PLL Catch All

[Lax Mouse]

Updates from day 2 of game action: games weren't close. Had a strong feeling of what the outcomes of these games would be going into the day but I don't think I expected the margins to be this bad.

Whips vs. Chaos

- The Whips are still the team to beat. Keeping their core together and adding some depth pieces, hard to find a weakness on this roster. Nardella played lights out – can’t wait to see him matchup with Ierlan later this season. Ty Warner is gone but Hayes and Abbott stepped in nicely and will keep that unit strong. Offense still looked lethal today – team was up 10-1 at the half and Rambo I think only had one goal on the day? Tierney also off the scoresheet I believe. Crazy to think how this offense will produce when they inevitably start chipping in more. Defense and Bernlohr were solid. The Whips were relaxing on cruise control after the first few minutes of the 3rd. Even with the Chaos 4th quarter run, this was never in doubt.
- The Chaos are a work in progress. They'll benefit when their guys are able to travel again. Their 4th quarter run showed fight but I wouldn’t go as far as to say promise – Whips were just toying about at that point. I thought Surdick was a bright spot on defense throughout, especially early. Riorden stopped nearly 20 shots I believe. Rowlett got more comfortable as the game went on but honestly all the poles and SSDMs outside of Surdick had a rough outing. I thought Coates, Resch, and Reh all looked like potential liabilities on the field, particularly in the first half. Traditional Chaos transition O was nonexistent, and they were exposed in transition defensively, mostly off the faceoff. I wouldn’t hold this one on Adler too much, clearly was beat yesterday but the wings did him no favors. He kept fighting. The offense was the weak point – I think the Whips could’ve scored more on them but at the end of the day giving up 13 points isn’t a death sentence. A lot of hero ball. I know this offense is predicated on picks and sets but team cohesion wasn’t there. Most goals, until a few at the end, were individual effort plays. Against a team defense like the Whips, that isn’t a recipe for success. Smith, Byrne, and Cloutier all had several points, but again, mostly built on individual efforts (Cloutier did have at least 1 assist early/middle of the game, I think Byrne had at least 1 late). Berg’s goals were the outlier, he scored usually off of team passing out of scrums. But those came late. Ultimately, if they can build off the 4th quarter, they’ll be solidly in the middle of the pack for now. I still think Salcido, Froccaro, and O’Keefe are important pieces to this offense. Their dodging and shooting should open up the two man games this O is built for. But their touches were limited by fewer possessions overall and a lack of ball movement in general.

Archers vs Atlas

- Archers offense is the best top to bottom in the league. The whole team put on a show. This was the epitome of team offense. Ball carriers always had their heads up looking for the pass. I think most goals were assisted (don’t quote me on that). Everyone got touches and looks. McNamara had a hat trick in his debut. Mazzone with multiple points. Fields with a 2. If those guys are having games, it’s over. The usual suspects had plenty of points as well. Over half of the players that dressed scored a goal. Ghitelman was superb in cage (I think he had a +80 save percentage) and the defense was miles ahead of where they were last year. The new pieces all fit. Scary to think what’ll happen when Connors suits up and joins the fray. Kelly was beat often at the clamp – didn’t matter. The Archers did a phenomenal job pressuring Baptiste and making every FO a scrum. They have the athletes to win those, and they did. To me, there are teams with top tier FO guys in this league, and this is the standard of how you win when you don’t. Credit to that whole unit, including Kelly for fighting through and making it a scrap.
- Atlas: The good news first – you’ve got a pair of guys in Teat and Aitken who have yet to see the field and (at least on a normal team) will make an immediate impact. Baptiste was great at the clamp – looking better than in the bubble. Crawley, in my opinion, has been the most consistent offensive weapon for this team for the last three years. He had 2 goals including a 2 pointer. And now the rest of the news: yikes. Concannon had a dreadful night, Colarusso came in for a bit and was no better. Could just be that the Archers were shooting lights out (they were), but something to keep an eye on. Who are the athletes in the middle of the field? The Archers won the races to and fights for the GBs and were way more physical. Atlas has a lot of likeable guys on the wings, but that doesn’t win games. Adams had an up and down game, Logan and Pless both had debuts to forget, and I love the scrappiness of Tinney, but has he reached his ceiling? I feel like Richard disappeared after the first half, but also I may have just been paying less attention. I’d like to see Dearth in there, at the very least to have someone physical between the arcs. The offense was . . . not good. I think the narrative most folks went along with the last few years was that this team had too many ball dominant stars who couldn’t mesh. I see why that gained steam, but I think the core issue is that the offensive scheme has not worked. They got rid of those ball dominant players and . . . still not great. No one took lead and team offense was minimal - not a recipe for success. I know there are reinforcements coming. Right now the offense looks like a lot of dodge or invert to shoot, passing was at a minimum (although Law had a nice feed to Crawley for a 2). Cockerton did not add much in his first game and Carraway didn’t really have any good looks. Teat will help. But the biggest problem is that this offense still does not have an identity, played timid, wasn't really looking for the assist or the one more, and wasn't moving well off-ball.

