Inside Lacrosse Top 50

[BCLax24]

IL Top 50 List Thoughts:

1. Assuming she’s healthy, I would take Sacne over Meg Tyrell any day. 124 points in 16 games in 2021 is ridiculous. Her insane scoring makes her my pick for the best player in the country for next season.

2. For the third spot, I’d definitely take Smith over Bosco. Bosco is obviously an elite defender who’s also very good along the draw circle, but I’d rather have the two-way middie. 83 points to go with 24 CTs for Smith in just her sophomore season, she has Tewarraton upside.

3. Not a bold statement, but Maddie Jenner is easily the best draw specialist in college lacrosse.

4. Wurzburger over Medjid for the top 10 is hard to justify. They both play a similar role, initiating from the right X position, but Medjid was way more productive last season. 102 pts, 74 goals, 54% shooting for Medjid compared to 76 pts, 34 goals, 48% shooting for Wurzburger. I’m sure Wurzburger’s numbers will improve this season in an expanded role, but it feels like she’s prematurely getting credit for something she hasn’t accomplished yet.

5. Where is Hailey Rhatigan? She had 86 goals and 114 points in just 18 games last season with Mercer. That makes her the leading returning goal scorer in the country and second leading returner in points (behind only Ashley Humphrey from Stanford). Obviously, she was playing lesser competition than she’ll be playing when she joins Northwestern in the Big 10 next season, but regardless, those numbers should get you at least into the top 50 at minimum.

6. BC Final Notes:

Scales and Schleicher rightfully made the list. I like Scales slightly better as a 1v1 defender, but Schleicher is awesome along the draw circle and runs the transition super well.

Cassidy Weeks got snubbed. She was a bit inconsistent during the regular season, but then the postseason came around and she was a completely new player. She had a 6 goal game in the ACC tourney and was easily one of our best couple of players throughout the NCAAs, especially during championship weekend, where she made clutch plays throughout on both ends of the field, including the game winner against Maryland.

BC has 183 points to replace between the losses of North and Caitlynn Mossman. Look for a trio of young attackers in sophomores McKenna Davis and Mallory Hasselbeck and freshman Ava Besson to be in the best positions to fill this void. All three players are extremely talented with a ton of upside, and I would definitely expect to see at least one of them make this list for next season.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

IL Top 50 List Thoughts:

1. Assuming she’s healthy, I would take Sacne over Meg Tyrell any day. 124 points in 16 games in 2021 is ridiculous. Her insane scoring makes her my pick for the best player in the country for next season.

2. For the third spot, I’d definitely take Smith over Bosco. Bosco is obviously an elite defender who’s also very good along the draw circle, but I’d rather have the two-way middie. 83 points to go with 24 CTs for Smith in just her sophomore season, she has Tewarraton upside.

3. Not a bold statement, but Maddie Jenner is easily the best draw specialist in college lacrosse.

4. Wurzburger over Medjid for the top 10 is hard to justify. They both play a similar role, initiating from the right X position, but Medjid was way more productive last season. 102 pts, 74 goals, 54% shooting for Medjid compared to 76 pts, 34 goals, 48% shooting for Wurzburger. I’m sure Wurzburger’s numbers will improve this season in an expanded role, but it feels like she’s prematurely getting credit for something she hasn’t accomplished yet.

5. Where is Hailey Rhatigan? She had 86 goals and 114 points in just 18 games last season with Mercer. That makes her the leading returning goal scorer in the country and second leading returner in points (behind only Ashley Humphrey from Stanford). Obviously, she was playing lesser competition than she’ll be playing when she joins Northwestern in the Big 10 next season, but regardless, those numbers should get you at least into the top 50 at minimum.

6. BC Final Notes:

Scales and Schleicher rightfully made the list. I like Scales slightly better as a 1v1 defender, but Schleicher is awesome along the draw circle and runs the transition super well.

