44 Liam Entenmann 8 11 19 42%
Georgetown 2024
Re: Georgetown 2024
Hoyas made Entenmann look human,
Re: Georgetown 2024
Good things happen when you can create from behind the cage. Hoyas did that today.
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Re: Georgetown 2024
Kidding but I mean there is precedent: https://youtu.be/-zAp8NOpVKU?si=uQ5xKRi9mv_g2z2frolldodge wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:07 pmFarfromgeneva wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 8:01 pmI know it’s gentrified a lot I just like the idea of rioting in SE DC.HGK wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 6:40 pmJust a good win. On to Brown.Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 6:11 pmIs this nice or a “flip cars in eastern market” kind of win?
Dredge some bodies out of Anacostia and talk trash about sugar Ray Leonard’s wife while partying like weekend at Bernie’s in the hood.
You’d have to gentrify A LOT to have rioting over a lacrosse game.
That being said you have to acknowledge how far it’s come from the 80s. Like anywhere easy of 8th-10th out east capitol which is now turned all the way to the jail and old RFK. The SW Waterford area. Probably not the other side of the Anacostia but mostly down to it now compared w back when cops were regularly shot on the street. It was fairly cleaned up already by my time there first half of 2000s though there was still some shadiness but the money was flowing yet not completely institutional capital like now. I imagine it’s a lot harder to find trouble now than when I was there. Not that I’m into any of that sort of stuff just immersed myself in knowledge of the town I was living in experientially.
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Re: Georgetown 2024
Bottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
Re: Georgetown 2024
Very good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
Re: Georgetown 2024
On to the Brown game! Things the Hoyas need to work on IMO:Jldlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:25 amVery good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
- Transition. They played a slower tempo versus Notre Dame (for good reason) but still would like to see them push some transition with Moore's great outlet passes and their strong d-mids
- Vardaro needs to get out there with a bucket of balls in between grad-school classes and work on fundamentals -- overhand shooting and changing levels
- Getting Ball healthy and developing depth at FO
- Generally, keep up the improvement week over week and avoid any let downs
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Re: Georgetown 2024
Agree on the second midfield front, and that depth is going to be key if the Hoyas want to make noise this year. Goldberg got some runs after being mostly in the wilderness his first two years. He looked good on the invert and picked up an assist. Llewelyn had two great doorstep goals on well-timed cuts/handles for his first two goals. Cesare has sort of worked himself into the regular rotation getting shifts with both the first and second line, and while he hasn't lit up the score sheet yet, he's always making the right play in the flow of the offense.Jldlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:25 amVery good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
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Re: Georgetown 2024
I like Cesare.random observer wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:12 pmAgree on the second midfield front, and that depth is going to be key if the Hoyas want to make noise this year. Goldberg got some runs after being mostly in the wilderness his first two years. He looked good on the invert and picked up an assist. Llewelyn had two great doorstep goals on well-timed cuts/handles for his first two goals. Cesare has sort of worked himself into the regular rotation getting shifts with both the first and second line, and while he hasn't lit up the score sheet yet, he's always making the right play in the flow of the offense.Jldlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:25 amVery good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
“I wish you would!”
Re: Georgetown 2024
Guys that have gotten some time on the second midfield so far:random observer wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:12 pmAgree on the second midfield front, and that depth is going to be key if the Hoyas want to make noise this year. Goldberg got some runs after being mostly in the wilderness his first two years. He looked good on the invert and picked up an assist. Llewelyn had two great doorstep goals on well-timed cuts/handles for his first two goals. Cesare has sort of worked himself into the regular rotation getting shifts with both the first and second line, and while he hasn't lit up the score sheet yet, he's always making the right play in the flow of the offense.Jldlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:25 amVery good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
- Cesare
- Goldberg
- Llewellyn
- Horning
- Waldman
- Dudemaine
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Re: Georgetown 2024
It's something I've noticed Duke does more than any other program. Every week in the game notes previewing each game, you'll see a different midfield combination and guys moving up/down the first three lines. The pole group will fluctuate as well. Even into April, you'll see a new face show up out of nowhere to get significant runs in an ACC game.rolldodge wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 2:24 pmGuys that have gotten some time on the second midfield so far:random observer wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:12 pmAgree on the second midfield front, and that depth is going to be key if the Hoyas want to make noise this year. Goldberg got some runs after being mostly in the wilderness his first two years. He looked good on the invert and picked up an assist. Llewelyn had two great doorstep goals on well-timed cuts/handles for his first two goals. Cesare has sort of worked himself into the regular rotation getting shifts with both the first and second line, and while he hasn't lit up the score sheet yet, he's always making the right play in the flow of the offense.Jldlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:25 amVery good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
Personally, I love seeing all these guys get a shot on the field. I wonder if its one of those things where whoever is showing up at practice that week is going to get the run.
