Fall Ball

[SPIDERLAXFAN]

In an effort to get back on target regarding this thread… I agree with the Dr that fall ball is fall ball and it is not a true indication of a teams ability. It’s meant to allow coaches evaluate new players and experiment.

That being said, it was great being back in the stands watching lacrosse without having to wear a mask and see the kids enjoying themselves. For those that didn’t see any of these games, UR played well against a competitive fall lineup that included UNC, UVA, HP, JMU, G-TOWN, VT, and Duke. I think it’s a good thing that the bar has been set low for this Spiders team which is playing with a lot of positive energy under the new coaching regime. Their early exit in the A10 tournament vs St Joe’s, as humbling as it was, was probably the best thing for them.

Looking forward to a normal spring season. GO 🕷’s!!!

[8meterPA]

Don't know if it's true or not but I heard they all wore fake eyelashes, neon green lipstick, and stuffed their sports bras with water balloons too. Talk about ridiculous...geezuz h!!

I literally just spite out my water laughing

[Dr. Tact]

Didn't think you were disparaging any teams was just curious how you felt JMU, Loyola and Florida looked better than Hopkins yesterday when Hopkins beat all 3 of them fairly easily.

Hop did look very good, but a bit of a clarification, they beat Loyola by two....not "fairly easily".....just teasing you hmmmm...

Now that 5-3 game extruded to an hour would be 10-6 and that might be "fairly easily"

Just joshin you....I need to repeat the first rule about Fall Ball...It is Fall Ball and scores don't matter.

[Dr. Tact]

Dr Tact wrote :
"Lots of new faces on the hounds and it was only harder as they all switched their jerseys so no one's number was what they were last week....(some unwritten rule about not showing your competition your real numbers if you are going to play in the season )"

REALLY? That is so stupid. Is there some fake tactical advantage in doing this? I cannot stand fake gamesmanship. Not running all your plays is one thing, but switching numbers is silly at best, dumb at worst.

To quote James H...."Sad but true". Dont shoot the messenger, I thought it was weird at the last play date where they switched unis for one team, but not the other 3.

I dont know why they do it as scouting Fall Ball tape is also considered a no-no. Its not likely that an opposing coach doesnt know who Livy, Jillian, Katie, etc are....

[Dr. Tact]

Dr Tact wrote :
"Lots of new faces on the hounds and it was only harder as they all switched their jerseys so no one's number was what they were last week....(some unwritten rule about not showing your competition your real numbers if you are going to play in the season )"

REALLY? That is so stupid. Is there some fake tactical advantage in doing this? I cannot stand fake gamesmanship. Not running all your plays is one thing, but switching numbers is silly at best, dumb at worst.

Especially this day and age when game film has never been more accessible

From what I have been told by the D. Fall ball tape is an unwritten no-no. Cant speak for that anywhere else, but that is what I heard

[Dr. Tact]

...but those are all perennial(not perineal ) top 10 programs.

Very Nice!!!

[Dr. Tact]

In an effort to get back on target regarding this thread… I agree with the Dr that fall ball is fall ball and it is not a true indication of a teams ability. It’s meant to allow coaches evaluate new players and experiment.

That being said, it was great being back in the stands watching lacrosse without having to wear a mask and see the kids enjoying themselves. For those that didn’t see any of these games, UR played well against a competitive fall lineup that included UNC, UVA, HP, JMU, G-TOWN, VT, and Duke. I think it’s a good thing that the bar has been set low for this Spiders team which is playing with a lot of positive energy under the new coaching regime. Their early exit in the A10 tournament vs St Joe’s, as humbling as it was, was probably the best thing for them.

Looking forward to a normal spring season. GO 🕷’s!!!

I would say it is a close race between JMU and the Spiders for Commonwealth Cup this year. UVA was very young last year, maybe, if coaching doesnt get in the way, they can compete as well. Not sure about my Hokies - hoping....

[wlaxphan20]

Dr Tact wrote :
"Lots of new faces on the hounds and it was only harder as they all switched their jerseys so no one's number was what they were last week....(some unwritten rule about not showing your competition your real numbers if you are going to play in the season )"

REALLY? That is so stupid. Is there some fake tactical advantage in doing this? I cannot stand fake gamesmanship. Not running all your plays is one thing, but switching numbers is silly at best, dumb at worst.

Especially this day and age when game film has never been more accessible

From what I have been told by the D. Fall ball tape is an unwritten no-no. Cant speak for that anywhere else, but that is what I heard

Sorry about the confusion, I was actually still referring to in-season games. More programs and conferences than ever have streaming platforms. Unless you're a team's first or second game of the season, there's a good chance you'll be able to watch them play one way or another before playing them yourselves and be able to come up with some kind of game plan IMO.