Cassidy Weeks got snubbed. She was a bit inconsistent during the regular season, but then the postseason came around and she was a completely new player. She had a 6 goal game in the ACC tourney and was easily one of our best couple of players throughout the NCAAs, especially during championship weekend, where she made clutch plays throughout on both ends of the field, including the game winner against Maryland.

BC has 183 points to replace between the losses of North and Caitlynn Mossman. Look for a trio of young attackers in sophomores McKenna Davis and Mallory Hasselbeck and freshman Ava Besson to be in the best positions to fill this void. All three players are extremely talented with a ton of upside, and I would definitely expect to see at least one of them make this list for next season.

Well said all around. Great points supported by hard stats.

What are your thoughts on Summer Agostino? She was highly touted along with M. Hasselbeck and Davis yet she played sparingly in her 1st season.

[momlax24x7]

Perusing the list, selelect players in the 20s can easily be ranked in the top 10 or in the teens. And vice versa. These few players may not have played for top 10 teams. They may not have been surrounded by superstars last season who graduated and drew the top defenders and left them to be marked by a 3rd or 4th defender. These few may have played less games yet had similar or even better scoring stats. These players may have drawn the best defenders game in and game out and been face guarded and doubled or early slide most games. These players may not have benefitted from playing with top feeders and top finishers or been the beneficiaries of effective fast break offenses which produce easy goals. They play with a less talented supporting cast. The media and selectors of this list do not consider this level of detail. Rather players get labeled. Furthermore, the attacker category is a far more competitive group over mid fielders and defenders when considering All American, this list and Tewaaraton, AllRegion honors.

[GratefulRed]

IL Top 50 List Thoughts:

1. Assuming she’s healthy, I would take Sacne over Meg Tyrell any day. 124 points in 16 games in 2021 is ridiculous. Her insane scoring makes her my pick for the best player in the country for next season.

2. For the third spot, I’d definitely take Smith over Bosco. Bosco is obviously an elite defender who’s also very good along the draw circle, but I’d rather have the two-way middie. 83 points to go with 24 CTs for Smith in just her sophomore season, she has Tewarraton upside.

3. Not a bold statement, but Maddie Jenner is easily the best draw specialist in college lacrosse.

4. Wurzburger over Medjid for the top 10 is hard to justify. They both play a similar role, initiating from the right X position, but Medjid was way more productive last season. 102 pts, 74 goals, 54% shooting for Medjid compared to 76 pts, 34 goals, 48% shooting for Wurzburger. I’m sure Wurzburger’s numbers will improve this season in an expanded role, but it feels like she’s prematurely getting credit for something she hasn’t accomplished yet.

5. Where is Hailey Rhatigan? She had 86 goals and 114 points in just 18 games last season with Mercer. That makes her the leading returning goal scorer in the country and second leading returner in points (behind only Ashley Humphrey from Stanford). Obviously, she was playing lesser competition than she’ll be playing when she joins Northwestern in the Big 10 next season, but regardless, those numbers should get you at least into the top 50 at minimum.

6. BC Final Notes:

Scales and Schleicher rightfully made the list. I like Scales slightly better as a 1v1 defender, but Schleicher is awesome along the draw circle and runs the transition super well.

Cassidy Weeks got snubbed. She was a bit inconsistent during the regular season, but then the postseason came around and she was a completely new player. She had a 6 goal game in the ACC tourney and was easily one of our best couple of players throughout the NCAAs, especially during championship weekend, where she made clutch plays throughout on both ends of the field, including the game winner against Maryland.

BC has 183 points to replace between the losses of North and Caitlynn Mossman. Look for a trio of young attackers in sophomores McKenna Davis and Mallory Hasselbeck and freshman Ava Besson to be in the best positions to fill this void. All three players are extremely talented with a ton of upside, and I would definitely expect to see at least one of them make this list for next season.

Well said all around. Great points supported by hard stats.

What are your thoughts on Summer Agostino? She was highly touted along with M. Hasselbeck and Davis yet she played sparingly in her 1st season.

Good stuff. BC defense and 2-way midfield are perennially underrated but will be the quiet foundation for another run. Offensive balance and depth of scoring will have to extend to the midfield where new faces like SA will emerge.

