2 v. Liberty League by a combined score of 36-8. Went 0-2 v. NESCAC by a combined score of 37-15. Not sure this result says anything about Springfield's chances against Cabrini
Springfield has played a tough schedule this year. They have lots of experience in the NCAAs. Bugbee is a great coach. They are playing well at the right time. I don't know if it is enough to get them past Cabrini but it is a good start.
NYLaxer
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:38 am

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by NYLaxer »

Cheeseandcrackers wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
A friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.
~~Played in the days when the helmets weren't nearly as cool!
ah23
Posts: 616
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:25 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by ah23 »

NYLaxer wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 12:15 pm
Cheeseandcrackers wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
A friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.
Any link to this?
HappyGilmore
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2019 5:33 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by HappyGilmore »

CTlaxer12 wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:53 am
HappyGilmore wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:25 am Why does the F&M coach keep getting a pass. It’s the same story year after year.
Is there a personal grudge here? I think the F&M coach gets a lot of credit (as well he should) for resurrecting a historically strong program from the brink of irrelevance under the prior regime in the mid to late 2000s. I've been critical of F&M and think they need a long offseason of reevaluation and mental fortitude training, evidence by the repeated 4th quarter collapses this year. However, I also think the program is on the verge of true emergence onto the national scene, there is a tremendous amount of talent on the team and more in the pipeline. I am sure the coach takes these losses harder than anyone and will make the necessary adjustments.
No grudge. Just seems that they have a lot of talent, but continue to have a critical breakdown at some point in big games.
NYLaxer
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:38 am

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by NYLaxer »

ah23 wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 3:07 pm
NYLaxer wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 12:15 pm
Cheeseandcrackers wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
A friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.
Any link to this?
I will look for it or ask her again. She works for UC so I won't have trouble getting it.
~~Played in the days when the helmets weren't nearly as cool!
ShoreThingMD
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2019 12:14 pm

Re: Centennial Conference 2019

Post by ShoreThingMD »

NYLaxer wrote: Fri May 10, 2019 11:29 am
ah23 wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 3:07 pm
NYLaxer wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 12:15 pm
Cheeseandcrackers wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
A friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.
Any link to this?
I will look for it or ask her again. She works for UC so I won't have trouble getting it.
this should be it. https://twitter.com/ucathletics/status/ ... 8052225026
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