W&L 2024

[valaxfan]

It's nice to see a fellow poster admit they were wrong. Good to see.

valaxfan

[W&Lacrosse75]

That is the truth.

[W&Lacrosse75]

Question is where does W&L go from here. For now I’ve just totally enjoyed the season. Hoping to watch a great match with RIT beating Tufts tomorrow. There will be time enough for future assessments. Bottom line the future looks bright in Lex !

There is an old song “Nothing breeds success like success.” If W&L can build on what they accomplished this season with the 2024 recruiting class already committed, and strengthen their winning culture and confidence with another strong class in 2025, the recruiting will start to resemble a small machine, similar to several of the Northeastern private colleges. And the fact that they are now playing some of those colleges in multiple sports will only solidify their reputation with those already considering the school first and foremost for academics.

[SouthieLax]

This goes out to w&Llacrosse75,
I've finally crawled out of my hole from seeing last saturdays results...I must say I've eaten my fair share of crow this week. Its like a fire on my tongue, burning my mouth to say, but well done generals. Congrats on a season that was historic within a program that's had a handful of historic seasons. You beat the best team in the country at their place in the playoffs, down 7, that shows grit. I will be back to throw more hate but for now, job well done.

Let’s not give him too much credit he came back to self-anoint the Gulls again. Correction, the two best teams play tomorrow. Just like CNU sometimes returning all that talent/grads doesn’t translate. Salisbury played no one this year. They were exposed by a better team. Back to the drawing board JB.

[choochooCharlie]

Let’s not give him too much credit he came back to self-anoint the Gulls again. Correction, the two best teams play tomorrow. Just like CNU sometimes returning all that talent/grads doesn’t translate. Salisbury played no one this year. They were exposed by a better team. Back to the drawing board JB.

Better team? What planet are you from? I’m glad they won, but get a grip. They weren’t the better team.

[Faxlax]

The better team is the one who wins the game. It is not that complicated.

[liongoes]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

[Motorman]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

[W&Lacrosse75]

Penalties that were caused in large part by stepped up pressure from their opponent, and then wearing themselves out trying to overcome them. W&L was also worn out at games’ end from clawing back from an 8-1 deficit.

And, much like every team that finds itself up by a large margin, human nature and lack of focus may have taken over. (maybe a little disbelief that W&L had such a comeback in them as well)

And it is no sin to have this scenario take place after a 57 game winning streak. But I would imagine that doesn’t make it any less painful for a great team like Salisbury.

[Backlax]

This goes out to w&Llacrosse75,
I've finally crawled out of my hole from seeing last saturdays results...I must say I've eaten my fair share of crow this week. Its like a fire on my tongue, burning my mouth to say, but well done generals. Congrats on a season that was historic within a program that's had a handful of historic seasons. You beat the best team in the country at their place in the playoffs, down 7, that shows grit. I will be back to throw more hate but for now, job well done.

Let’s not give him too much credit he came back to self-anoint the Gulls again. Correction, the two best teams play tomorrow. Just like CNU sometimes returning all that talent/grads doesn’t translate. Salisbury played no one this year. They were exposed by a better team. Back to the drawing board JB.

Seriously... "exposed by a better team" "Back to the drawing board" I think the NCAA all-time winningest coach on the verge of winning more championships is just fine. They have a foundation of success and a tried and true plan that has stood the test of time. If I'm not mistaken, Salisbury has never missed the NCAA tournament during Coach Berkmans' tenure. The team is back at work, the coaches are back on the road, and the Gulls will be back in the thick of it again next year.

Take nothing away from W&L - they had a good season, and pulled out a gutsy win. A few teams have done this, the trick is can you do it again.

Should be a good game today - good luck to RIT and Tufts.

[Backlax]

Penalties that were caused in large part by stepped up pressure from their opponent, and then wearing themselves out trying to overcome them. W&L was also worn out at games’ end from clawing back from an 8-1 deficit.

And, much like every team that finds itself up by a large margin, human nature and lack of focus may have taken over. (maybe a little disbelief that W&L had such a comeback in them as well)

And it is no sin to have this scenario take place after a 57 game winning streak. But I would imagine that doesn’t make it any less painful for a great team like Salisbury.

+1

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

OR you could say; the Generals won more ground balls, took 58% of the face offs , made more saves, had more shots and were better shooters that day. Generals had 6 more opportunities on man up than Salisbury but it was more than just that leading to the win.

[5Star]

Turns out Salisbury has only had two games in their last 40 where the opponent has come within 3 goals. Their most recent, and a 2023 12-9 win over… you guessed it W&L. For whatever reason W&L seems to match up well with the gulls right now. Question is will they build off some of this success and create even more success?

[Nothinbutthelax]

Turns out Salisbury has only had two games in their last 40 where the opponent has come within 3 goals. Their most recent, and a 2023 12-9 win over… you guessed it W&L. For whatever reason W&L seems to match up well with the gulls right now. Question is will they build off some of this success and create even more success?

U may want to check LYN score last year (2021 too).
W&L’s win this year was fantastic! ODAC will be putting in work off season..

[5Star]

Turns out Salisbury has only had two games in their last 40 where the opponent has come within 3 goals. Their most recent, and a 2023 12-9 win over… you guessed it W&L. For whatever reason W&L seems to match up well with the gulls right now. Question is will they build off some of this success and create even more success?

U may want to check LYN score last year (2021 too).
W&L’s win this year was fantastic! ODAC will be putting in work off season..

That is true, however that was 42 games ago for Salisbury.

