Games Today

[Kleizaster]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

[25and32LaxDad]

St Bonaventure with the 10-8 win at Cal. Go Bonnies.

[Madlax59]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

Agree with everything ^^

[njbill]

NU definitely didn’t bring their A game today, yet they are dominating.

What have you see this year that suggests today was not northwesterns A game? I thought they deserved the win. Bc had more chances but just didn’t can them. Scane had her best game of the year. Nw won the draw and that helped them a lot. It was a a bit sloppy on turnovers which isn’t surprising given the temperature.
Scane and Clark were the two most impressive offensive players in the field.

Turnovers. But, yes, the conditions probably contributed to it. I thought BC handled the conditions better though.

[Relax77]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

Excellent take.

Lopinto was whining at every contact. Gave up on multiple plays trying to flop around like a soccer player.

[LaxDadMax]

NU definitely didn’t bring their A game today, yet they are dominating.

What have you see this year that suggests today was not northwesterns A game? I thought they deserved the win. Bc had more chances but just didn’t can them. Scane had her best game of the year. Nw won the draw and that helped them a lot. It was a a bit sloppy on turnovers which isn’t surprising given the temperature.
Scane and Clark were the two most impressive offensive players in the field.

Turnovers. But, yes, the conditions probably contributed to it. I thought BC handled the conditions better though.

The biggest gap between NW this year and last is they don't have a great dodger from X who can create. Plus still looks like Sammy White recovering from injury.

I expect to see Lucy Munro get some more PT in key games before year-end

[uncfan1013]

I’m excited for UNC vs. ND, I hope people can finally see UNC isn’t a fraud. Very excited to see how UNC comes out.

[forthelaxofit]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

Excellent take.

Lopinto was whining at every contact. Gave up on multiple plays trying to flop around like a soccer player.

I know the conditions were bad, but watching that game I would face guard Clark and make the others beat you. Maybe Belle Smith is the answer as you say, but BC looked way too dependent on Clark in this one.

Also don't think you can mention Lopinto without mentioning Madison Taylor. Under 2 minutes to play and NU trying to run out the clock, twice in 30 seconds of game time she was stick checked, lost the ball and threw herself to the ground looking for a call. Two great no calls.

[Seacoaster(1)]

Fun game at a great venue yesterday.

I think this game shows what we all know: NU is beatable, and very, very good. BC hung around this game a lot longer than I thought they would after that abysmal first quarter, where NU cam off the bus absolutely prepared to play. I think Lopinto -- who I think is a terrific player -- has just experienced a new level of intensity and expectation, and that should help her in any rematch.

Some very good stops by Laliberty. Some lucky pipes shots for NU by BC. I do think NU No. 23 is not 100%; in the championship last year she just blew past everyone. Looked like she labored a bit today, recovering form a lower body injury?

NU makes opponents play a little frantically, and this game was of a piece. Between that and the cold -- the wind chill here in the northeast was really something yesterday -- the number of mistakes and errors were kind of maximized. The officiating (largely "letting them play") favored NU's style of play. Not an advantage from calls, as such, but allowed NU's aggressive style of play to set the tone.

[spidey44]

Some good games on the slate this weekend. Currently working on my lines. Top games tomorrow:

ND @ UNC - Game of the Week. This could go either way
Sneaky good game could be Colorado @ Michigan
Looks good to the uninitiated Duke @ Cuse (expect a running clock)
Penn State @ Loyola - Get right game for State, but not going to happen
UVA @ Clemson - Not happy about this, but I think this will be a signature win for the Tigers, but I'm pulling for the Hoos
Terps @ Denver - Not a must win, but a BIG game for both squads to prove they are worthy of their preseason billings

[Relax77]

Some good games on the slate this weekend. Currently working on my lines. Top games tomorrow:

ND @ UNC - Game of the Week. This could go either way
Sneaky good game could be Colorado @ Michigan
Looks good to the uninitiated Duke @ Cuse (expect a running clock)
Penn State @ Loyola - Get right game for State, but not going to happen
UVA @ Clemson - Not happy about this, but I think this will be a signature win for the Tigers, but I'm pulling for the Hoos
Terps @ Denver - Not a must win, but a BIG game for both squads to prove they are worthy of their preseason billings

Flip a coin. Go with UNC
Colorado with the upset
Cuse
Loyola
Clemson
Terps another quasi upset

[MolonLaxe]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

Excellent take.