[watcherinthewoods]

IL Top 50 List Thoughts:

1. Assuming she’s healthy, I would take Sacne over Meg Tyrell any day. 124 points in 16 games in 2021 is ridiculous. Her insane scoring makes her my pick for the best player in the country for next season.

2. For the third spot, I’d definitely take Smith over Bosco. Bosco is obviously an elite defender who’s also very good along the draw circle, but I’d rather have the two-way middie. 83 points to go with 24 CTs for Smith in just her sophomore season, she has Tewarraton upside.

3. Not a bold statement, but Maddie Jenner is easily the best draw specialist in college lacrosse.

4. Wurzburger over Medjid for the top 10 is hard to justify. They both play a similar role, initiating from the right X position, but Medjid was way more productive last season. 102 pts, 74 goals, 54% shooting for Medjid compared to 76 pts, 34 goals, 48% shooting for Wurzburger. I’m sure Wurzburger’s numbers will improve this season in an expanded role, but it feels like she’s prematurely getting credit for something she hasn’t accomplished yet.

5. Where is Hailey Rhatigan? She had 86 goals and 114 points in just 18 games last season with Mercer. That makes her the leading returning goal scorer in the country and second leading returner in points (behind only Ashley Humphrey from Stanford). Obviously, she was playing lesser competition than she’ll be playing when she joins Northwestern in the Big 10 next season, but regardless, those numbers should get you at least into the top 50 at minimum.

6. BC Final Notes:

Scales and Schleicher rightfully made the list. I like Scales slightly better as a 1v1 defender, but Schleicher is awesome along the draw circle and runs the transition super well.

Cassidy Weeks got snubbed. She was a bit inconsistent during the regular season, but then the postseason came around and she was a completely new player. She had a 6 goal game in the ACC tourney and was easily one of our best couple of players throughout the NCAAs, especially during championship weekend, where she made clutch plays throughout on both ends of the field, including the game winner against Maryland.

BC has 183 points to replace between the losses of North and Caitlynn Mossman. Look for a trio of young attackers in sophomores McKenna Davis and Mallory Hasselbeck and freshman Ava Besson to be in the best positions to fill this void. All three players are extremely talented with a ton of upside, and I would definitely expect to see at least one of them make this list for next season.

Well said all around. Great points supported by hard stats.

What are your thoughts on Summer Agostino? She was highly touted along with M. Hasselbeck and Davis yet she played sparingly in her 1st season.
[/quote

Some quick math shows that Jenner averaged 13.44dc/game out of conference in 2022. In conference + acc and ncaa tourneys, that number is 7.54, including 4 against UMD in the last game of the blue devils season. Give me smart, fast, and gritty on the circle at all day long.

[Lax101]

Love the BC chatter. BCLax24 you really know your stuff. Your comments on the list and BC were spot on IMO. I do disagree with one thing. The 183 points lost from Mossman and CN will go mostly to the existing offensive core - not new people. The ball will move more and the offense will be more dynamic. Look for Weeks, Smith, Medjid, Martello and Davis to all have career years IMO. Martello might have the biggest jump in numbers year over year. Hasselbeck and Besson will play meaningful minutes but dont see either being anywhere near this list next year - maybe in a few years. If there is one BC addition to this list next year, it might be Cassidy Weeks who should be on it this year -: ). Both Weeks actually have another year of eligibility. Hard to believe but true. Unlikely that Cassidy will return for year #6. One more note on BC. Their midfield will be one of the strengths of the team this year. I think the best teams in the country going into the season are MD and BC. This might be the most balanced team BC has ever had.

[njbill]

sc, thanks for posting the article on the NU v. UNC semi. What was impressive to me was the candor of the interviewees. Usually you get coach-speak or athlete-speak. Here you got some really good stuff, perhaps because they waited months to do the interviews.

Some of my favorite quotes:

Madison Doucette, Northwestern senior goalie: How much did I know about Sam [Geiersbach]? Not as much as I do now, obviously.