[MVPiccoli]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

OR you could say; the Generals won more ground balls, took 58% of the face offs , made more saves, had more shots and were better shooters that day. Generals had 6 more opportunities on man up than Salisbury but it was more than just that leading to the win.

One of the things I personally haven't seen before (with regards to Salisbury) happened in that game. Usually, when the Gulls are able to punch first, that run takes the fight out of the other side. It's like they were at base camp to start the game and then got bullied all the way to sea level. The climb looks even tougher. W&L winning in that fashion makes it all the more impressive.

[valaxfan]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

OR you could say; the Generals won more ground balls, took 58% of the face offs , made more saves, had more shots and were better shooters that day. Generals had 6 more opportunities on man up than Salisbury but it was more than just that leading to the win.

Motorman, you are missing the fact that if Salisbury was so good, this should have never happened. As Dehunt points out, the metrics speak for themselves for the entirety of the game. Especially from the 2nd quarter on. W&L was the better team, and really should have won that game in regulation, if not for the bogus call at the end. Sometimes, the team with the better players, get outplayed by another "team" who just plays an overall better game, and this is exactly what happened here. Gennies just wanted this game more than the Gulls!!

valaxfan

[valaxfan]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

OR you could say; the Generals won more ground balls, took 58% of the face offs , made more saves, had more shots and were better shooters that day. Generals had 6 more opportunities on man up than Salisbury but it was more than just that leading to the win.

Motorman, you are missing the fact that if Salisbury was so good, this should have never happened. As Dehunt points out, the metrics speak for themselves for the entirety of the game. Especially from the 2nd quarter on. W&L was the better team, and really should have won that game in regulation, if not for the bogus call at the end. Sometimes, the team with the better players, get outplayed by another "team" who just plays an overall better game, and this is exactly what happened here. Gennies just wanted this game more than the Gulls!!

valaxfan

[Motorman]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

OR you could say; the Generals won more ground balls, took 58% of the face offs , made more saves, had more shots and were better shooters that day. Generals had 6 more opportunities on man up than Salisbury but it was more than just that leading to the win.

Motorman, you are missing the fact that if Salisbury was so good, this should have never happened. As Dehunt points out, the metrics speak for themselves for the entirety of the game. Especially from the 2nd quarter on. W&L was the better team, and really should have won that game in regulation, if not for the bogus call at the end. Sometimes, the team with the better players, get outplayed by another "team" who just plays an overall better game, and this is exactly what happened here. Gennies just wanted this game more than the Gulls!!

valaxfan

Valaxfan, I agree that Gulls were outplayed at many points of the game. The game changed when the penalties started kicking in, if you look at score prior to first penalty it was a blowout. When a team gives up 5 man down goals it’s hard to expect a win. Playing man down is exhausting and effects everything from ground balls wins to turnovers. No one is saying penalties weren’t legit. Without 9 penalties the outcome might have been different.

[valaxfan]

I wouldn't say the better overall team always wins, but the better team that day does. Salisbury was a better team overall than W&L, but the gap between them was much smaller than everyone assumed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would argue that the same is true for 2024 Salisbury when compared to D3 in general. Obviously the gap was small enough where an off day for Salisbury and great day for a team like W&L would push the underdog over the top, which is exactly what happened.

With that background, saying that Salisbury was the best team in the country this season at this point doesn't make sense to me. To some degree I think both fans AND non-fans of the program anoint the Gulls every year because they are the Gulls. I did that myself this season. I didn't know how average their schedule was until I saw it mentioned here, and I assumed it was the same old Salisbury, a shoo in on the way to ring 14. Looking back at their season though, their schedule was below average for a top team. Many of their opponents who are usually strong were down, they scuffled around against a number of teams they should have beaten easily, and they did not face many tournament quality squads. They were obviously one of the best teams in D3, still in that elite group at the top, but a somewhat soft schedule may have hidden issues that could have come to the surface (and hopefully been addressed) against a more challenging slate.

Game was decided by one thing, penalties. If Gulls don’t take 9 in the game, the result isn’t close. Salisbury leading by 7 until the penalty bug kicked in, without them the Generals had no chance. Part of the game and Gulls need to own it, they gave the game away.

OR you could say; the Generals won more ground balls, took 58% of the face offs , made more saves, had more shots and were better shooters that day. Generals had 6 more opportunities on man up than Salisbury but it was more than just that leading to the win.

Motorman, you are missing the fact that if Salisbury was so good, this should have never happened. As Dehunt points out, the metrics speak for themselves for the entirety of the game. Especially from the 2nd quarter on. W&L was the better team, and really should have won that game in regulation, if not for the bogus call at the end. Sometimes, the team with the better players, get outplayed by another "team" who just plays an overall better game, and this is exactly what happened here. Gennies just wanted this game more than the Gulls!!

valaxfan

Valaxfan, I agree that Gulls were outplayed at many points of the game. The game changed when the penalties started kicking in, if you look at score prior to first penalty it was a blowout. When a team gives up 5 man down goals it’s hard to expect a win. Playing man down is exhausting and effects everything from ground balls wins to turnovers. No one is saying penalties weren’t legit. Without 9 penalties the outcome might have been different.

Unfortunately, now back to WL75, penalties, which are part of the game, but they were the result of W&L being assertive and Salisbury not, so the Gulls committed the penalties. Now, I will give you this. W&L's man-up was not the greatest coming into the tourney but whatever man down defense the Gulls were playing, was not effective against a team that was just flying all over the field. And, that team was just simply playing better that day, whether penalties, or not, we just played better and the Gulls did not, final score proves that.

valaxfan