[youthathletics]

Great update Lax Mouse.

I did not see the game, but it was my understanding that the PLL modified the faceoff setting and placement of sticks to make this more of a scrum vs an advantage for a traditional NCAA FOGO like TD. Sounds like the new PLL format is not doing what was intended if TD is dominating already...or am I over analyzing it?

Not sure if they modified any FO rules going into this year. From my understanding the PLL allows the MOTO grip and the players have definitely been crouched using it for FOs. Haven't seen really anyone doing standing neutral. I think some other differences are that the wings start closer to the dot, and they are allowed to try to dislodge the ball if it's being clamped. In theory this should make the FO more of a scrum. I think by the end of the game TD was winning a lot cleanly, and the Cannons did not do a good job of making the FO a scrum (similar story with the Chaos yesterday). The Archers were the opposite - Baptiste was winning a high percentage of clamps but the Archers FO unit pressured and made every FO a battle. Wasn't the only thing they did well yesterday but I think is a leading example of how to win FOs when your guy is getting beat off the whistle.

Thanks for the updated description. That was my understanding as well, the the PLL F/O rules balanced out the dominance of a FOGO by modifying wings position and ability to contact FO player stick.

Enjoying your recaps.

[Lax Mouse]

Thanks for the updated description. That was my understanding as well, the the PLL F/O rules balanced out the dominance of a FOGO by modifying wings position and ability to contact FO player stick.

Enjoying your recaps.

Appreciate it! I'm hoping this forum can get some traction like the NCAA pages, but we'll see.

[Lax Mouse]

Day 3 Recaps:

Cannons vs Waterdogs
- Cannons grew on their positive showing from Friday. Lyle had more of a game long impact and Kew is straight up dangerous. Both had 4 goals I believe. This attack line is no joke, Drenner had a goal as well. Rabil had another strong game (2 gs) and Rehfuss continues to impress (1 g, 2 a). Waterdogs put a pole on him after the half and his production slowed down, but he had a few other assist opportunities that weren’t finished by teammates and him getting poled opened up a few things for them. It was nice seeing Class back on the field with a goal. Buczek had another rather unimpressive performance, although he had a nice skip assist to Kew late. Marrocco was solid again, and the starting D played lights out. Having game experience under their belt definitely showed. Merrill still has it. Other teams will want to watch film from this game and see how Goodrich shut down Sowers. The rookie had 2 goals but I think Goodrich won the matchup throughout the day (when they were 1v1).
- Waterdogs had what seems to be a pretty typical opening weekend performance from the teams that struggled last year. They clearly still need time to mesh. Team shooting was abysmal, including Brown. But I think the bigger issue is (and it’ll come with time) that Sowers needs to demand the ball and be more aggressive. He was drafted to be the leader of this offense and clearly has the talent (2gs). The more dominant he is, the better looks Brown and Kelly will get. I imagine their shooting will only improve with more reps this season. DeNapoli was the player of the game for Waterdogs – 2 gs and solid defense. Rees had a 2 pointer. I don’t think the defense played that poorly, but I was surprised to see that Grill and Sabia dressed and get the nod over Byrnes and Randall (who did not dress). Byrnes did get plenty of runs and looked alright. Ward did not have his best game, but he’s not alone in that regard on this team. This defense was bad a year ago, and although they cut Foley in the offseason and got a new GK, those weren’t the only challenges. I expected them to start over and run out a new starting 3 (Byrnes, Randall, Gobrecht). This game did not change my opinion on that. EMO was a disaster as well. I think they barely got any shots off, including during a 2 min non releasable. There also didn't seem to be plays that they were even trying to run on the extra man. They lacked urgency in every aspect of play today, and I think the Cannons beat them up pretty handily in the middle of the field. FOs were about even.