Alecia Nicholas, UNC freshman goalie: I didn’t think I was going to go into that game, but I was prepared. It was definitely a shocker when Phil came to me and said, “Get warmed up.” Then, they scored two quick goals. I got about 30 seconds of a warmup before they were like, “OK, Alecia, you’re in.”

Moreno: When I went back in at the end of the third quarter, the first thing I was thinking when I went back in was, “All you need to do is make one save.” They immediately scored a goal on me.

Mastroianni: You could feel the shift in the momentum. I think the entire stadium could feel it. We’ve practiced being down five or six in practice. Have we practiced being down by seven or eight? No.

Geiersbach: Everyone was so tired. I thought, “Maybe it’s my turn to test the waters.” After my first or second, I realized they weren’t sliding to me. I don’t want to say I took it personally, but that’s something I took personally.

Moreno: When I went to clear it out, it was a hesitant pass. I didn’t mean to throw it, but I totally threw it, and it landed right into Lauren’s stick.

Gilbert: The ball literally dropped into my stick. It was crazy. I was like, “Oh my God, I have the ball.”

Fredericks: It’s a privilege to feel that heartbreak. I know that is a weird phrase.

Nicholas: I work as a hostess. [A customer] asked me, “Did you watch the North Carolina and Northwestern game?” And I was like, “Yeah, I played in it.”

[Laxfan500]

sc, thanks for posting the article on the NU v. UNC semi. What was impressive to me was the candor of the interviewees. Usually you get coach-speak or athlete-speak. Here you got some really good stuff, perhaps because they waited months to do the interviews.

Some of my favorite quotes:

Madison Doucette, Northwestern senior goalie: How much did I know about Sam [Geiersbach]? Not as much as I do now, obviously.

Alecia Nicholas, UNC freshman goalie: I didn’t think I was going to go into that game, but I was prepared. It was definitely a shocker when Phil came to me and said, “Get warmed up.” Then, they scored two quick goals. I got about 30 seconds of a warmup before they were like, “OK, Alecia, you’re in.”

Moreno: When I went back in at the end of the third quarter, the first thing I was thinking when I went back in was, “All you need to do is make one save.” They immediately scored a goal on me.

Mastroianni: You could feel the shift in the momentum. I think the entire stadium could feel it. We’ve practiced being down five or six in practice. Have we practiced being down by seven or eight? No.

Geiersbach: Everyone was so tired. I thought, “Maybe it’s my turn to test the waters.” After my first or second, I realized they weren’t sliding to me. I don’t want to say I took it personally, but that’s something I took personally.

Moreno: When I went to clear it out, it was a hesitant pass. I didn’t mean to throw it, but I totally threw it, and it landed right into Lauren’s stick.

Gilbert: The ball literally dropped into my stick. It was crazy. I was like, “Oh my God, I have the ball.”

Fredericks: It’s a privilege to feel that heartbreak. I know that is a weird phrase.

Nicholas: I work as a hostess. [A customer] asked me, “Did you watch the North Carolina and Northwestern game?” And I was like, “Yeah, I played in it.”

That game really did have it all. Crazy weather delay, unselfish play from the whole team, players stepping up, some great shots, amazing defensive play. Just an improbable game.

[Can Opener]

