LaxPower Back-Up Stick

rolldodge wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 2:48 pm Much better game from the Hoyas on the defensive end. Like to see Banks and Moore settling in and nice effort from Foley filling in for an injured Tominovich. Short stick D-mids continue to be a bright spot.

On the FOs looks like Ball is still a bit banged up as well as running into an official that did not mesh with his style. His violations were not obviously violations.

Offensively, we look like a bunch of midfielders out there ... because they are. They have exactly one guy, Wray, who is skilled inside. I'd love to see them get some run for Caggiano on the 6v6 (he's running EMO). He's a skilled shooter and slick on the inside.

Turnovers in the 4th Quarter negated any chance for a comeback.

Biggest issue I have is not doing more to get Bundy into good positions and matchups. They should be setting him up for step down shots and secondary dodges once the initial dodge and ball movement have gotten the D spinning and created space. If you get Bundy rolling it will open up the offense for the rest of the team.

Another two tough games on the road with Penn and Notre Dame. Hoping to see some continual improvement. Go Hoyas!

cmbtp88 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 4:41 am

xxxxxxx wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 10:20 pm Transfer U
Has to be lots of current Seniors and Juniors who are very frustrated watching multiple mercenaries show up every year and take spots they were told during recruitment they could compete for. Good news is this is the last year of free Covid eligibility.

They can compete for it. Just be better than the other players at your position. Give the coach a reason to play you over somebody else, whether that is a freshman coming in or a transfer or the kid you beat out last year but worked harder than you in the weight room in the off season. Comments like yours are naive at best and show that you yourself have never competed athletically or you are acting that way. The coaches are there to field the best team they can. Man-up and beat somebody else out. It's only parents that make comments like this because the players have been competing for playing time since middle school and know very well they have to be better than other players at their positions to see the field or even make the team. There are plenty of seniors and juniors not seeing playing time because a freshman recruit comes in and beats them out. Their are plenty of 5th years transfers that don't see the playing field. The coaches should play the best players they have no matter what year they are and no matter how they came into the program. Mercinaries, you mean players that have competed in other programs and earned the opportunity to play their last year of eligibility and earn another degree? The good news is there opportunity for every player to earn playing time. Cheers!!!!

HGK wrote: ↑Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:25 pm Any opinions on having Carroll as the X attackman? He had a few COD goals in first two games that reminded me of Minicus. Haley has played well but drawing a short stick hurts the midfield , which is downfield dodging dominant from up top. Carroll at X doesn’t take a pole off Haley necessarily but creates more slides and that falls right into Haley’s game. Movement and feeding to off ball cutters. Then you have Carroll drawing a pole and creating slides which should help Bundy, Wray, Crogan, Vardaro etc get more hands free looks.

HGK wrote: ↑Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:25 pm Any opinions on having Carroll as the X attackman? He had a few COD goals in first two games that reminded me of Minicus. Haley has played well but drawing a short stick hurts the midfield , which is downfield dodging dominant from up top. Carroll at X doesn’t take a pole off Haley necessarily but creates more slides and that falls right into Haley’s game. Movement and feeding to off ball cutters. Then you have Carroll drawing a pole and creating slides which should help Bundy, Wray, Crogan, Vardaro etc get more hands free looks.

DMV_Guy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:52 pm Great win to get the Hoyas back on track. Like I said after the Loyola loss - this team will take some time to figure itself out. No one wins championships in February, so can’t get too up or down in the first three games. There are plenty of athletes on this roster, and we have a lot to be excited about with this group.

Attack unit was a major bright spot with Carroll showing flashes of Minicus, Bundy shooting efficiently, and the old TJ back with a classic 5 assist stat line.

Midfield looked solid with a ton of guys rotating through. Nice to see some new faces out there producing and getting reps. Still looking for Vardaro to get a little more involved, but should be scary once he starts to click.

Defense looked much better this week. On-ball they were way more aggressive, and guys are playing like they aren’t afraid to get beat. That said, the aggressive sliding was a notable improvement and finally felt like we were supporting dodgers. Huge win here.

In the cage the freshman is really settling in nicely with a ton of great stops and even some exciting plays out of the crease. He will raise the level of everyone around him if he can keep playing like this. Major kudos to him for coming back from a challenging first game against Loyola. Getting shelled can crush any goalie’s confidence, but clearly this kid has “it”. Really looking forward to watching him for four years.

In the middle of the field it was great to see Ball dominate at the X. As long as he stays healthy we should have an edge in a lot of games this season.

As far as areas for growth - the Hoyas need to be more careful with the ball. Too many sloppy turnovers and failed clears, but thankfully something entirely fixable and in their control. I anticipate this will be a focus this week for Coach Warne and the staff, particularly against Notre Dame and their 10-man.

Last point I’ll make: should Hess be getting reps on offense? Defensively and in the middle of the field he is a freak, but he used to fill it up on offense, and I would love to see him more on that side of the ball.

-Department of Motor Vehicles Guy

HGK wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 1:57 pm ND will be a real test obviously. The Loyola loss may make this a BEC or done scenario. That said, if can really compete with ND, beat Brown, HPU, Dartmouth and Richmond (which would likely be a top 15 win), there is a non AQ path if add in regular season wins vs Marquette and Denver and lose in BEC finals i’d guess. But realistically this team will need to win the BE to get to the tournament. So compete hard this weekend, keep getting better, hopefully do well in rest of OOC schedule and hopefully be hitting on all cylinders come BE play.

Finster wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 2:29 pm

HGK wrote: ↑Mon Feb 19, 2024 1:57 pm ND will be a real test obviously. The Loyola loss may make this a BEC or done scenario. That said, if can really compete with ND, beat Brown, HPU, Dartmouth and Richmond (which would likely be a top 15 win), there is a non AQ path if add in regular season wins vs Marquette and Denver and lose in BEC finals i’d guess. But realistically this team will need to win the BE to get to the tournament. So compete hard this weekend, keep getting better, hopefully do well in rest of OOC schedule and hopefully be hitting on all cylinders come BE play.

Hoyas in good shape after one. 3-1.

That said, fairly sloppy game so far on both sides.

tech37 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:23 pmGreat game!