Middies Wins Championships

[Gorilla Fan]

Might be an interesting discussion. But my belief is the game is won in the middle of field.

If we really examined the very good teams over the last decades, the teams that always shined had exceptional play at the midfield.

Sure, the highly touted teams had some great Attack play, high volume scorers, and Teewareton winners, who played on prolific offenses

and... We could add a long list of shut down Poles, shut down close defenseman. They could neutralize the top scorer.

but at the end of the day lacrosse is won in the Midfield.

Ask Chris Gray, Pat Spencer and the long list of prolific attackman.

The game is won in the middle of the field

[Typical Lax Dad]

Might be an interesting discussion. But my belief is the game is won in the middle of field.

If we really examined the very good teams over the last decades, the teams that always shined had exceptional play at the midfield.

Sure, the highly touted teams had some great Attack play, high volume scorers, and Teewareton winners, who played on prolific offenses

and... We could add a long list of shut down Poles, shut down close defenseman. They could neutralize the top scorer.

but at the end of the day lacrosse is won in the Midfield.

Ask Chris Gray, Pat Spencer and the long list of prolific attackman.

The game is won in the middle of the field

Yes.

[Dip&Dunk]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

[DMac]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

+100

[10stone5]

Might be an interesting discussion. But my belief is the game is won in the middle of field.

If we really examined the very good teams over the last decades, the teams that always shined had exceptional play at the midfield.

Sure, the highly touted teams had some great Attack play, high volume scorers, and Teewareton winners, who played on prolific offenses

and... We could add a long list of shut down Poles, shut down close defenseman. They could neutralize the top scorer.

but at the end of the day lacrosse is won in the Midfield.

Ask Chris Gray, Pat Spencer and the long list of prolific attackman.

The game is won in the middle of the field

Yes.

Its what I watch more than anything else these days,

the midfield play - just had this conversation with one of the local coaches last night.

[Typical Lax Dad]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

Maryland’s defensive midfield is what made that team special this past season. Boa constrictors. You need athletes in the middle of the field.

[youthathletics]

My version of the tread name is what I believe is they key. It aligns with Dip and Dunk.

[Laxfan#1969]

Teams that get to Championship weekend have great athletes and players in the middle of the field. This year was no exception. MD, Rutgers, Cornell, and Princeton had very good players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the midfield and they could play both ways. Big, Fast, Smart, Athletes.

[DMac]

2012 Loyola Greyhounds went 4 of 24 at the face off X on Memorial Day week-end.
They gave up 5 goals to ND in the semifinal but scored 7 themselves.
They gave up 3 goals to Maryland in the final while scoring 9 themselves.

Lacrosse is a team sport, you can analyze it a break it down all you want
but ultimately you have to have a good team to win championships. I'm
not so sure any one position is any more important than another.

[10stone5]

2012 Loyola Greyhounds went 4 of 24 at the face off X on Memorial Day week-end.

That is an unreal stat.
Just shows how good that team was.
The game was different then of course, that was a half a
generation ago.

[PizzaSnake]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

The really great middies face-off and play both ways. Rare, but dominating.

Hate that slow-down, positional substitution. Anathema to the free-flowing game I played and loved.

Want that slow shite? Play fool(foot)ball and be done with it.

[keno in reno]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

Maryland’s defensive midfield is what made that team special this past season. Boa constrictors. You need athletes in the middle of the field.

The DM group was great, but they also had:
the best close d tandem in Makar and Zappitello
by far the best passing attack this year, and some say the best in decades
the best face-off guy
one of the best LSM tandems in Geppert and Prybylski
The hottest goalie when it mattered
The best player in the country
One of the best coaching staffs
Extreme motivation from 2021

So I think it's hard to say that any one group made the team special; this was just a magical confluence of great players, units and intangibles that really elevated each unit and team

[wgdsr]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

The really great middies face-off and play both ways. Rare, but dominating.

Hate that slow-down, positional substitution. Anathema to the free-flowing game I played and loved.

Want that slow shite? Play fool(foot)ball and be done with it.

pizza going back 30-50 years.

[a fan]

pizza going back 30-50 years.

I'm just pleased that not one person is claiming that Coaching wins D1 Lax Championships. Sounds like the crew has finally figured it out!

Related tot he conversation......I did a poll in the early days of Laxpower that would have been fun to revisit now that it's 20 years later.