Was curious about the breakdown so here's who the breakdown by school. 21 schools had a player make the list, though 31 of the players came from 8 schools.
Maryland-6 Abby Bosco (#3), Emily Sterling (#7), Marge Donovan (#13), Hannah Leubecker (#25), Shaylan Ahearn (#30), Libby May (#44)
Boston College-5 Belle Smith (#4), Jenn Medjid (#11), Sydney Scales (#22), Hollie Schleicher (#34), Kayla Martello (#41)
Duke-4 Maddie Jenner (#5), Cubby Biscardi (#33), Olivia Carner (#36), Katie DeSimone (#39)
Syracuse-4 Meaghan Tyrell (#1), Emma Tyrrell (#24), Kate Mashewske (#35), Megan Carney (#49)
Florida-3 Danielle Pavinelli (#17), Emma LoPinto (#23), Emily Heller (#40)
North Carolina-3 Caitlyn Wurzburger (#10), Emily Nalls (#14), Brooklyn Walker-Welch (#18)
Stony Brook-3 Ellie Masera (#6), Cailyn Hart (#32), Clare Levy (#37)
Virginia-3 Ashlyn McGovern (#27), Rachel Clark (#31), Aubrey Williams (#42)
Jacksonville-2 Sarah Elms (#38), Molly Brock (#43)
James Madison-2 Isabella Peterson (#26), Mairead Durkin (#28)
Loyola-2 Katie Detwiler (#8), Jillian Wilson (#21)
Northwestern-2 Izzy Scane (#3), Erin Coykendall (#16)
Notre Dame-2 Kasey Choma (#19), Madison Ahern (#29)
Rutgers-2 Cassidy Spilis (#9), Meghan Ball (#20)
Denver-1 Sam Thacker (#12)
Lehigh-1 Hayley Hunt (#47)
Ohio State-1 Chloe Johnson (#46)
Penn State-1 Kristin O'Neill (#48)
Stanford-1 Ashley Humphrey (#15)
USC-1 Emma Wightman (#50)
Vanderbilt-1 Bri Gross (#45)

Fascinating that the Ivies don't have a single woman on this list, while the league has 17 of the top 50 on the men's side. That is fairly consistent with the Ivy men producing 5 of the top 10 and 6 of the top 16 teams in the final poll from 2022. Two of the men's final four teams were from the league. The Ivy women only produced #9 Princeton and #25 Yale in the final '22 poll.

I would be interested in the thoughts of others about why such a discrepancy exists. Essentially, the facilities and resources are identical for the men's and women's Ivy teams, but the men are faring much better. With no real prospects to earn a living playing lacrosse, you might expect more women would opt for a higher school academically, as ranked by US News. (I know, that is a flawed system and comparison, but...) Financial aid is very generous at Ivies, at least partially off-setting the scholarship dollars available to athletes in other leagues. Is the quality or maybe intensity of the coaching among the current women's Ivy teams somehow not as high as the men's teams? Does the later start to the season hurt Ivy women more than Ivy men? Does BC have a stranglehold on the tip top talent in New England who might otherwise choose an Ivy? (No BC men's program to siphon from the four NE Ivies, of course.)

I suppose my best guess would be that Ivy women simply don't have a recent watershed moment like the Yale men winning the NC in 2018 or the deep tradition of Cornell's success to entice women who want a stellar education and a chance at playing on Memorial Day. It has been 20 years since Princeton won back to back women's national championships -- an accomplishment that may surprise many of today's high school players and their parents.

Thoughts?

[Lax101]

3 thoughts come to mind and this is based on high end current D1 players I know. First, not all good students are Ivy League kids that can handle the rigor of lax 4 hours per day and very challenging academic work. Second, top players get more scholarship money than people realize and they are not aware of the "need based" money they might get from an Ivy. Lastly and most importantly, top players want to compete at the highest level possible. They want to get to a final 4 etc. As the ranking of Ivy's dropped it becomes a bit of a domino effect. Better kids just look elsewhere so they can compete where they will win and get recognition.

[watcherinthewoods]

3 thoughts come to mind and this is based on high end current D1 players I know. First, not all good students are Ivy League kids that can handle the rigor of lax 4 hours per day and very challenging academic work. Second, top players get more scholarship money than people realize and they are not aware of the "need based" money they might get from an Ivy. Lastly and most importantly, top players want to compete at the highest level possible. They want to get to a final 4 etc. As the ranking of Ivy's dropped it becomes a bit of a domino effect. Better kids just look elsewhere so they can compete where they will win and get recognition.
[/quote

All of the above is more or less true. I will say that the Ivy women got hit very hard by COVID … many talented players lost the chance to develop and many others transferred … Bosco is the easiest example).

