2021 Tournament

[LibertyL]

RIT vs Colorado College is intriguing. The mountain tigers have 3 losses, two to high-caliber teams (Salisbury, Lynchburg), and one to Mesa (?). Can they push the lake tigers out in the quarterfinals? Williams knocked them out in 2019 in Rochester.

I know very little about RIT and I will say with confidence that CC stands very little chance.

That game is not even going to be funny

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Slim chance, maybe; but no chance???

I mean they probably can't compete and since Christopher Newport was playing back to back games when they lost to Colorado College I guess that win for them (The Tigers) was a fluke

[COGULL]

Maybe we ought to just recognize CC for the great season they’ve had and let the game play out. I recognize RIT is strong favorite, but this is no doubt a huge thrill for these CC kids who worked hard and traveled far to have an opportunity to play.

[Nigel]

Anyone know what the spectator policy will be at the 2 sites?

Salisbury
(Spectators allowed)
https://www.suseagulls.com/sports/mlax/ ... 0517s6op7v

RIT
(This is the most recent I could find. It’s LL rules so who knows now that it’s the NCAA’s)
https://ritathletics.com/news/2021/4/2/ ... olicy.aspx

Update on RIT 5/17/21

FAN/SPECTATOR INFORMATION:
Each participating team will be allotted a block of tickets. There will be NO ticket sales at the gate.
Proper use of a face mask is required at all times (must cover the nose and mouth) indoors and outdoors
Social Distancing is required
Please follow all Social Distancing markings on the bleachers and for standing along the fence
No interaction with the players is permitted
No tailgating permitted

Games will be played on RIT's Turf Field - https://www.rit.edu/studentaffairs/criw ... #TurfField

[jrazz44]

Players to keep an eye out for-York/Tufts? Should be an awesome game, don’t be surprised if it’s a nail bitter!

[DeepPocket]

I think for key matchups- York’s 5th year, MAC Defensive POY, Kennedy will likely square off with Tufts’ point leading Attackman and NESCAC POY Bredahl. While York’s Greene, who is tied with Kennedy for team leading 37 CTs, at 6’5” 230lbs, should get the assignment to slow down Tufts’ 6’2” 240lbs Waldbaum. Leaving Smith to cover Adam. York’s G Michael posts an impressive 5.6 GAA and those that have seen him play know he makes some great saves.

The faceoff circle will be crucial, as Tufts’ duo of Helfrich & Hesse, both in the area of 50%, will have to try and dissect York’s Facciponti who sits at about 75%. York’s stable of LSMs, lead by MAC Specialist POY Nation, should factor in on the wings as well.

Coming back the other way, York’s newly minted all-time record single season goal scorer, O’Sullivan will likely draw early doubles ala Stevenson, so I would look for that quick pass as has been successful to create committee scoring from the rest of the attack rotation depth (in the interest of brevity, a lot of attackmen play a lot of time and score a lot of goals, permitting York to pick advantageous matchups), and open bombs from Wolf and company up top. Apologies for lack of Tufts D talk, I don’t have the knowledge to speak on it, though I do see that they register points. That is likely a testament to their potent transition offense, but could also pose an opportunity for some odd man rushes in broken clears. Tufts’ G Thuer will backstop with a 10.6 GAA.

Again, I apologize if this is too York heavy but I only know what I know. Perhaps one of the resident Tufts / NESCAC authorities can give better Tufts player specific insight from this year.

[Nothinbutthelax]

Good York heavy write up.
I’d be interested in hearing about Tufts D. Transition oriented but If York wins 60% of FO’s and their 6v6 settled doesn’t rush will they tire? Will that transition D get caught on O presenting opportunities as Deep points out?

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

I think for key matchups- York’s 5th year, MAC Defensive POY, Kennedy will likely square off with Tufts’ point leading Attackman and NESCAC POY Bredahl. While York’s Greene, who is tied with Kennedy for team leading 37 CTs, at 6’5” 230lbs, should get the assignment to slow down Tufts’ 6’2” 240lbs Waldbaum. Leaving Smith to cover Adam. York’s G Michael posts an impressive 5.6 GAA and those that have seen him play know he makes some great saves.

The faceoff circle will be crucial, as Tufts’ duo of Helfrich & Hesse, both in the area of 50%, will have to try and dissect York’s Facciponti who sits at about 75%. York’s stable of LSMs, lead by MAC Specialist POY Nation, should factor in on the wings as well.

