jrn19 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:45 pm
You’re not beating any of their poles; I suppose you could attack Burlace but he’s drawing whoever the #4 dodging option on the other team is, which for you guys I presume is…Higgins? Not sure on any freshmen who may be breaking into the lineup. That match-up is probably a wash. I don’t see where Loyola wins running by Zapitello/Makar/Geppert.
Last year, if you were gonna dodge Maryland, you did it by attacking their shorties from the wing. They weren’t super laterally quick, but really strong. This year I think it may be the inverse, they’re really quick but not quite as strong. If you’ve got some strong midfield dodgers who can get downhill, do it there. But also this is one game guesstimating, hard to know for sure. They still looked really good.
The offenses that caused them problems last two years were UVA and Ohio State. UVA did it by just running by them and shooting the lights out. I don’t think the first is replicable and you will have to do the second one. The Ohio State one could be possible for Loyola because when that offense works well; they do cut and move off ball so well. But Ohio State got them caught in the wash on adjacent picks and over helping so much and killed them inside. Basically the only team to penetrate the crease against them and get great looks. Of course, Jack Myers is a Top 5 attackmen in the country and uniquely great at being a guy who plays pick game and feeds crease. But Loyola has had success in those areas. Maybe a place to target.
I just see Loyola having trouble getting to a dozen or so goals though, esp if Wierman is 60%+.
On the offensive side, my question is Loyola’s poles after Wyers. If they’re strong, I think they could match up well in terms of stopping Maryland from running by them, which they did with ease a year ago. Rezanka likely gets a good matchup. But if it’s an area of weakness…Maryland had no trouble with Richmond a week ago winning matchups. Maltz looks stronger as a dodger, Murphy can pop at times. Long is always a threat. And you always have to account for just how good they are at hedging off their man and cutting to open space and creating tremendous spacing in their sets. It’s the best run offense in the country for a reason.
Loyola will fare better than Richmond, especially with a great home atmosphere, if their speciality teams are strong I could see it being a competitive game for a time but in the range of mid-teens for Maryland to 8-11 to Loyola is what I see
Yeah, they're going to have to attack the shorties on inverts. Tillman defenses are always good at stopping midfield alley dodges, so even you can run past a shorty up top, you're heading straight into an inside-out slide. Last year, Loyola's attack group just couldn't get their hands free to do anything, whether shooting or passing. Poitras is big, strong, and fast, and he got underneath shorties on the wing. Strangely, the Hounds didn't use Higgins much against Maryland behind the net last year. His quickness and ability to shake defenders behind the goal is high level.
Unfortunately for the Loyola, opening against the Terps is just brutal. You're going to turn the ball over in your first game, which is different than a scrimmage. You can't give the Terps any additional possessions by being sloppy with the ball. I think the Hounds can do some interesting things on the ride to cause the Terps problems.
In terms of Loyola getting out in transition, I think teams need to stick to their DNA. If running and going early on offense is what you do, you have to do that. You can still play smart and play fast.