Need-based aid is hard to qualify for … most typical working families will not get this aid. I will add that even though I have been shouted down on this on this forum, the Ivy men have generous donors who fund tuition for players. Period.

[Kleizaster]

IL Top 50 List Thoughts:

1. Assuming she’s healthy, I would take Sacne over Meg Tyrell any day. 124 points in 16 games in 2021 is ridiculous. Her insane scoring makes her my pick for the best player in the country for next season.

2. For the third spot, I’d definitely take Smith over Bosco. Bosco is obviously an elite defender who’s also very good along the draw circle, but I’d rather have the two-way middie. 83 points to go with 24 CTs for Smith in just her sophomore season, she has Tewarraton upside.

3. Not a bold statement, but Maddie Jenner is easily the best draw specialist in college lacrosse.

4. Wurzburger over Medjid for the top 10 is hard to justify. They both play a similar role, initiating from the right X position, but Medjid was way more productive last season. 102 pts, 74 goals, 54% shooting for Medjid compared to 76 pts, 34 goals, 48% shooting for Wurzburger. I’m sure Wurzburger’s numbers will improve this season in an expanded role, but it feels like she’s prematurely getting credit for something she hasn’t accomplished yet.

5. Where is Hailey Rhatigan? She had 86 goals and 114 points in just 18 games last season with Mercer. That makes her the leading returning goal scorer in the country and second leading returner in points (behind only Ashley Humphrey from Stanford). Obviously, she was playing lesser competition than she’ll be playing when she joins Northwestern in the Big 10 next season, but regardless, those numbers should get you at least into the top 50 at minimum.

6. BC Final Notes:

Scales and Schleicher rightfully made the list. I like Scales slightly better as a 1v1 defender, but Schleicher is awesome along the draw circle and runs the transition super well.

Cassidy Weeks got snubbed. She was a bit inconsistent during the regular season, but then the postseason came around and she was a completely new player. She had a 6 goal game in the ACC tourney and was easily one of our best couple of players throughout the NCAAs, especially during championship weekend, where she made clutch plays throughout on both ends of the field, including the game winner against Maryland.

BC has 183 points to replace between the losses of North and Caitlynn Mossman. Look for a trio of young attackers in sophomores McKenna Davis and Mallory Hasselbeck and freshman Ava Besson to be in the best positions to fill this void. All three players are extremely talented with a ton of upside, and I would definitely expect to see at least one of them make this list for next season.

Well said all around. Great points supported by hard stats.

What are your thoughts on Summer Agostino? She was highly touted along with M. Hasselbeck and Davis yet she played sparingly in her 1st season.

Good stuff. BC defense and 2-way midfield are perennially underrated but will be the quiet foundation for another run. Offensive balance and depth of scoring will have to extend to the midfield where new faces like SA will emerge.

i don't know if BC has it in them this year. Good team on paper still..but i think they take a step back. They have made championship weekend how many times in a row now? It is not easy to continue a streak like that. I just dont think they have the offense to overcome that

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Good stuff. BC defense and 2-way midfield are perennially underrated but will be the quiet foundation for another run. Offensive balance and depth of scoring will have to extend to the midfield where new faces like SA will emerge.

i don't know if BC has it in them this year. Good team on paper still..but i think they take a step back. They have made championship weekend how many times in a row now? It is not easy to continue a streak like that. I just dont think they have the offense to overcome that

On paper, BC has as many guns on offense as anyone else. Remember--NU and NC graduated a lot of firepower in '22. Who else that made the Final 4, or even the Elite 8 for that matter, can be considered head and shoulders over the Eagles on offense? Plus--and this seems to be overlooked in your comments--BC has an excellent aggressive defensive strategy. Couple that with their certainly capable offensive core and they'll be back to championship weekend for the 6th year in a row. And who knows—they may even finally snag that elusive ACC Conference Championship they have coveted for lo these many years.

