After letting it marinate a bit....
1st Quarter:
~ Nice to see Goers still snagging #10's first goal game ball
~ Tough GB loss when #64 thought shot clock was over but was reset, advantage MSM
~ Subsequent ride was poo
~ 10:31 MSM 1st goal was like a middle school offense, our D fell for it being sucked upfield entirely too high
~ 9:32 F/O just laying stick out after winning in...you must always assume you have a trailer, always.
~ 7:34 #10 stuck ball watching, leaving MSM 32 wide open in middle of field, MSM 32 then gets an assist on their clear.
~ 5:28 MSM, same play as their 1st goal from 10:31 just from the otherside
~ 1:10 #6 Navy missed a beautiful throwback opportunity to #64 when he drew a double, then #12 also missed #64 sitting wide open at 5&5
2nd Quarter
~ 13:59 MSM was having a tough time on our picks. #28 shoots a bomb
~ 13:01 MSM again screws up assignments on pick, #28 missed throw back
~ 11:10 Skip passes will go
~ 9:34 #29 double teamed a ton, then just chucks in to the crease (just trying to do too much, understandably)
~ 8:13 #29 with the great feed inside to #10 turned in to a GLF. (#10 will figure it out as the game slows down for him)
~ 3:54 Navy EMO 6 vs 4 was just poo that time
3rd Quarter
~ 15:00 This is just something that erks the hell out me. The way we line up our wings just seems insane. We play the odds of the ball coming our way rather than making every F/O a 3v3 man to man battle. Just strange for college level game.
~ 14:26 MSM goal right down the middle. Could just be luck, but wondering if we are being coached to go put pressure at all costs, and not after settled? Something to keep an eye on.
~ 13:35 missing a goal opportunity on doorstep again. Lets hope no more of those.
~ 13:11 got beat, badly, on the sub game at midline
~ 12:24 Buy our goalie a steak dinner. Our MDD was stretched out too far, leaving middle wide open for a clean shot.
~ 12:06 #10 snags a bigtime GB at midline, gets mugged by to 2-3 MSM players. But for some reason tries to swim out with one hand. Get low, hands on plastic and stick butt, hell put it on your chest of thumb to get the hell outta there.
~ 6:12 another GLF on the doorstep
~ 6:08 #6 needs to add another shot in his arsenal
~ 4:13 MDD still too stretched out towards top and sides of the box for my liking. This leaves skip lanes open and when the backside does not pinch in/support the middle while ball is opposite, it exposes far too much turf for their O to work. Not to mention, we seemed to just slowly move in and out as we were onball/offball. IMO, we should really be moving fast in/out, especially as far out as we were.
Not going to re-watch the 4th.
This was certainly a team loss, we had plenty of opportunities to score goals directly in front of the cage. and gave MSM two. The pulse while at the game, just seemed like "someone else will get us the win" and then that pressure gets even worse as the clock ticks away and you play even tighter. MSM pulse was chill, and frankly it was a win-win matchup, and a trap game for Navy.
For those blaming coaching, certainly...and they'll accept that, it is part of the job description. However, IMO that is just like blaming the refs for a loss, when the players also know they too underperformed. Coaches do not teach missing shots wide open on the crease, they do not teach swim moves to escape a triple team GB possession, ball watching, scoring on oneself, throwing ill-advised passes, laying out the stick.
This is a pivotal moment, for a game that really had zero meaning chasing the PL AQ. Will it hurt RPI to back in with an at-large...sure, but the odds are extremely unlikely anyway. What matters 'most' is league play. I trust the staff will present the outcome in a meaningful way, and I hope they too can be vulnerable in this process.
Mercer ain't no joke, strap up.