Coming back the other way, York’s newly minted all-time record single season goal scorer, O’Sullivan will likely draw early doubles ala Stevenson, so I would look for that quick pass as has been successful to create committee scoring from the rest of the attack rotation depth (in the interest of brevity, a lot of attackmen play a lot of time and score a lot of goals, permitting York to pick advantageous matchups), and open bombs from Wolf and company up top. Apologies for lack of Tufts D talk, I don’t have the knowledge to speak on it, though I do see that they register points. That is likely a testament to their potent transition offense, but could also pose an opportunity for some odd man rushes in broken clears. Tufts’ G Thuer will backstop with a 10.6 GAA.

Again, I apologize if this is too York heavy but I only know what I know. Perhaps one of the resident Tufts / NESCAC authorities can give better Tufts player specific insight from this year.

Like the write up, hoping

I think for key matchups- York’s 5th year, MAC Defensive POY, Kennedy will likely square off with Tufts’ point leading Attackman and NESCAC POY Bredahl. While York’s Greene, who is tied with Kennedy for team leading 37 CTs, at 6’5” 230lbs, should get the assignment to slow down Tufts’ 6’2” 240lbs Waldbaum. Leaving Smith to cover Adam. York’s G Michael posts an impressive 5.6 GAA and those that have seen him play know he makes some great saves.

The faceoff circle will be crucial, as Tufts’ duo of Helfrich & Hesse, both in the area of 50%, will have to try and dissect York’s Facciponti who sits at about 75%. York’s stable of LSMs, lead by MAC Specialist POY Nation, should factor in on the wings as well.

Coming back the other way, York’s newly minted all-time record single season goal scorer, O’Sullivan will likely draw early doubles ala Stevenson, so I would look for that quick pass as has been successful to create committee scoring from the rest of the attack rotation depth (in the interest of brevity, a lot of attackmen play a lot of time and score a lot of goals, permitting York to pick advantageous matchups), and open bombs from Wolf and company up top. Apologies for lack of Tufts D talk, I don’t have the knowledge to speak on it, though I do see that they register points. That is likely a testament to their potent transition offense, but could also pose an opportunity for some odd man rushes in broken clears. Tufts’ G Thuer will backstop with a 10.6 GAA.

Again, I apologize if this is too York heavy but I only know what I know. Perhaps one of the resident Tufts / NESCAC authorities can give better Tufts player specific insight from this year.

Looking forward to York’s goalie and fogo to have a banner day against Tufts. Child will have a good game plan in place and make adjustments along the way. York has a legit shot !

[DeepPocket]

Alright, since we aren’t getting any help from the NESCAC faithful, I did a bit of digging. (Tufts stat site doesn’t do us any favors by not differentiating between LSM and D, making it show 4 D men starting each game. I had to go over to the All-NESCAC squad to figure out who is who)

Tufts’ D has been starting as McTernan, Walton and Donohue..

Donohue is a 6’5” 220lb 5th year. 9 CT and 15 GB. McTernan leads the trio in CT (11) and GB (26). And lastly Walton with 5 CT and 15 GB. All have registered points over the 8 games played.

I could see them using Donohue’s size and experience to attempt to stall O’Sullivan’s prolific scoring. Or run McTernan on O’Sullivan (maybe the better shutdown man by stats), having Walton as the first slide, leaving the 5th year experienced man Donohue to make that critical decision on the second slide.

The LSM who has started each game is Eymer. Oddly he has as many ground balls as he does goals, and not in a good way. 5 goals for an LSM over 8 games is good. 5 GB for an LSM in 8 games starting, not so much. Typo?!?!

Anyway, that’s my best shot at analysis on them...

Also correction to a previous stat, Facciponti’s FO % is 66, bad “eyeballing it” math by me.

[JumboFan4]

McTernan was a first team AA last year, although it was an abbreviated season. Walton and Donahue have been three year starters and are both physically imposing, with Walton running at 6’3” and about 215. He was also an LB on the football team for a period of time before switching fully to lacrosse. All three guys are very fundamentally sound and aggressive defenders. As a result, there haven’t been many teams capable of beating their close defense in settled situations and, although the scorelines don’t always indicate such due to the offensive style of play, I think the defense as a whole has looked better than it has in years past. The communication seems much more crisp and it’s a credit to Toomey running a tight ship.

