LaxPower Back-Up Stick

UMass didn’t show up…until the 4th quarter… Hobart D looked like a HS jv team the last 10 minutes and goalie couldn’t save a beach ball..

Pathetic. Tired of this every year.

Just hope everyone who’s been around a bit, pays attention and cares about HWS understands that Raymond can no longer be the Head Coach at Hobart College. Can site the evidence of no shows and insane leads blown, parents across performance spectrum who can speak to their concerns with his style, the clear poor EQ that leads to worse decision making in the field and who knows if it bleeds into some of their futures. He got himself a raise a few years back and after ten plus years he’s demonstrated an inability to instill the kids with the ability to maintain an advantage/lead which is a critical feature of a coaches job at any level. We’ve all seen this long enough and have accepted many excuses or justifications and continued to support him. But we need better for the kids at this simple aspect than a decade of failures where it’s clearly mental. We can’t pay guys to retire on a lake and get that in return.

And sadly maybe he is what some had concerns about way back when: the last hire of an outgoing AD Hanna (friends with Matt Hanna - close). An AD who’s last ten to fifteen years were riddled with failure and ineptitude. Awesome guy, always loved him but he damaged the colleges the last good stretch and he dropped his kids son on the way out. That may be over the top but it’s facts on the ground. The litany of athletics issues weren’t Mike long from mid 90s to early 2010s.

That’s all. Won’t bother with this game. We’ve all seen it a million times before and it’s unsurprising at this point. At home on a beautiful spring say to open conference play…

I was screaming at my computer screen to go Zone the last 5 mins—UMass was abusing us 1v1 down the right alley, no slide. At least make them take an outside shot. But then again, their last goal was 15 yards out, so probably wouldn’t have mattered. Big goal off the face by Barthelem to make it 12-10 and the next faceoff Hobart won, but short stick immediately lost it. If they keep possession there, game is probably over…as Coach U would say, if “ifs and buts were candy & nuts, think what a party we’d have”!

Wow, give up 9 in the 4th. So many times I hear Hobart ran out of gas...... maybe so. If that's the case, fault the Conditioning Coach who's no longer here. The team, including goals, should run, run and run some more..... can't use the excuse, we ran out of gas.

The only conference championship in this ERA was with TW's recruits. On the podcast he always mentions great leadership in the room. Hard to believe that to be the case with a 4th quarter like that. I don't think we lost because we were out coached by any means. A lack of execution and heart brings us to a loss like we had today.

Hobart didn’t run out of gas, they just didn’t execute. UMass found a match up they exploited on the right hand side as someone mentioned. Hobart didn’t figure out UMass’s defense in the 4th. At least it wasn’t snowing.

Face it, we got bullied in Q4. Smurfs, except for 1 at SSDM let UMass force their way to shots that should never have happened. The gwg was from 15 yards out from a guy who was untouched and Wilson saw it the whole way. Richmond will mop the floor with us. The tone of the game changed 26 seconds into the second half when UMass scored... 26 friggin seconds.... How TF do you come out of a halftime having dominated play in the 1st half and let that happen? The team that played the 1st half disappeared after that. Our DC is clueless. If he can't figure out you need to to switch to a zone when Foley and Tobin are pushing their coverage around, then maybe you shouldn't be coaching college lacrosse. Maybe FFG isn't wrong. The only decent part of the coaching is our Offense. Unfortunately, guys forgot how to pick up ground balls or to get to a open when their teammate needs an outlet. The losses to Dartmouth and Lehigh last year foretold this loss. Something has to change. Otherwise we're spinning our wheels and think we're getting somewhere.

Agree with Ketch ... stick a fork in it. If they win next week, away, there is a path, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't think the problem was all in the 4th quarter. We only scored twice in the 3rd .... it was an extended scoring drought. UMass found a weakness and hammered it, but that was okay until we had a psychic collapse. At that point you could feel the game shift. It's never good when you respond to an opponents run with a sense of doom. The D collapsed, but as usual they had to play constantly in the second half. Plus, they didn't seem to adjust at all. What a waste.

I really can’t watch this anymore
The coaches made no changes as UMass just kept strolling to the goal virtually unimpeded down the right alley
It was an embarrassing performance for most of the second half
I frankly do not see the great leadership and character Raymond is always talking about
I’m sure the full squad is having a grand old time at Ron’s while we are sick about what we saw!