Fall ball is definitely still fall ball and I can't see much benefit to scouting fall ball film.

[hmmm]

Didn't think you were disparaging any teams was just curious how you felt JMU, Loyola and Florida looked better than Hopkins yesterday when Hopkins beat all 3 of them fairly easily.

Hop did look very good, but a bit of a clarification, they beat Loyola by two....not "fairly easily".....just teasing you hmmmm...

Now that 5-3 game extruded to an hour would be 10-6 and that might be "fairly easily"

Just joshin you....I need to repeat the first rule about Fall Ball...It is Fall Ball and scores don't matter.

Fair enough. Point was the game wasn't ever really in doubt after the first 10 mins or so. It's fall ball so taken with a grain of salt. My question was really how the other poster could surmise that JMU, Loyola and Florida all outplayed Hopkins yesterday if they watched the games.

[hmmm]

Didn't think you were disparaging any teams was just curious how you felt JMU, Loyola and Florida looked better than Hopkins yesterday when Hopkins beat all 3 of them fairly easily.

Hop did look very good, but a bit of a clarification, they beat Loyola by two....not "fairly easily".....just teasing you hmmmm...

Now that 5-3 game extruded to an hour would be 10-6 and that might be "fairly easily"

Just joshin you....I need to repeat the first rule about Fall Ball...It is Fall Ball and scores don't matter.

Fair enough. Point was the game wasn't ever really in doubt after the first 10 mins or so. It's fall ball so taken with a grain of salt. My question was really how the other poster could surmise that JMU, Loyola and Florida all outplayed Hopkins yesterday if they watched the games. Yesterday obviously means jack squat come spring but found it interesting someone could come away from the games yesterday with that opinion. In all likelihood those 3 teams will end up ranked ahead of Hopkins at the end of the season, but they certainly didn't outplay Hopkins yesterday.

[Dr. Tact]

Didn't think you were disparaging any teams was just curious how you felt JMU, Loyola and Florida looked better than Hopkins yesterday when Hopkins beat all 3 of them fairly easily.

Hop did look very good, but a bit of a clarification, they beat Loyola by two....not "fairly easily".....just teasing you hmmmm...

Now that 5-3 game extruded to an hour would be 10-6 and that might be "fairly easily"

Just joshin you....I need to repeat the first rule about Fall Ball...It is Fall Ball and scores don't matter.

Fair enough. Point was the game wasn't ever really in doubt after the first 10 mins or so. It's fall ball so taken with a grain of salt. My question was really how the other poster could surmise that JMU, Loyola and Florida all outplayed Hopkins yesterday if they watched the games.

From my seat in the stands and then later under the tent with a cold one (or four), Hop was the best team of the day. As I mentioned earlier, there was just a drive with the Blue Jays that wasnt evident, except for a little barking from JMU, in the other teams I watched. JMU beat Loyola by more, but I think the ones were riding the pine at that point.

The best result from all the games I watched was no serious injuries.....

[hmmm]

Didn't think you were disparaging any teams was just curious how you felt JMU, Loyola and Florida looked better than Hopkins yesterday when Hopkins beat all 3 of them fairly easily.

Hop did look very good, but a bit of a clarification, they beat Loyola by two....not "fairly easily".....just teasing you hmmmm...

Now that 5-3 game extruded to an hour would be 10-6 and that might be "fairly easily"

Just joshin you....I need to repeat the first rule about Fall Ball...It is Fall Ball and scores don't matter.

Fair enough. Point was the game wasn't ever really in doubt after the first 10 mins or so. It's fall ball so taken with a grain of salt. My question was really how the other poster could surmise that JMU, Loyola and Florida all outplayed Hopkins yesterday if they watched the games.

From my seat in the stands and then later under the tent with a cold one (or four), Hop was the best team of the day. As I mentioned earlier, there was just a drive with the Blue Jays that wasnt evident, except for a little barking from JMU, in the other teams I watched. JMU beat Loyola by more, but I think the ones were riding the pine at that point.

The best result from all the games I watched was no serious injuries.....

Unfortunately JMU had a potentially significant injury in one of their games on secondary field. Game had to be stopped while she was attended to.

[Mrs@inthe8m]

Great day at Loyola. Weather was perfect and lots of outstanding lacrosse played with some of the top teams in the country. Hard to say how the coaches subbed their players or what rotations they used. JMU was the top program over Florida and Loyola. Hopkins and then Penn State in that order. None of it matters though as so much will change prior to February. I know there is another thread on this but there is a lot of parity in the women's game.

Not sure how you figure that when Hopkins and JMU both went 3-1 and Hopkins beat JMU 6-2 in a game that wasn't even competitive. Hopkins beat Florida and Loyola as well and neither of those games were all that competitive either. Loyola was 2-2. Florida and PSU were 1-3.