On offense, Tufts thrives on great ball movement, precision passing and quickness. They don’t have quite the same dominant size at attack as in years past and don’t have a true stretch shooter like they had in Connelly, Beau Wood, etc, but what they lack in size and power they more than make up for in athleticism with Bredahl and Adam. Both guys can fake defenders out of their shoes and score from a variety of angles. Walbaum, as had been mentioned by others, is the hammer of the group who will impose his size on defenders on the way to the goal. Their midfielders, be it Trieber or Samuelson, have been multi year starters and big scorers for them in key situations over the last three years. The under the radar guy to watch is Cam Kelleher. He’s been on fire since the Dartmouth game and has great movement skills, speed and a dangerous lefty shot.

The most confusing part about Tufts this year in my opinion is their inability to control the faceoff X. Helfrich was very solid last year on the shortened season and more than held his own against Finazzo in the Amherst game. I’m not sure if he’s hurt or if the new stance has hurt his style. If they can find their rhythm at faceoff, then it’s going to be game over for any team they face, as evidenced by the goal output in spite of the additional possessions they’ve not had due to struggles at the dot.

I’ve never played lacrosse, so I don’t have a nuanced understanding of defensive midfield. As a consequence, I may be overlooking the accomplishments of players such as Eymer, Cunningham, Boccardo, etc. so maybe others can provide some context there.

[ergit]

McTernan was a first team AA last year, although it was an abbreviated season. Walton and Donahue have been three year starters and are both physically imposing, with Walton running at 6’3” and about 215. He was also an LB on the football team for a period of time before switching fully to lacrosse. All three guys are very fundamentally sound and aggressive defenders. As a result, there haven’t been many teams capable of beating their close defense in settled situations and, although the scorelines don’t always indicate such due to the offensive style of play, I think the defense as a whole has looked better than it has in years past. The communication seems much more crisp and it’s a credit to Toomey running a tight ship.

On offense, Tufts thrives on great ball movement, precision passing and quickness. They don’t have quite the same dominant size at attack as in years past and don’t have a true stretch shooter like they had in Connelly, Beau Wood, etc, but what they lack in size and power they more than make up for in athleticism with Bredahl and Adam. Both guys can fake defenders out of their shoes and score from a variety of angles. Walbaum, as had been mentioned by others, is the hammer of the group who will impose his size on defenders on the way to the goal. Their midfielders, be it Trieber or Samuelson, have been multi year starters and big scorers for them in key situations over the last three years. The under the radar guy to watch is Cam Kelleher. He’s been on fire since the Dartmouth game and has great movement skills, speed and a dangerous lefty shot.

The most confusing part about Tufts this year in my opinion is their inability to control the faceoff X. Helfrich was very solid last year on the shortened season and more than held his own against Finazzo in the Amherst game. I’m not sure if he’s hurt or if the new stance has hurt his style. If they can find their rhythm at faceoff, then it’s going to be game over for any team they face, as evidenced by the goal output in spite of the additional possessions they’ve not had due to struggles at the dot.

The new faceoff rules have definitely had an impact, on some more than others.

[Gullible]

If they can find their rhythm at faceoff, then it’s going to be game over for any team they face, as evidenced by the goal output in spite of the additional possessions they’ve not had due to struggles at the dot.

Is that a fact??? Much to learn Grasshopper you have...

[Wall Ball]

RIT vs Colorado College is intriguing. The mountain tigers have 3 losses, two to high-caliber teams (Salisbury, Lynchburg), and one to Mesa (?). Can they push the lake tigers out in the quarterfinals? Williams knocked them out in 2019 in Rochester.

Mesa is Colorado Mesa University which is a ranked D2 program

[BallHunt]

RIT vs Colorado College is intriguing. The mountain tigers have 3 losses, two to high-caliber teams (Salisbury, Lynchburg), and one to Mesa (?). Can they push the lake tigers out in the quarterfinals? Williams knocked them out in 2019 in Rochester.

Mesa is Colorado Mesa University which is a ranked D2 program

Ah, I always thought they were DIII. Good for CC to "play up" a little.

[ergit]

Expanded capacity limits at RIT this weekend:

“Policies have changed for Saturday and Sunday in regards to the number of spectators:

Spectators
Increased spectator capacity to 500 per NYS guidelines. Spectators DO NOT need to show proof of vaccination or recent negative test.
Vaccinated spectators will not need to wear a mask. Unvaccinated spectators are encouraged to wear a mask or socially distance themselves.

Masking
With the recent updated guidance from the NCAA, New York State & RIT, implementation of the following policies are in place for this weekend’s contests:

1. *NEW* NCAA masking policy is implemented for all Tier 1/2/3/spectators – No mask requirement for vaccinated persons outdoors. Masks will be encouraged for unvaccinated, but tested Tier 1 & 2 persons and non-vaccinated spectators.
2. Masks are required when utilizing indoors spaces.