Redwoods vs Chrome
- Another slow start for the Woods but they went on an 8-1 run from the last minute of the 1st through the 2nd. Ierlan not quite as dominant at the dot in this one, it was pretty even throughout, but still a good showing. Troutner kept them in the game early and made some big stops late. The offense was still humming – Pannell had another productive outing (2g, 3a) and is right at home here. Perkovic showed some versatility inside (as well as a 2 pointer) and Heningburg (3g, 1a) has been impossible to defend out of the box. Jones with a pair of helpers. Kavanagh had a solid contribution and Lee as an inside/off ball finisher is clearly a step above what they had in Petterson last year (probably several step above). Both players had 2 g. Defense struggled early but got into a rhythm.
- Chrome came out swinging and jumped to an early lead. They were faster, stronger, and played more physical. I think the 2 quick goals by the Woods in the last minute of the 1st, some Troutner saves, and losing Wolf turned this game around. After losing Staats for the season, Chrome were possibly dealt another huge blow but losing Wolf to a lower body injury in the 1st half. I’m not a doctor but it didn’t look good. With Gaudet suspended indefinitely, this attack line is suddenly depleted. Ranagan had a good game as did Heacock, and Morrill and Anderson showed promise (all four went 1 g 1 a). Guterding had a goal but also some sloppy turnovers. MacIntosh quietly put together a 4 g game, getting some extra looks at attack after Wolf went down. Haus was solid. Terefenko had some rough defensive moments in his debut (but again, I think d-mids are going struggle all year against the Woods) and he did add a goal. Off-ball defense was a problem and I think Weyl struggled most in his 1:1 matchups, although Bernhardt was ball watching a few times. Adding Giles-Harris will only help. Galloway was solid in net and made a huge stop at the end, a lot of the shots he let in followed defensive lapses. Joel White was huge all over the field (he went 1 g 1 a as well). Farrell did well keeping it even with Ierlan. Their defense will be fine with time, biggest questions are what to do on offense with Wolf and Gaudet potentially missing significant time.

[youthathletics]

Some crazy crap going down with Staats and Gaudet.....last night.

[youthathletics]

Sowers went to hospital last night after getting hit in the back of head yesterday. Seeing notes online he had trauma to his head.....praying that it is not not too serious, as all head trauma is considered serious.

IMO, the PLL needs to clean up their act with officiating, its like the wild wild west out there. They need to either wear more pads or button up the officiating or both.

[kramerica.inc]

Be aware- this is so incredibly unwatchable and cringy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CP1DFMvBbiF/

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Are all games on Peacock?

Trying to get my summer fix of Lax

[Lax Mouse]

Sowers went to hospital last night after getting hit in the back of head yesterday. Seeing notes online he had trauma to his head.....praying that it is not not too serious, as all head trauma is considered serious.

IMO, the PLL needs to clean up their act with officiating, its like the wild wild west out there. They need to either wear more pads or button up the officiating or both.

Hoping for the best, you never know with those head injuries what the extent of it will be. Tough play for both players (Eddy delivered the hit). I can't find quick footage on it but from what I remember Sowers was curling/diving around the crease from behind and Eddy moved to block him. These things happen so fast and it didn't look like a malicious hit at all. Slo-mo makes everything seem intentional but these are split second decisions and movements. Eddy ended up with the cross check right to the back of the head with Sowers low to the ground. Certainly not an excuse but if he was standing up that would've been a pretty standard hit to the waist/maybe upper leg.

Refs gave Eddy a 2 minute non-releasable. I'm not sure if there's a targeting rule in the PLL akin to football but short of that I don't know what else the refs could've called there. I thought the penalty was appropriate based off my understanding of the rules.

Obviously a bad hit - it was a pretty bang/bang play and did not seem ill intentioned. Still don't know why defenders don't bring their hands together on their sticks more when delivering hits. Not to get into a whole debate about the crease dive, it definitely makes the game more exciting, but you can't ignore that it leads offensive and defensive players into atypically dangerous spots around the crease.

100% support players wearing more pads. Seems like common sense to me. I do think the league leaves it up to the players. Refs were certainly letting them play more and more as the weekend went along. I though the Woods/Chrome game got out of hand and there were some iffy calls. Not sure how reffing 5 games in 1 weekend, and in that heat, might affect a crew.

[Lax Mouse]

Are all games on Peacock?

Trying to get my summer fix of Lax

If you're in the US, all games should be on Peacock. Some will be on NBC and NBCSN as well, but I believe Peacock will still show those games.

International I think you'll need NBC sports gold.