Lopinto was whining at every contact. Gave up on multiple plays trying to flop around like a soccer player.

I know the conditions were bad, but watching that game I would face guard Clark and make the others beat you. Maybe Belle Smith is the answer as you say, but BC looked way too dependent on Clark in this one.

Also don't think you can mention Lopinto without mentioning Madison Taylor. Under 2 minutes to play and NU trying to run out the clock, twice in 30 seconds of game time she was stick checked, lost the ball and threw herself to the ground looking for a call. Two great no calls.

With the defense NU was running, it wasn't a good time to run the ISO, so they had to rely on the cutters. Clark was by far the best in this situation, finding the right gaps to make things happen. Belle Smith wasn't going to do much with the way Northwestern's defense was running. I think this comes down to offensive strategies backed up by strong defense--BC just doesn't have the proper defense to keep the scores low enough to stay close enough to a team like NU.

[Kleizaster]

Some good games on the slate this weekend. Currently working on my lines. Top games tomorrow:

ND @ UNC - Game of the Week. This could go either way
Sneaky good game could be Colorado @ Michigan
Looks good to the uninitiated Duke @ Cuse (expect a running clock)
Penn State @ Loyola - Get right game for State, but not going to happen
UVA @ Clemson - Not happy about this, but I think this will be a signature win for the Tigers, but I'm pulling for the Hoos
Terps @ Denver - Not a must win, but a BIG game for both squads to prove they are worthy of their preseason billings

I'll take UNC by 3. I still think they haven't played their best game yet

Give me colorado. Not sold on Michigan at ALL.

Loyola beat Florida by 9 goals. Penn State has no shot

Hoos impressed me vs UNC. Clemson youngsters still largely inexperienced and untested. UVA by 5

Maryland needs this game more than Denver for bigger picture reasons..because this little funk they are in is starting to drag on a little too long. How many subpar seasons in a roll before we hit the panic button? I think they win this but it's a coinflip


I'll add one more Navy vs Richmond. two underrated but tough teams. I'll take Navy

[ultravisitor]

I gotta say, that Boston College and Northwestern match up went much better than I was expecting.

Maybe starting the reason by jumping right into the fire and being tested is working out to NU's benefit.

[MolonLaxe]

Some good games on the slate this weekend. Currently working on my lines. Top games tomorrow:

ND @ UNC - Game of the Week. This could go either way
Sneaky good game could be Colorado @ Michigan
Looks good to the uninitiated Duke @ Cuse (expect a running clock)
Penn State @ Loyola - Get right game for State, but not going to happen
UVA @ Clemson - Not happy about this, but I think this will be a signature win for the Tigers, but I'm pulling for the Hoos
Terps @ Denver - Not a must win, but a BIG game for both squads to prove they are worthy of their preseason billings

I'm not picking anything crazy, but here's who I think wins.
UNC squeaks by with 2 goals
Michigan rocks Colorado by 6
Cuse by 10+
Loyola survives a late run
Clemson
Denver by 1
Navy over Richmond

I'm not a Michigan fan, but I did catch part of CMU vs Colorado. Once CO got rolling, they looked decent. CMU's keeper made a ton of saves--it could have been much worse. I think Michigan has a better defense and goalie and they won't get the same quality shots against Michigan.

[Seacoaster(1)]

I gotta say, that Boston College and Northwestern match up went much better than I was expecting.

Maybe starting the reason by jumping right into the fire and being tested is working out to NU's benefit.

Yep, that's a subtext to the game: one team had played serious competition coming in; one team no so much.

[forthelaxofit]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

Excellent take.

Lopinto was whining at every contact. Gave up on multiple plays trying to flop around like a soccer player.

I know the conditions were bad, but watching that game I would face guard Clark and make the others beat you. Maybe Belle Smith is the answer as you say, but BC looked way too dependent on Clark in this one.

Also don't think you can mention Lopinto without mentioning Madison Taylor. Under 2 minutes to play and NU trying to run out the clock, twice in 30 seconds of game time she was stick checked, lost the ball and threw herself to the ground looking for a call. Two great no calls.

With the defense NU was running, it wasn't a good time to run the ISO, so they had to rely on the cutters. Clark was by far the best in this situation, finding the right gaps to make things happen. Belle Smith wasn't going to do much with the way Northwestern's defense was running. I think this comes down to offensive strategies backed up by strong defense--BC just doesn't have the proper defense to keep the scores low enough to stay close enough to a team like NU.

