jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 11:16 pm
How you always find a way to take a shot at Maryland is honestly impressive.
Thank you. I calls 'em like I sees 'em. When there are Terpish things to take shots at--I shoots at 'em. Maryland ducking UNC and Syracuse in '22 was evident--and shot worthy. Their wins were unimpressive to me--shot worthy. Their choke performance in the semis vs BC--shot worthy. Others wrote the same thing about Maryland in the semis yet in a more measured and tactful manner. Emily Giambalvo from the Washington Post:
"In this matchup, Maryland couldn’t grab an early lead and cruise, as it often had this season and as it did in both previous games of this tournament. The Terps (19-2) instead tried to weather 60 minutes of tension Friday afternoon at Homewood Field. They were unable to put the game away late, failing to score in the final seven minutes."
Even coach said something similar to what I said, that they couldn't handle the pressure in crunch time. From the same article:
“When it got a little tight, I thought we were a little hesitant,” Reese said. “We struggled clearing the ball towards the end of the game there. Just sort of got caught back on our heels instead of forward on our toes. That was tough.”
I've been accused of naming players who wilted under pressure in big games in the past. But that's how sports are written about. Ms. Giambalvo wasn't afraid to point out players who failed in the late going:
"The Terps leaned on all those players who had never before reached this round of the tournament, and for much of the game, they played with poise. Leubecker — part of the Maryland teams that had a canceled season in 2020 and then lost in the second round a year ago — scored a team-high five times, but the costly turnover helped tilt the game in the Eagles’ favor. Shaylan Ahearn, the junior who takes the draws for the Terps, watched the Eagles secure all five attempts in the circle in the opening quarter. Ahearn rebounded when Maryland needed to stop the Eagles from dominating possession, and she finished with a game-high nine draw controls — yet she couldn’t secure the one at the end that mattered most."
And from Edward Lee in the Baltimore Sun article:
"The energy of youth had been an advantage for the Maryland women’s lacrosse team for much of the spring. The inexperience of that youth might have caught up to it. The Terps committed a series of turnovers while trying to protect a three-goal lead with 7:13 left in the fourth quarter, and reigning national champion Boston College scored the final four goals to escape with a 17-16 win..."
"The No. 2 seed Terps (19-2) had chances to salt the game away. Leading 16-14, junior defender Aiden Peduzzi made an ill-advised run to the Boston College cage, slipped and slid into the crease, giving possession back to the Eagles. Sixty seconds later, North’s goal narrowed the gap to one with 5:16 remaining. Maryland won the ensuing draw, but graduate student attacker Aurora Cordingley committed a turnover under heavy pressure from Weeks, which Boston College converted into North’s game-tying goal. Then after Terps sophomore midfielder Shannon Smith controlled the next draw, junior attacker Hannah Leubecker lost the ball on a spin move to the middle of the net, and Boston College capitalized with the eventual game-winning goal."
“Maybe a little bit,” coach Cathy Reese said when asked if the pressure of the moment contributed to Maryland’s uncharacteristic errors in the final minutes. “There were some crazy things with it, but there were some moments when a little inexperience showed a little bit. I said that from the start. We have a really young team. When you look at all of our scoring, 14 of our 16 goals were sophomores [by eligibility] or younger. So when it got a little tight, I thought we were a little hesitant. We struggled clearing the ball towards the end of the game. We sort of got caught back on our heels instead of forward on our toes.” The Terps committed 17 turnovers to the Eagles’ nine, including five each in the third and fourth quarters. A pair of graduate students in Cordingley and midfielder Grace Griffin committed a game-high three turnovers each...Junior goalkeeper Emily Sterling, a Bel Air resident and John Carroll graduate, made a game-high eight saves, but none in the fourth quarter."
But to the larger issue--indeed, I
do always look for chinks in the armor of the tortoise shell. I get tired of teams winning frequently. And I certainly get tired of crowing, biased fan bases of frequently winning teams. I am consistent across all sports in this regard. I always find satisfaction when the Montreal Canadiens lose in hockey; the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics in basketball; the Red Sox and Yankees in baseball, and most especially when Cheatin' Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots lose in football. I've always been like that when it comes to sports. Way back in the 80's when the San Francisco 49ers were the dominant team in the NFL I rooted against them. I
hated that team. There was nothing corrupt or scandalous about them I just hated them winning all the time. Wanted to see someone new, especially my favorite team of that time--the Dallas Cowboys. But then as soon as the Cowboys started winning I got sick of them and their fanbase. Now I'm always pleased when they lose--the more humiliating (like in last years playoffs) the better.
So I'll continue to root against Maryland and highlight their shortcomings, and any other teams that strike my fancy to root against, for that matter--because after all, it's only sports. Games. Pastimes.
None of my kids ever played lacrosse except my oldest son very briefly during middle school. I discovered this sport like I did all the other sports I have enjoyed down through the years, by watching them on TV and becoming a fan that way. I realize full well that puts me in a distinct minority on these boards. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to discover that I was the
only organic fan here. I would venture to say that everyone who participates and writes on the D1 Women's Lacrosse boards have either played lacrosse, coached it, or had children who play/played. But be that as it may, back to your response...
jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 11:16 pm
Going by your logic that they didn't have any significant wins last year, I guess only UNC did because if Maryland didn't beat any significant, then I guess BC beating them isn't noteworthy.
BC played a tougher schedule than Maryland so we can't really compare. But yes--judging from the way things went down in '22--Carolina was head and shoulders above everyone. They had a dominant season and proved it by beating the defending champs three times. Getting back to the final game for BC was impressive, but all told, by my own standard, yes, BC didn't really have any truly significant wins either. UNC was the team to beat last year and they couldn't beat them in three tries.
jff97 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 11:16 pm
And here's the case for Maryland as the favorite heading into the year:
-They lose Cordingley and Griffin but return two 60-plus goal scorers in Leubecker and May, a good crease player in Clevenger, a nice option in the midfield with Smith and Lipkin is primed to break out
-They add Donovan to an already excellent defense, which will now have 2 AAs at the position along with the National Goalie of the Year in Sterling
-Donovan can also go on the draw circle, which was already very good with Ahearn and Bosco
Add those up, and it sounds like the pieces for a deep run. I'm sure losing last year will provide motivation too, even if they don't ever come out and say it. If I was running odds for title favorites, I'd have MD and BC at the top.
You make a good case but we'll see. They play the games on fields of green, not stat sheets. UNC was stacked to the high heavens in '21 but didn't even get to the final. Assembling a team of all stars doesn't guarantee gold when all the games have been played. The question is always--how will they perform in crunch time?