Yale 2019

[FannOLax]

Now the New Haven Register's turn. Again, no surprises here; compared to last year, “We will be very different,” Shay said. “It will be more of a committee on attack, a committee on defensive midfield and close defense.”

https://www.nhregister.com/colleges/art ... o-16936454

[The Orfling]

Nice job by Villanova -- tough and disciplined today. Yale has plenty to work on going forward (and will be facing an extremely tough non-conference opponent in Penn State next week). In addition to some stretches during which they struggled to generate good shots against the zone, Villanova won a lot of individual match-ups on offense. We all knew it was a luxury to have ssdms who rarely needed slide help, and Yale will be adjusting to new personnel and new realities. The good news is that, as usual, the guys didn't give up, and battled back to to tie it in regulation, and, more importantly, that the hallmark of Andy Shay's coaching has been to focus on the process and on getting better and not fixate on a particular game's results or a concern about rankings.

[calourie]

After falling behind 5-2 Nova pretty much out energized and outplayed the Bulldogs the rest of the way with the exception of the last 4 minutes of the 4th. Well earned victory on their part and Yale with plenty to work on, but also lots to work with. Elis somewhat sloppy all over, defense a bit confused and incoherent, Starr not particularly sharp either in cage or clearing. Morrill looked good, but not a lot of one on one beating of their men by anyone for the Bulldogs. I'm not worried yet, but how Yale responds and comes out against PSU could well be a tell for the season. Ierlan is a nice safety blanket at FOGO though he did have some trouble against the bigger Fisher, and will likely have his hands full against Aceri. Certainly not the best team in the land at this point. Love the shot clock.

[Mid-Lax]

Whoa, another OT loss to 'Nova. The Bulldogs were clearly not ready for the Wildcats. For much of the game the offense looked uninspired with little movement and poor passing until the mounted spirited 4th Qtr three goal comeback to send the game into OT. The defense was late on many slides especially in needing to help the D-Mids. Starr looked okay in goal with some good saves (one in OT) before the eventual goal. Coach Shay looked like he was taking more than a few (here we go again) deep breadths on the sidelines and even Handsome Dan (Walter) looked exasperated by the game frustration. On the positive side, TD Ierlan had a very good game (aside from the Elis losing the OT face-off scrum), Morrill, Daniggelis, and Tigh (late in the game) looked good (would have liked Gaudet to have exerted himself more), the new field looks great (those yellow lines and logos really pop), and for a cold day, the crowd was all there. Will have to look at the stats on TOs, GBs, and saves later tonight.

Well, it is what it is. They have been here before. Time to get back to blue collar lacrosse as next weekend's game versus hot Penn State will be a heck of challenge (Bulldogs at 0-2 would be a terrible way to start the season).

PS...Nova played a great game. Congrats to them.

[FannOLax]

Penn State was ahead 15-0 today before taking its foot off the gas, now 3-0 with three wide margins of victory... will be an immense challenge a week from today.

[Mid-Lax]

Okay see that despite having a FO advantage 18 for 25, the Elis were out GBd 33 to 30. Not good enough effort. 15 turnovers and many poor passes. Saves were 10 of 21 for Starr.

One other thing, they need to develop an anchor attack. Low post, back in, distribute, question mark and scoop shoot, etc.

[calourie]

No way to tell the effect of this game on the Bulldog psyche until next week. I tend to agree with Orfling's trust in the Shay-Stimmel-Baxter system. Game was much like last year's Nova in Dallas outing, where despite Big Ben's 7 point outing the Bulldogs weren't coherent enough to overcome an inspired Wildcat effort in their year's first outing. Do we miss Ben Reeves? Yeah, Duh. Does Yale have the horses to replace the other pieces they lost last year to graduation? My guess is yes. Are the Bulldogs going to use this week in practice to set the tone for next week's tilt against PSU. One can never be sure, but were I a betting man I'd put a bunch of money on yes on that one as well.
Providing a bit more color on this afternoon's outing: Ierlan came the closest to being outstanding, though he wasn't as strong against the larger Fisher than he was against Nova's other FOGOs, which could show up as a bit of a problem against PSU's Aceri. Wing play was okay but could have been better. Nova seemed to get easier (more close in open shots) a couple due to lucky bounces, but as they say teams tend to make their own luck by playing with greater intensity which the Wildcats appeared to do. Bulldogs had several rides which came within 4 seconds or less of making Nova exceed the 20 second clear threshold. A bit more intensity on the ride in the future will likely result in a greater success rate. Morrill looks like he is ready for a big time season, and with some improved timing should be able to give fellow attackmen Gaudet and Brandau a few more easy chances than they got today. Yale middies (other than Daniggelis) got off to a slow start and didn't really make much happen until Q4. Tevlin in particular seemed out of sorts. I like his game, specifically his quickness, a lot, but he didn't show as much of that at either end as he did at the end of last year. FY and sparsely used players from last year whom I noticed included FY Ocken and sophomore Eschbach at SSDM where they appeared to hold their own, as well Cabrera at Midfield and not attack though I'm not sure how to designate his role.
I will be surprised if the Bulldogs don't come out next week with some real fire in their bellies, but you never know. I for one can't wait to find out. One thing I feel pretty sure of is that Shay and staff will find a way to make this team better as the season progresses.