I agree you are not going to beat NU by scoring 11 goals. NU plays clean, aggressive, physical D – Clark is a good option against that, but you need more from rest of team too. Comparison of ND & BC vs NU this year for the top scorer, #2&3 combined, rest of team

ND – top scorer Wolak 4 G/6 SOG, Ahern/Maichin 6G/9 SOG, ROT 4 G/9 SOG
BC – Clark 5G/6 SOG, Martello/Lopinto 4 G/6 SOG, ROT 2 G/5 SOG.

To beat NU, your need more from players 2-7. If they play again, would be interested if any changes in game plan

[laxguy516]

BC did not execute offensively against the zone D. Were they not prepared or not talented enough to do so? The answer to that lies ahead, but they clearly need to be able to attack a zone much better than that if they want to be playing memorial day weekend.

[ultravisitor]

I thought NU had a good chance of winning this game. In my opinion they are still the team to beat. BC looked ill-prepared and the final score was closer than the flow of the game. NU was in control. Yes weather might have been a factor, but both teams played under the same conditions. The cupcake schedule did BC no favors either..

LoPinto is a great player but i'm afraid she's starting to display the same tendencies she did at florida..inconsistency and fishing for calls instead of just playing through things. she has the skill and talent. Just focus on playing the game and the calls will naturally follow.

BC is a much better team when Belle Smith is running the show and has free reign to float and glide all over the field. Why is she not the focal point for this offense? Still early but i'm concerned the two additions have limited her ability to impact games. Instead of just playing, she feels like she needs to differ to Clark and LoPinto. At her best Belle Smith is better than both. Freshman year Belle Smith looked like a world beater and she seems to be regressing in this offense every year

Excellent take.

Lopinto was whining at every contact. Gave up on multiple plays trying to flop around like a soccer player.

I know the conditions were bad, but watching that game I would face guard Clark and make the others beat you. Maybe Belle Smith is the answer as you say, but BC looked way too dependent on Clark in this one.

Also don't think you can mention Lopinto without mentioning Madison Taylor. Under 2 minutes to play and NU trying to run out the clock, twice in 30 seconds of game time she was stick checked, lost the ball and threw herself to the ground looking for a call. Two great no calls.

With the defense NU was running, it wasn't a good time to run the ISO, so they had to rely on the cutters. Clark was by far the best in this situation, finding the right gaps to make things happen. Belle Smith wasn't going to do much with the way Northwestern's defense was running. I think this comes down to offensive strategies backed up by strong defense--BC just doesn't have the proper defense to keep the scores low enough to stay close enough to a team like NU.

I agree you are not going to beat NU by scoring 11 goals. NU plays clean, aggressive, physical D – Clark is a good option against that, but you need more from rest of team too. Comparison of ND & BC vs NU this year for the top scorer, #2&3 combined, rest of team

ND – top scorer Wolak 4 G/6 SOG, Ahern/Maichin 6G/9 SOG, ROT 4 G/9 SOG
BC – Clark 5G/6 SOG, Martello/Lopinto 4 G/6 SOG, ROT 2 G/5 SOG.

To beat NU, your need more from players 2-7. If they play again, would be interested if any changes in game plan

You need more from players 2-7, yeah, but I think the biggest difference in those match ups was in the draws. ND's options 2-7 were able to put up those kinds of numbers because they destroyed Northwestern on the draw.

As someone else basically said, the way to keep Northwestern from winning is to prevent them from even getting the ball.

[Seacoaster(1)]

ND @ UNC - I think Notre Dame wins this narrowly. After the letdown with Syracuse, ND makes UNC pay. No skin in this game.

Colorado @ Michigan -- have yet to see either team play. Ann Arbor by one? Like 9-8?

Duke @ Syracuse -- I wish I could "expect a running clock," but I think Syracuse lets them hang around for a while. Still, Syracuse 19, Duke 11.

Penn State @ Loyola - Hounds by five or so.

UVA @ Clemson - UVA by two, say 14-12. But I can absolutely see Clemson, the host, winning this.

Maryland @ Denver - Agree: not a must win in the traditional sense of salvaging something. But really important game, at mile-high Barton. Denver 8, Maryland 7.