It's fall ball and results don't really matter just curious how you came away with that breakdown if you watched the games.

I did not see JHU vs. PSU, but really surprised to hear Hopkins lost this game. Did JHU rest their top players? Were JHU's top players worn out after playing much of the previous games? Seems odd that JHU is so good to easily beat JMU, Loyola and Florida (those games not all that competitive, to quote you) but unable to beat PSU even with liberal subbing. Maybe PSU started clicking that game? Not questioning your judgement, just curious what was different that game.

I agree you can't read too much into fall ball, but my impression was that Loyola and JMU looked really good at times when their more experienced players were in the game. They seemed more willing to have higher numbers of less experienced players on the field at a given time at the risk of not winning. JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw. Florida and Penn State lost a lot from this past spring and it showed, but much can happen by next spring with good coaching and hard work. Florida looked more poised to rebound, especially with their AA goalie to keep them in games. Nice format, facility and grouping of top 20 programs for a fall play day.

[hmmm]

Great day at Loyola. Weather was perfect and lots of outstanding lacrosse played with some of the top teams in the country. Hard to say how the coaches subbed their players or what rotations they used. JMU was the top program over Florida and Loyola. Hopkins and then Penn State in that order. None of it matters though as so much will change prior to February. I know there is another thread on this but there is a lot of parity in the women's game.

Not sure how you figure that when Hopkins and JMU both went 3-1 and Hopkins beat JMU 6-2 in a game that wasn't even competitive. Hopkins beat Florida and Loyola as well and neither of those games were all that competitive either. Loyola was 2-2. Florida and PSU were 1-3.

It's fall ball and results don't really matter just curious how you came away with that breakdown if you watched the games.

I did not see JHU vs. PSU, but really surprised to hear Hopkins lost this game. Did JHU rest their top players? Were JHU's top players worn out after playing much of the previous games? Seems odd that JHU is so good to easily beat JMU, Loyola and Florida (those games not all that competitive, to quote you) but unable to beat PSU even with liberal subbing. Maybe PSU started clicking that game? Not questioning your judgement, just curious what was different that game.

I agree you can't read too much into fall ball, but my impression was that Loyola and JMU looked really good at times when their more experienced players were in the game. They seemed more willing to have higher numbers of less experienced players on the field at a given time at the risk of not winning. JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw. Florida and Penn State lost a lot from this past spring and it showed, but much can happen by next spring with good coaching and hard work. Florida looked more poised to rebound, especially with their AA goalie to keep them in games. Nice format, facility and grouping of top 20 programs for a fall play day.

Hopkins subbed pretty liberally most the day. Maybe more so in the Florida and PSU games for whatever reason but were constantly subbing girls in and out. Hopkins played their sophs and freshman a lot yesterday who are both experiencing fall ball for the first time with no fall last year and definitely were playing with a lot of energy. The PSU game was their 3rd of back to back games while PSU was off before the last game. Not sure if that had any effect or not. PSU still has a lot of talent on their roster however. PSU won nearly every draw in the hopkins game. I believe hopkins also got 5 cards in a 35 min game which probably had something to do with tired legs. All in all it was a great day and Loyola did a fantastic job bringing those 5 programs in. There was a lot of talent on the field for all 5 teams and I'm sure was very useful to the coaches to see what they have on their rosters.

[Dr. Tact]

JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw.

I too got that vibe. They were very into the game against Loyola.

[hmmm]

JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw.

I too got that vibe. They were very into the game against Loyola.

This article may explain the passion you saw from the Hopkins sideline.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ily-/58535

[Dr. Tact]

JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw.

I too got that vibe. They were very into the game against Loyola.

This article may explain the passion you saw from the Hopkins sideline.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ily-/58535

Yeah the talk in the tent was that they were playing hard for JT.

[8meterPA]

JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw.

I too got that vibe. They were very into the game against Loyola.

This article may explain the passion you saw from the Hopkins sideline.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ily-/58535

Lot of respect for her and that program - a great teacher and ambassador of the game. Those kids are fortunate to be able to play for her.

[DMac]

Ya play like you practice.
Jus' sayin'.

[Bart]

JHU also looked good, but gave off more of a "playing to win" vibe from what I saw.

I too got that vibe. They were very into the game against Loyola.

This article may explain the passion you saw from the Hopkins sideline.

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... ily-/58535

This is a really interesting quote from the article:

“I am going out with my family,” she says. “This was one of those years where it just became obvious to me that I didn’t want to mess with our current vibe and the young women who have been through so much with me. There [are] 41 [players] on our roster…They deserve the opportunity to get all our opportunities and get our attention.”

Can't say I disagree with the sentiment. (bold added)