- Cesare
- Goldberg
- Llewellyn
- Horning
- Waldman
- Dudemaine
I've also noticed that even while bringing in stacked recruiting classes year after year and being an active user of the transfer portal, Duke hasn't had a single player transfer out since Danowski took over as far as I can tell. I don't think the two phenomenon are unrelated; it's much easier to keep players happy, motivated, and bought in when they know they actually have a fair chance to earn playing time in practice deep into the season.
Re: Georgetown 2024
Brown Fan here - must be a buzz on campus after the ND win - nice job - from a fans perspective 1. Will you guys overlook brown at 0-3? 2. What is your predicted score?
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Re: Georgetown 2024
Check out a full recap of the Georgetown victory from PLL player Jon Donville, and check out Lacrosse Culture Daily, a new lacrosse website!
https://lacrosseculturedaily.com/2024/0 ... eorgetown/
https://lacrosseculturedaily.com/2024/0 ... eorgetown/
Re: Georgetown 2024
Great breakdown and spot on analysis in my opinion.
In some sense, this team feels similar to last year's team in terms of figuring out who plays Attack and who runs Middie. ND seemed to struggle on who to put a short stick on. Putting a short stick on Haley isn't as simple as it used to be. He can get himself a goal if needed and he gets too much time for his feeding as well. They're obviously doing a lot of Big/Little as well that's getting all kinds of mismatches regardless of who an opponent chooses to pole.
They gotta figure out the X if they're going to be successful though. That part was tough to watch in the 2nd half.
In some sense, this team feels similar to last year's team in terms of figuring out who plays Attack and who runs Middie. ND seemed to struggle on who to put a short stick on. Putting a short stick on Haley isn't as simple as it used to be. He can get himself a goal if needed and he gets too much time for his feeding as well. They're obviously doing a lot of Big/Little as well that's getting all kinds of mismatches regardless of who an opponent chooses to pole.
They gotta figure out the X if they're going to be successful though. That part was tough to watch in the 2nd half.
Re: Georgetown 2024
LCD, this may just be a difference in taste for some of the post-ers within FanLax but... Can you tone down the self-promotion? Just posting your posts should work for your purposes, no?lacrosseculturedaily wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 12:42 pm Check out a full recap of the Georgetown victory from PLL player Jon Donville, and check out Lacrosse Culture Daily, a new lacrosse website!
https://lacrosseculturedaily.com/2024/0 ... eorgetown/
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Re: Georgetown 2024
My son’s getting him back before you get your paws on him. Should’ve dropped Griffin King or Tye Scott insteadTypical Lax Dad wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:19 pmI like Cesare.random observer wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:12 pmAgree on the second midfield front, and that depth is going to be key if the Hoyas want to make noise this year. Goldberg got some runs after being mostly in the wilderness his first two years. He looked good on the invert and picked up an assist. Llewelyn had two great doorstep goals on well-timed cuts/handles for his first two goals. Cesare has sort of worked himself into the regular rotation getting shifts with both the first and second line, and while he hasn't lit up the score sheet yet, he's always making the right play in the flow of the offense.Jldlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:25 amVery good win, GU had a plan and stuck with it. They seemed a bit rattled early by NDs athleticism but hung in and adjusted.Brownlax wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:40 amBottom line - absolutely HUGE win - especially at Arlotta! Congrats Hoyas!! Please take it easy on my Brown Bearsrandom observer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:31 pmIronically they have been there before, since they won at Arlotta two years ago. Warne is a character -- whether you love his antics or hate them, he's authentic and wears his emotions on his sleeves. It's not my style to be sure, but as long as it's connecting with his players and with recruits I'm not gonna complain.
