Utah 2019

[10stone5]

Utes up at the half.
That’s a quality streaming feed, Pac-12 plus is carrying the game.

[Hawkeye]

Congrats to Utah on that big first win! I can't wait to see this program really get rolling on a national level.

[Drcthru]

While I root for the Utes, only because they are the closest D1 team to me, I never thought they would have a better record than the Jays at any point in the season.

[10stone5]

That one kid a sophomore just kept firing the rock.
He’s got the green light from Holman.
Seven goals today.

[Bandito]

I watched some of the game for free on the PAC 12 stream. Mercer is in serious trouble They don't have much talent and really struggle just moving the ball sometimes. Utah isn't that great but have a few guys that can score. Giving up that many goals to Mercer isn't going to cut it but they won their first game and should be proud of that. And what the heck? They don't have a home field on campus? WOw

[fastgame]

They are having a new stadium/field being built now that will be ready next year. I heard the grass field on campus they played on last year is being torn up to put new dorms on.

I also watched the game yesterday and it was a very sloppy one (on both sides). In my opinion, that wasn't a D1 level game. Mercer didn't move or handle the ball well. I thought Utah out hustled them and rode hard. In first half Mercer had little problem scoring when they got it on cage against the Utes lefty keeper. Mercer, on the other hand, has a very good goalie and still don't know why they pulled him after the 1st half because he kept them in the game.

Congrats to the Utes on their 1st win. Obviously good for the program and all the young guys on the Utah roster.

[genesrfree]

bandito-from your bunker in Montana, Mercer is a D1 program! Be glad Utah got a win...it may be the only one this year!If you've been paying attention several of the real "blue bloods" of the sport got spanked. D1 lacrosse is changing and for the better. This BS with the top 20 will continue to change!

[Yikes]

Mercer is a D1 program!

Maybe Mercer is a D1 program on paper, but that is about all they have to show for being a D1 program. While many Socon teams are improving Mercer has yet to have a quality win despite being around longer than Richmond and HPU(who have both had quality wins over established programs). Their out of conference SoS has gotten weaker every year for the last 4. Kyle Hannan had a great track record in D3, but has proven nothing since his arrival at Mercer. I wonder if it has been him unable to make that transition or the schools disinterest in really investing in the program

[baltlaxdad1966]

Congrats to Utah. Well deserved first win. Perhaps the most impressive part about this win is that the Utes were able to pull out the victory despite their offensive coordinator going to Park City the day after their first loss against Vermont. I'm all for growing the game out west, but it seems like the youthful coaches they have are more just big names than they are committed coaches who want to show these fellas how to prepare and work the right way. Social media is a great platform but what good is it if the utah players see their coaches out of the office the day after a loss??
I think the elder Holman is the right guy to lead this program, but his assistants are still pro athletes promoting their own brands which makes this tough to see promise in the next couple seasons.

[fastgame]

Wow, sounds like you have an axe to grind. My best friend son plays for Utah and I'll tell you where everybody was after their loss to Vermont. The Saturday morning after that game they were in the weight room at 9am and then after their lift watching and breaking down the Vermont game film with "all" the coaches in attendance.

Also, I personally know Adam Ghitelman and Willy Manny. They both worked with my son who is a former D1 player. I highly respect these young men who have dedicated themselves to promoting the game in and outside of this country. To suggest that Willy (who is the offensive coordinator along with Marcus Holman) isn't committed to coaching is an unfair and false statement. That's attacking his and these other young coaches character which isn't right.

Yes they've been promoted on Social Media by the team and University because that helps with the recruiting process and understandably so. What high school Laxer wouldn't want to be coached by some of the current top players in the game? What I know is the knowledge their passing on to these young players at Utah has been a tremendous asset. Also, Coach Manny and Coach Marcus Holman are some of the top faces for STX lacrosse, so their social media presence is part of that contract.

The message was clear after the game with Vermont, go back to work which they did in less than 24 hours. They will continue to work, learn and grow. And if I was 27 or 28 years old and wanted to drive 30 minutes to hang out in Park City after working on a Saturday, good for you. Nothing wrong with stepping away and having some down time.

I will be with my friend this Saturday watching the Utes take on Hofstra. Tall task for them, but just like against Vermont, these young men never stopped playing and fighting till the final whistle. Go Utes!

[Voyuer]

Really happy for all involved with Utah lax. I did not think they would get a W this year. Having 2 pro players as asst coaches is different. Having a D1 lax team at Utah is different. Marcus and Will are not kids who just graduated, hanging out, shooting on goal in flip flops!! They may have another year or two to play Pro or US team type lax. They are both very serious coaches and teachers. It is great for recruiting and very manageable for them and Coach Holman. Having those guys at Utah will be great long term, not a detriment.

[10stone5]

Utah down just one at the half to Hofstra.
Stout with five goals.

[DU-fan]

Utah will have a better time with Mercer, Hofstra, Air Force, Furman, and Bellarmine. But, they need to play defense at a different level than they are used to in the MCLA. Time will tell if they have the right talent and can adjust.

Nice job against Hofstra. 14-10 is a respectable game

[10stone5]

They were tied at one point.

Holman moved Jake Cantlon to attack.
That’s a player I tracked for a couple years.
Very good in Canadian box Jr program and solid field experience.

So, Stout with the right hand and Cantlon with the left.
Not sure what’s up with Jimmy Perkins, but with Perkins at QB, that’s a DI attack.

[fastgame]

Was in Hempstead to watch yesterday's game. Some quick observations:

Utah - Holman has them playing hard to final whistle. They were in it for the majority of the game until Hofstra figured them out in 4th. A few very questionable penalties against them that led to Pride goals. Glaring weakness is at faceoffs, Hofstra dominated them. Some breakdowns on D but thought they played better than they did last week against Mercer. Josh Stout is very good, not only can he score, but he has excellent field vision.

Hofstra - they had a real difficult time putting Utah away. Was surprise that their offense was subpar. Very poor shot selection (nothing to do with shot clock) and basically shooting right at and having a catch with the Ute goalie. Tierney exposed goalie obvious weaknesses, by shooting high from the outside (12-15 yds out) and from the wing. Ryan Tierney is an excellent player, and he's predominately all left and was surprised the Ute D didn't move him to his right. On the other side of field, felt Hofstra D was very good, they really get at it and did a nice job stripping ball and going after grounds balls.

Utah's next stop is at Denver next Saturday and they play Airforce on the following day. Go Utes!

[Nassaufan]

What a schedule! Good luck to the Utes. Stout should be an AA.

[10stone5]

Utah win number 2 !
6-5 over Air Force.

[DU-fan]

Congratulations on the 2nd big win!

Liam Donnelly with 14 saves in big and I believe it is the reason Utah one today. Holding Air Force to 1 goal in the 2nd half is a big win for the defense and Liam.

[a fan]

Getting a win against Air Force is never an easy task. Congrats to the Utes!!

[fastgame]

Spoke with my buddy who was at the game yesterday. He said it was very difficult to watch because of the level of play. I'm assuming both teams were exhausted from playing the day before because there was a total of 51 turnovers (Utah had 28, AF 23). But ugly doesn't matter, the Utes walked away with a W. Good for them, Go Utes!