[lefty1]

Great reports guys, it was gorgeous today.
They started great, finished strong, but lost their way some in the middle. Def some rust with the Ivies starting late. I’m not sure what the statistics were for clears, but it may not be as automatic as last year, with a certain someone in mind. TD did great, but would like to see him clean up the short passes, they seemed forced. Morrill is fantastic, but it would be nice if he benefited from some feeds back to him. I like Cotler over 200lbs working his way low, as a lefty. Mixes it up/gets things to collapse some. Yes - Tigh came on strong.

Some of the underclassmen seemed gun shy at times, but that will work it’s way out. Starr will only get sharper too. Shay will have them dialed in for Penn State. Let’s hope that doesn’t get ugly.

[FannOLax]

One thing I feel pretty sure of is that Shay and staff will find a way to make this team better as the season progresses.

Yes, this team will improve. During February, during March and during April, this team will get better. In May, well, we'll see. Yale will work hard and get better. Last season, Yale lost its opener in OT to Villanova; then, in game two, was behind Michigan 9-6 early in the third quarter before finding a way to win. The Bulldogs never lost two in a row last season, but last season is officially, categorically over. This year's pre-season ratings were at least partially based on last season, and because of last year the Elis have a big red target on their backs. I think the stat on ground balls that Mid-lax pointed out is important, like turnovers, areas that need to improve. I'd also mention that 15 of 19 clearing (vs 20 of 22 for Nova) leaves room for improvement; Warner, Alessi and Keating, well, Reeves wasn't the only one to graduate. Penn State looks very good so far; I plan on being there Saturday.

[Voyuer]

Not surprised by the result and expect Yale to lose to Penn St. I also still think Yale has a very good chance to be a final four team again. Learning to play without Reeves, who always drew the D's number One, and also a quick slide, will take some time. The loss of the SSDM guys who graduated, is in my mind a bigger question mark.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Not surprised by the result and expect Yale to lose to Penn St. I also still think Yale has a very good chance to be a final four team again. Learning to play without Reeves, who always drew the D's number One, and also a quick slide, will take some time. The loss of the SSDM guys who graduated, is in my mind a bigger question mark.

Warner and Alessi were difference makers for 4 years at SSDM. Yale will figure it out but having two guys like that that played for four years will spoil you. Rule change has placed a premium on between the box players. The converted attackman playing middie may have problems this year. Loyola feasted on Hopkins. It’s early for Yale and these early season tests will pay dividends.

[FannOLax]

Okay, I'm going way out on a limb here and predicting that Saturday's game will be won by the team wearing white and dark-blue uniforms. Also, Yale should wear the blue helmets, not the white ones. Go Elis!

[bearlaxfan]

Too bad there's no 'flex scheduling' in the sport; what a great Saturday night game this would be. Weather issues at night? Nah... lacrosse is a SPRING sport, after all.

[calourie]

Have to agree with Fann on the blue helmets, though all white works for me too. The blue pants, white jerseys white hats has never done anything for me (my least favorite get-up). Important stuff.

[FannOLax]

I believe the all whites are reserved for Ivy League (home or designated as such in ILT) games.

[FannOLax]

And I agree about the blue pants, white jerseys & white hats; somehow makes them look like British schoolboys.

[lefty1]

Latest IL Podcast had Shay speaking to a last week practice injury to Rooney, not Mooney (I believe). Any insight around that?
Hoping its temporary if so. Senior leadership is always needed.
"2018: Regular on attack… Had 5 goals in win over Marist... Key member of special teams unit who also had some important starts at attack... Had 3 goals in the NCAA Championship Weekend wins including a goal against Duke in the title game... Had 4 goals overall in the NCAA Tournament."

[calourie]

Rooney wasn't a part of the Bulldogs first EMO but was a part of the second, so my conjecture is his injury isn't season threatening, but I expected to see more of him against Villanova given his impactful role in Yale's spring scrimmages. FY Brandau has a great deal of promise, but I agree with Lefty that a larger role from Rooney might have been useful and will likely be welcome in the future provided he has recovered.

[FannOLax]

Arceri v Ierlan: https://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports/me ... 66d0e.html

[The Orfling]

Today is the day TD Ierlan became President.