As others have mentioned here, the key was generating offense from behind. GU inverted middies and got short stick matchups behind the goal very well v ND. Getting Carroll on a SSDM was deadly.He beat ND All-American SSDM #24 twice, including the game winner.
The close D and Moore are improving weekly, helped by a great rope unit. The SSDMs defended attackmen on switches very well, and generally handled their middie assignments. Banks did a great job on #51 Kavanaugh giving up only one G, and Foley and Stairs are quietly effective.
GU has been working on a second midfield unit and they had key contributions yesterday.
The FOs were an issue - was Ball injured again yesterday? He came off the field slowly again midway through the game.
The key now is to get back to work and avoid a letup over this next stretch. Richmond is a very solid team and will be tough at Richmond.
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
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- Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:53 am
Re: Georgetown 2024
Or you need to register with admin as an “official hype man” for your son and his fantasy lacrosse team in which case the promotion is ubiquitously cool and smooth.admin wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 7:08 pmLCD, this may just be a difference in taste for some of the post-ers within FanLax but... Can you tone down the self-promotion? Just posting your posts should work for your purposes, no?lacrosseculturedaily wrote: ↑Tue Feb 27, 2024 12:42 pm Check out a full recap of the Georgetown victory from PLL player Jon Donville, and check out Lacrosse Culture Daily, a new lacrosse website!
https://lacrosseculturedaily.com/2024/0 ... eorgetown/
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Re: Georgetown 2024
Obviously the danger into Brown is a let down. I would imagine Warne was not all warm and fuzzy this week with the boys so hopefully that is not the case. Llewelan stepping up is big. Haley beating poles is huge as creates more opportunities for the offense. Although the X is by committee at this point, the Hoyas are creating from behind and that is key to success down the road. Moore is clearly the real deal in the cage and his transition skills are really helping this team. The defense has tightened up and when a freshman can hold his own vs a guy like Kavanaugh that bodes well. Ball seems a bit banged up but I do think he can be a consistent 50+ guy at the faceoff X. Lot of positives going into the balance of the OOC schedule. Not to look ahead but Richmond is a huge game given the Loyola loss. Away from an AQ bid, Hoyas still may need a BET title, especially if lose one of the OOC games. One at a time. Hopefully no let down Saturday.
Re: Georgetown 2024
The Hoyas sit at 2-2 but have beaten the #1 team in the country as well as the team that beat the following #1 team in the country. The thesis that it was 3 great teams and everyone else a notch plus below seems to be out the window at this point. Could be a much more interesting late May than I think most anyone expected a week ago.
Re: Georgetown 2024
This thread a lot less quiet after the past couple wins - glad to see the fair weathers have crawled out of their holes just in time. It’s great to have everyone back.
As I said after the Hoyas opened up slow - these guys will take time, and they have all the pieces of the puzzle to be great. This is a final four team when they play like they did against ND. In my opinion this team is actually better than last year’s. We will be watching this team on Memorial Day weekend, and the main reason for my optimism is the goalie.
Last year we really struggled in between the pipes, and that had a negative cascading effect on everything. When every shot on cage is worse than a coin flip, people play tight. Guys are scared to get beat, slide aggressively, etc, and it kills momentum. With a keeper like Moore, everyone is able to settle down and play aggressive knowing he’s there to backstop it all. Georgetown had the best defense in the country with MacElroy in net, and that unit was largely the same guys (at least the rope unit). This freshman has the potential to be every bit as good.
When this defense is firing on all cylinders they will play with any offense in the country and become a major point of strength for Coach Warne’s team.
From last week, I thought Banks was outstanding. His game reminds me a lot of the #17 before him, and his performance covering Kavanaugh should give him a ton of confidence going forward. As a group, the rope unit continues to shine with Hess, Godine, Leary and Halpert arguably the best in the country. These guys have been playing together forever and I’d love to see them make a run together one last time. Hess did an amazing job covering one of the top midfielders in the game in Dobson. If Hess isn’t a first team AA then I don’t know what is.