[Seacoaster(1)]

Good stuff. BC defense and 2-way midfield are perennially underrated but will be the quiet foundation for another run. Offensive balance and depth of scoring will have to extend to the midfield where new faces like SA will emerge.

i don't know if BC has it in them this year. Good team on paper still..but i think they take a step back. They have made championship weekend how many times in a row now? It is not easy to continue a streak like that. I just dont think they have the offense to overcome that

On paper, BC has as many guns on offense as anyone else. Remember--NU and NC graduated a lot of firepower in '22. Who else that made the Final 4, or even the Elite 8 for that matter, can be considered head and shoulders over the Eagles on offense? Plus--and this seems to be overlooked in your comments--BC has an excellent aggressive defensive strategy. Couple that with their certainly capable offensive core and they'll be back to championship weekend for the 6th year in a row. And who knows—they may even finally snag that elusive ACC Conference Championship they have coveted for lo these many years.

Re: BC -- Is there going to be a legitimate goalie competition this year between Hall and Dolce?

One of the reasons this year will be fun is the question marks:

How does UNC adapt to the loss to graduation of so many excellent and productive players?

How does NU recover from the greatest collapse many of us have ever seen, along with the loss of a good many excellent players?

What (and how good) is BC's offense in the post-North era?

How does Loyola manage its losses to graduation, particularly the departures of Rosenzweig, Kluegel and Fiedler?

Will Maryland seize the day; a lot of signs that this is a year it could win it all.

Can Syracuse play enough good defense, and resolve its goaltending issues, to get to the Final Four?

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

Re: BC -- Is there going to be a legitimate goalie competition this year between Hall and Dolce?

I would say yes based on how Acacia has handled keepers in the past. She put Abbey Ngai in goal early in the 2019 season when regular Lauren Daly came down with a debilitating illness; then wasn't skittish to put Daly back in goal when it became obvious Ngai couldn't get the job done in the postseason.

[Lax101]

To question the BC offense is a bit laughable in my opinion. What team collectively has a top 3 better than Medjid, Smith, and Martello ... and then you add lefty feeders Davis and Besson. Then you add Cassidy and Courtney Weeks who were the best players on the field last fall against the US National team. Courtney is a very gifted offensive player who BC did not have last year. UNC, Northwester, SB dont have this firepower. Can most people even name the 3 best offensive players at UNC or Northwestern? MD is very close to BC in talent. People also forget that BC does not even have to be that great on offense. They will have the best defense in their history this year. Schleicher, Roman, Scales and Mel all return ... couple that with middies that are great defenders. On paper they should be well positioned for championship weekend and the ACC tournament.

[njbill]

Re: BC -- Is there going to be a legitimate goalie competition this year between Hall and Dolce?

One of the reasons this year will be fun is the question marks:

How does UNC adapt to the loss to graduation of so many excellent and productive players?

How does NU recover from the greatest collapse many of us have ever seen, along with the loss of a good many excellent players?

What (and how good) is BC's offense in the post-North era?

How does Loyola manage its losses to graduation, particularly the departures of Rosenzweig, Kluegel and Fiedler?

Will Maryland seize the day; a lot of signs that this is a year it could win it all.

Can Syracuse play enough good defense, and resolve its goaltending issues, to get to the Final Four?

I’ll take a crack at these.

I suspect there probably will be a competition between the BC goalies, but I’d be quite surprised if Hall doesn’t win out. A BC insider told me that Dolce is streaky. That is entirely consistent with what I have seen of her play. I have seen her live in about a half a dozen games over the past couple of years. I’ve also seen her in several full length games on film. When she’s hot, she’s really good. But she has not been hot all that much when I have seen her. I have seen her pulled twice from high school games (different games). Would have been interested in hearing any reports about how she looked in the fall.

I suspect the answer to your UNC question will be “not particularly well.” They have lost so much exquisite talent that they simply have to fall back to a significant degree. Will they make the final four? At this point, I don’t think so, but we shall see.

I think the Northwestern players will recover just fine from
their semifinal loss. Every team in every sport is different from year to year, and the Wildcats won’t be an exception. Key players are gone. New ones will likely emerge in key roles in 2023. The coaching staff is tough as nails; they will bounce back as well. To me, the two big questions for NU are Skane and goalie. Will Izzy be 100%? Who is replacing Doucette?