...If you had to pick one, which would you pick:

-The best Goalie in D1
-The best Attackman in D1
-The best fogo in D1

[wgdsr]

pizza going back 30-50 years.

I'm just pleased that not one person is claiming that Coaching wins D1 Lax Championships. Sounds like the crew has finally figured it out!

Related tot he conversation......I did a poll in the early days of Laxpower that would have been fun to revisit now that it's 20 years later.

...If you had to pick one, which would you pick:

-The best Goalie in D1
-The best Attackman in D1
-The best fogo in D1

in history? or now?

[a fan]

pizza going back 30-50 years.

I'm just pleased that not one person is claiming that Coaching wins D1 Lax Championships. Sounds like the crew has finally figured it out!

Related tot he conversation......I did a poll in the early days of Laxpower that would have been fun to revisit now that it's 20 years later.

...If you had to pick one, which would you pick:

-The best Goalie in D1
-The best Attackman in D1
-The best fogo in D1

in history? or now?

Now. 2023 season. Picking for your team, assuming you have no other players (yet).

In other words, what would you build your team around?

[wgdsr]

pizza going back 30-50 years.

I'm just pleased that not one person is claiming that Coaching wins D1 Lax Championships. Sounds like the crew has finally figured it out!

Related tot he conversation......I did a poll in the early days of Laxpower that would have been fun to revisit now that it's 20 years later.

...If you had to pick one, which would you pick:

-The best Goalie in D1
-The best Attackman in D1
-The best fogo in D1

in history? or now?

Now. 2023 season. Picking for your team, assuming you have no other players (yet).

In other words, what would you build your team around?

entenmann (like the improvement of mcananey)
shellenberger
wiermann

@ mid - bundy and handley are terrific, if you made me choose bundy
@ close d - adler over makar just for his ability to take over, makar's great 1 v 1
@ ssdm - rezanka
@ lsm haven't seen enough of the top guys

[a fan]

pizza going back 30-50 years.

I'm just pleased that not one person is claiming that Coaching wins D1 Lax Championships. Sounds like the crew has finally figured it out!

Related tot he conversation......I did a poll in the early days of Laxpower that would have been fun to revisit now that it's 20 years later.

...If you had to pick one, which would you pick:

-The best Goalie in D1
-The best Attackman in D1
-The best fogo in D1

in history? or now?

Now. 2023 season. Picking for your team, assuming you have no other players (yet).

In other words, what would you build your team around?

entenmann (like the improvement of mcananey)
shellenberger
wiermann

@ mid - bundy and handley are terrific, if you made me choose bundy
@ close d - adler over makar just for his ability to take over, makar's great 1 v 1
@ ssdm - rezanka
@ lsm haven't seen enough of the top guys

You're naming the top players in D1, and that's not what I'm asking you.

I'm doing a lousy job of communicating today, sorry. I'm thinking of the current thread "middies win championships", where the poster is generalizing about the importance of having the best middies in the game in order to win championships. So I'm recalling a poll I asked 20 years ago where we were asking fans, essentially: which position is THE key position to have the best D1 player?

So without discussing specific players/names, and just speaking in generalized terms, which would you rather have:

-The best Goalie in D1
-The best Attackman in D1
-The best fogo in D1

Is that more clear?

[wgdsr]

probably just best fogo. but if i had a v good fogo, i might choose goalie. and vice versa.

but as asked... #1 draft pick, starting a team... i'd take fogo. and it's not close.

[Typical Lax Dad]

At the end of the day, lacrosse is won on the field.

The great teams have great teams.

But if you have to break it down, great FO’s keep great middies off the field (and then the rules get changed), great goalies don’t care who is shooting, great attackers make middies jobs easier, great defenses slow down (don’t stop) great offenses.

Maryland’s defensive midfield is what made that team special this past season. Boa constrictors. You need athletes in the middle of the field.

The DM group was great, but they also had:
the best close d tandem in Makar and Zappitello
by far the best passing attack this year, and some say the best in decades
the best face-off guy
one of the best LSM tandems in Geppert and Prybylski
The hottest goalie when it mattered
The best player in the country
One of the best coaching staffs
Extreme motivation from 2021

So I think it's hard to say that any one group made the team special; this was just a magical confluence of great players, units and intangibles that really elevated each unit and team

I was just using it as a distinguishing factor versus prior Maryland teams. That 2022 Maryland defense was legendary.