[Nigel]

From RIT site

Games will be played on RIT's Turf Field

UPDATED SPECTATOR INFORMATION (as of May 20)
A limited number of tickets will be made available for this Saturday and Sunday's NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinal and Semifinal games, while an updated spectator policy has also been announced.

Per New York State guidelines, a maximum of 500 spectators will be admitted to each of this weekend's games.

Saturday Quarterfinal Ticket Information
All tickets will be available at Gate 1 of the Gene Polisseni Center, adjacent to the entrance to RIT Turf Field.
Tickets for Saturday's first quarterfinal (RIT vs. Colorado College, 1:00 PM) will go on sale Saturday at 12:00 PM.
Tickets for Saturday's second quarterfinal (Tufts vs. York, 4:00 PM) will go on sale Saturday at 3:00 PM.
Saturday quarterfinal tickets are single-game only. All Game 1 spectators will be asked to leave the facility at the conclusion of Game 1. Game 2 tickets will also not be valid for entry to Game 1.
Sunday Semifinal Ticket Information
All tickets will be available at Gate 1 of the Gene Polisseni Center, adjacent to the entrance to RIT Turf Field.
Tickets for Sunday's semifinal will go on sale on Sunday at 1:00 PM
Semifinal game tickets will not be available for purchase on Saturday.
Ticket Prices
Adults - $5.00
Children (12 and under) – $3.00
Spectator Expectations
Spectators do not need to show proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID-19 test.
Vaccinated spectators will not need to wear a mask.
Unvaccinated spectators are encouraged to wear a mask and/or socially distance themselves from other fans.
No interaction with the players will be permitted
No tailgating is permitted




It looks like there are no stands at the RIT Turf Field. They have to have temporary bleachers/seats of some kind, right? Anyone know how they're going to accommodate all these 500 spectators?

[HappyGilmore]

McTernan was a first team AA last year, although it was an abbreviated season. Walton and Donahue have been three year starters and are both physically imposing, with Walton running at 6’3” and about 215. He was also an LB on the football team for a period of time before switching fully to lacrosse. All three guys are very fundamentally sound and aggressive defenders. As a result, there haven’t been many teams capable of beating their close defense in settled situations and, although the scorelines don’t always indicate such due to the offensive style of play, I think the defense as a whole has looked better than it has in years past. The communication seems much more crisp and it’s a credit to Toomey running a tight ship.

On offense, Tufts thrives on great ball movement, precision passing and quickness. They don’t have quite the same dominant size at attack as in years past and don’t have a true stretch shooter like they had in Connelly, Beau Wood, etc, but what they lack in size and power they more than make up for in athleticism with Bredahl and Adam. Both guys can fake defenders out of their shoes and score from a variety of angles. Walbaum, as had been mentioned by others, is the hammer of the group who will impose his size on defenders on the way to the goal. Their midfielders, be it Trieber or Samuelson, have been multi year starters and big scorers for them in key situations over the last three years. The under the radar guy to watch is Cam Kelleher. He’s been on fire since the Dartmouth game and has great movement skills, speed and a dangerous lefty shot.

The most confusing part about Tufts this year in my opinion is their inability to control the faceoff X. Helfrich was very solid last year on the shortened season and more than held his own against Finazzo in the Amherst game. I’m not sure if he’s hurt or if the new stance has hurt his style. If they can find their rhythm at faceoff, then it’s going to be game over for any team they face, as evidenced by the goal output in spite of the additional possessions they’ve not had due to struggles at the dot.

Didn’t realize they had an all American team in 2020????

The new faceoff rules have definitely had an impact, on some more than others.

[Pitt12]

RIT vs Colorado College is intriguing. The mountain tigers have 3 losses, two to high-caliber teams (Salisbury, Lynchburg), and one to Mesa (?). Can they push the lake tigers out in the quarterfinals? Williams knocked them out in 2019 in Rochester.

Mesa is Colorado Mesa D2 team. Finished ranked 17 in D2. Pretty good team. Don’t see this one being to close.

[DeepPocket]

Didn’t realize they had an all American team in 2020????

I thought the same thing when I read it. I think he’s referring to Inside Lacrosses Media AA list.

[LibertyL]

It looks like there are no stands at the RIT Turf Field. They have to have temporary bleachers/seats of some kind, right? Anyone know how they're going to accommodate all these 500 spectators?

They have bleachers on wheels that they roll in on the non player side of the field. The rest of the fans just stand along the fence.
When the student band is playing it's a great atmosphere and arguably the best announcer in D3...