I think your BC question is perhaps the most intriguing one. How will the Eagles be now that Hurricane Charlotte has blown out of town? She was undeniably a ball hog, but she did put the ball in the back of the net. To me, she disrupted the offense at times by dominating the ball and not looking to feed as much as she could have when she was doubled. There were rumors that at least some of her teammates did not like the way she hogged the ball. Was that just sour grapes or was there some actual truth in there? My assessment from afar is that while she did disrupt the offense at times, overall the offense next year will not be as strong without her. That’s just too many goals to flush down the toilet and expect the team to be as good offensively. It is important to remember, however, that Boston’s nemesis of the past few years is much weaker this year, so any relative diminishment in Boston’s offense may not hurt the team in comparison to their competition. Boston certainly looks stronger to me than UNC.

Don’t know Loyola as well as some of you guys do, but those seem to be really significant losses. I’m a big fan of Jersey girl Chase Boyle. Though she’s a potentially great player, I’m not sure she can fill all those shoes.

I think Maryland will seize the day and win the Natty. Among other things, they have the best coaching staff in the business. Many of their key players now have a year of tough playoff experience under their belts. I was wrong about Sterling. She certainly played an awful lot better last year than I thought she would.

Kayla has sure put together an interesting schedule. Big kudos to her for that. She seems to be banking on that schedule forging her team into a top competitor by the end of the season. Will she be right about that? Remains to be seen, but I wouldn’t bet against her. I said at the end of last season that I thought Syracuse would be strong this year if they could solve their goalie problem. Have they? I don’t know. Some of you guys follow the team more closely than I do so maybe you have some ideas about that.

[Bart]

To question the BC offense is a bit laughable in my opinion. What team collectively has a top 3 better than Medjid, Smith, and Martello ... and then you add lefty feeders Davis and Besson. Then you add Cassidy and Courtney Weeks who were the best players on the field last fall against the US National team. Courtney is a very gifted offensive player who BC did not have last year. UNC, Northwester, SB dont have this firepower. Can most people even name the 3 best offensive players at UNC or Northwestern? MD is very close to BC in talent. People also forget that BC does not even have to be that great on offense. They will have the best defense in their history this year. Schleicher, Roman, Scales and Mel all return ... couple that with middies that are great defenders. On paper they should be well positioned for championship weekend and the ACC tournament.

Good points. But BC better figure out the circle. Whom beside North took any meaningful draws? Good circle players but you need someone at the draw.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

To question the BC offense is a bit laughable in my opinion. What team collectively has a top 3 better than Medjid, Smith, and Martello ... and then you add lefty feeders Davis and Besson. Then you add Cassidy and Courtney Weeks who were the best players on the field last fall against the US National team. Courtney is a very gifted offensive player who BC did not have last year. UNC, Northwester, SB dont have this firepower. Can most people even name the 3 best offensive players at UNC or Northwestern? MD is very close to BC in talent. People also forget that BC does not even have to be that great on offense. They will have the best defense in their history this year. Schleicher, Roman, Scales and Mel all return ... couple that with middies that are great defenders. On paper they should be well positioned for championship weekend and the ACC tournament.

Good points. But BC better figure out the circle. Whom beside North took any meaningful draws? Good circle players but you need someone at the draw.

I think having a great draw specialist is overrated. Plenty of examples of teams winning the draw and losing possession, or winning the collective draw battle and losing the game. It's become a bit of an urban legend in women's lacrosse. Look at Maddie Jenner for Duke. What did having her do for them in the end?

[RollTheCrease]

There are always exceptions but I believe the data would show there is a strong correlation between draw controls and winning, especially when the difference is a wide margin. This translates into time of possession and this usually translates into more shots. More shots usually translates into more goals. This said, a high number of turnovers would certainly negate any draw win advantages. Agree a slight draw advantage probably isn’t enough to change the needle.