Laxgunea wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 3:40 pm I don't think the problem was all in the 4th quarter. We only scored twice in the 3rd .... it was an extended scoring drought.

Um, what? We may have only scored twice in the 3rd, but UMass was scoreless that quarter…if giving up 9 goals in the fourth quarter wasn’t the sole reason for losing, then what?? Hobart may have been able to stall & not score the whole 4th quarter(especially the way Shea played at the X) and still win.That was an epic breakdown. As others have said, where is the leadership??

The game wasn't streamed by ESPN? Anyone know how it can be watched on replay?

Gorilla fan- just watch the 4th quarter…UMass stunk the first 3 qtrs; Hobart gifted them a W, you’re welcome.

You have a link?

Would someone please explain to me what our LSMs do each game. The primary job is to play defense, followed by get GBs and the, only then, get the ball to the offense. It hasn't happened all season. Except for Shea and Valent, the entire team needs to re-learn how to pick up GBs. Bobbling a ball that creates an over and back using 1 hand seems to epitomize today. Yes we had 38 to their 30. But with the game on the line, UMass came up with the key plays. This has been this team's, and the previous 3 teams M.O. You don't win without the ball. Next week will be a clinic in that. Most likely not by us. This kind of game is what kills any and all enthusiasm for this team with the student body and alumni. We don't seem to have the kind of players who have the mental strength to withstand an opponent's push. Bad decisions bloom into panicked actions, resulting in what we watched today. Grit was on the field today. Just not in Q4 by the Statesmen.

Defense whether it is in close, LSM or shorty really is about athleticism. For that matter giving up big chunks of a lead in the 2nd half is similarly about athleticism. And grit. The one thing about Hobart Lacrosse in the modern era compared to the glory days is that the two sport athlete is no longer really a presence. Back in the day it was DJU's super power...bringing in those two sport college athletes, football, hockey to the program. And it had an affect on the culture. It is arguably an outdated model for sure. But size, speed, and footwork are still relevant. Hobart as a small, expensive liberal arts college on the cold shores of Seneca Lake is competing against Tobacco Row, the BI$10, Patriot League and Ivies not to mention even high end DIII schools in the NESCAC and Liberty League which are arguably in the same recruiting pool academically and economically. Hobart being DI in lacrosse and DIII in all other sports has an opportunity to tap into that "market" that those biggies cannot not do for the most part. Pretty hard to be a two sport DI athlete...a little easier to be a DI - DIII athlete. So as we get to the normal sky is falling...it is time for regime time of year, remember that was a model that was the Hobart "brand." You will never be a legitimate David vs. Goliath trying to mimic every other DI program. Compared to other middling DI upstate NY programs, at least Hobart has that heritage. Unfortunately that is what Hobart looks like right now, just a middling (at best) little upstate DI school...no offense Bonaventure and Canisius. Yes...just a lot of "back in my day" B.S. But that loss today and the never ending wash, rinse, repeat of 3rd - 4th quarter melt downs over the years is not about x's and o's, it is about culture and grit. Maybe they are unicorns and don't exist but maybe looking for "athletes" that look a little more like those of the past should be the Hobart brand.

Pegasus, I'm fairly sure (please correct me if I'm wrong), that when the NCAA finally let us out of the penalty box and permitted us to offer athletic scholarships, the caveat was we couldn't have D 3 athletes in the lax program. The "logic" behind this is the NCAA is afraid we'll sneak players onto teams other than men's lax to bolster the rosters. Utter BS. But nothing the NCAA does surprises me. As long as it protects revenue producing sports.

I think that game is chalked up to coaching. the zone comment is a good one because we could have at least slowed it down and made it hard for them to get the matchups. Any maybe our goalie slipped a bit at the end but that happens and he is a solid goalie. I think the thing we are talking about that we have seen over and over again - our offense is built to play to not lose versus play to win. We are never going to have a game where all 6 players on the field are playmakers - we dont have the roster for it. But we are just not keeping the intensity up and trying to make plays with playmakers. When watching, it feels like we praying and watching the clock in the second half to hope we can hold it together and it looks like our players are worn out. So either we have a conditioning issue, injuries, or we dont have enough players to keep it fresh and energized. I have said this a number of times because anyone can see it by watching the games. Our season is now at deep risk and if we just keep doing the same stuff on offense, this is a coaching issue big time.