Offensively I am really excited by what I saw against the Irish. This group is starting to gel and play very unselfish lacrosse. The ball movement and spacing was incredible. They were patient and methodical and got great looks even when they took shot clock violations. Guys were zipping passes to each other on the ear, and I love how many Hoyas are getting involved. They will be difficult to gameplan against given there isn’t just one guy to worry about - everyone is dangerous That said, Aidan Carroll is the real deal and his development from scout team guy to team captain and top producer is everything that is awesome about college lacrosse.
As far as places for improvement I think staying out of the penalty box is obvious, but fixable, and frankly I don’t mind guys playing aggressive and taking some penalties here and there in order to set a physical tone. Turnovers were also plentiful on Sunday, but I’m fine with that as long as we are playing fast, confident, and taking smart risks. My main concern is at the X. Ball showed flashes of greatness against Loyola, but he’s clearly banged up. Would love to see us work through other options to let him rest up. The season is long and unforgiving, particularly for faceoff guys, so finding ways to keep him healthy and fresh is extremely important.
Looking ahead, great win by Penn last night to help make our Hoyas look better come selection Sunday. That said, keep winning and all the problems go away. One game at a time and the next test is Bruno. Don’t know much about our opponent, but would imagine the record doesn’t tell the full story there. Either way, looking forward to another great opportunity to watch these Dawgs run.
-Department of Motor Vehicles Guy
As I said after the Hoyas opened up slow - these guys will take time, and they have all the pieces of the puzzle to be great. This is a final four team when they play like they did against ND. In my opinion this team is actually better than last year’s. We will be watching this team on Memorial Day weekend, and the main reason for my optimism is the goalie.
Last year we really struggled in between the pipes, and that had a negative cascading effect on everything. When every shot on cage is worse than a coin flip, people play tight. Guys are scared to get beat, slide aggressively, etc, and it kills momentum. With a keeper like Moore, everyone is able to settle down and play aggressive knowing he’s there to backstop it all. Georgetown had the best defense in the country with MacElroy in net, and that unit was largely the same guys (at least the rope unit). This freshman has the potential to be every bit as good.
When this defense is firing on all cylinders they will play with any offense in the country and become a major point of strength for Coach Warne’s team.
From last week, I thought Banks was outstanding. His game reminds me a lot of the #17 before him, and his performance covering Kavanaugh should give him a ton of confidence going forward. As a group, the rope unit continues to shine with Hess, Godine, Leary and Halpert arguably the best in the country. These guys have been playing together forever and I’d love to see them make a run together one last time. Hess did an amazing job covering one of the top midfielders in the game in Dobson. If Hess isn’t a first team AA then I don’t know what is.
Offensively I am really excited by what I saw against the Irish. This group is starting to gel and play very unselfish lacrosse. The ball movement and spacing was incredible. They were patient and methodical and got great looks even when they took shot clock violations. Guys were zipping passes to each other on the ear, and I love how many Hoyas are getting involved. They will be difficult to gameplan against given there isn’t just one guy to worry about - everyone is dangerous That said, Aidan Carroll is the real deal and his development from scout team guy to team captain and top producer is everything that is awesome about college lacrosse.
As far as places for improvement I think staying out of the penalty box is obvious, but fixable, and frankly I don’t mind guys playing aggressive and taking some penalties here and there in order to set a physical tone. Turnovers were also plentiful on Sunday, but I’m fine with that as long as we are playing fast, confident, and taking smart risks. My main concern is at the X. Ball showed flashes of greatness against Loyola, but he’s clearly banged up. Would love to see us work through other options to let him rest up. The season is long and unforgiving, particularly for faceoff guys, so finding ways to keep him healthy and fresh is extremely important.
Looking ahead, great win by Penn last night to help make our Hoyas look better come selection Sunday. That said, keep winning and all the problems go away. One game at a time and the next test is Bruno. Don’t know much about our opponent, but would imagine the record doesn’t tell the full story there. Either way, looking forward to another great opportunity to watch these Dawgs run.
-Department of Motor Vehicles Guy
Wife and four kids. I work at the Department of Motor Vehicles so please speak slowly. Posting in between shifts from the toilet.