[youthathletics]

Be aware- this is so incredibly unwatchable and cringy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CP1DFMvBbiF/

Makes you wonder why he took off his shirt and shorts, but kept on his elbow pads......kinda Joe Biden Hairy Legs creepy.

I prefer this account.....hilarious. https://www.instagram.com/pauls_lacrosse_league/

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Are all games on Peacock?

Trying to get my summer fix of Lax

If you're in the US, all games should be on Peacock. Some will be on NBC and NBCSN as well, but I believe Peacock will still show those games.

International I think you'll need NBC sports gold.

Appreciate the info.

I will be tuning in and trying to catch replays (good thing I'm only a week behind)

[kramerica.inc]

Staats allegedly bites off Gaudet’s finger:

https://www.outkick.com/lacrosse-commun ... tel-fight/

[kramerica.inc]

Maryland MIAA high school playoff game outdraws PLL opening week:

https://twitter.com/laxreporter/status/ ... 37259?s=21

[kramerica.inc]

Any word on how Michael Sowers is doing after taking this hit to the back of the head?
"Big Dog Energy."



https://twitter.com/LacrosseRat/status/ ... 55685?s=20

[Lax Mouse]

Rosters out for Week 2.

Biggest observations:

- Jared Connors making his debut for the Archers. Bumped Jackson Place from the lineup.
- Atlas adding Dox Aitken and Craig Chick to the game day lineup. We’ll see if their offense gels a bit more in week 2 with the addition of Aitken, but the attack line was the biggest liability on offense in week 1. Maybe they start finding their way this week. The addition of Chick was a no-brainer: I was surprised they didn’t take him for week 1. He should add some depth and energy to the middle of the field. Pless still on the game day roster but officially labeled as “D”. Newbold and Tinney were bumped from the lineup to make room. Hard to argue with either despite the effort Tinney brings – the production just hasn’t been consistently there. SSDMs still Richard and Logan. We’ll see if they make a jump in week 2. Still no Dearth in the lineup.
- Cannons will get the headlines this week with Hogan officially in the game day lineup. Listed as middie. Sunday, Tuttle, and Jackson also added to the lineup this week. Wasserman is obviously no longer on the team, but Buczek, Upgren, Duggan, and Class also aren’t on the game day roster this week. Looks like Quirk is trying to find the optimal pieces still, which makes sense. None of the pieces taken out had a particularly noteworthy impact last week, and while I’m sure they’ll see more game time throughout the season, now’s the time to figure out what you have in everyone else. Going with Simoneau at the FO this week.
- Chaos adding Scott and Jackson to the lineup. Staats is suspended. They’ve got two games this weekend so Gallagher and Salcido are the reserves. Most shocked that Salcido isn’t on the main roster. Towers really doubling down on the box approach, which I know is their identity, but it struggled last week. Salcido brings an extra skillset that could open up that type of game, but there’s a reason I’m not paid to be a coach. I can think of a few teams right now who’d love to have a speedy, dodging midfielder that can assist or shoot.
- Chrome made some roster additions this week but not too many actual changes in this week’s game day lineup. Wolf out with the injury, and looks like Soudan has opted for the newly acquired Rogers to make an appearance. Palasek won’t see action this week. Probably indicates that they’ve got confidence in their guys on attack this week, but he’s a good insurance policy later on if this new attack lineup doesn’t produce. Still no Giles-Harris.
- Redwoods have made zero changes to their lineup.
- Sowers is out this week for the Waterdogs with the head injury he suffered last week. The dogs have added Ben Reeves to the game day roster this week – not a terrible player to be able to sub in. They’re dressing Ben Randall this week as well. Hopefully that gives their defense some help after a rough outing in week 1. BJ Grill and McArdle have been bumped to reserves for this weekend since they have two games. Attack line is looking like it’ll be Brown, Reeves, Kraus – that should be hopefully a fun lineup to watch.
- We’ll see the debut of Kirst for the Whipsnakes this week. Aslanian got bumped. Brad Smith also officially listed as middie, not attack, this week.

[hooligan88]

Has anyone heard what caused Staats to bite the finger? I assume it was during the fight, maybe got fish hooked? But what caused it?

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Schlosser did his thing for the Waterdogs. Hopefully the Chaos can close strong like they did last year (cant use "Connor Fields" as motivation) but need to figure it out sooner as opposed to later. Scoring and shooting drought in the 2nd cost them. Day off then the Archers. Could be looking at an 0-3 start to the season.

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Nardella (such a dominate and clutch player) a definite difference maker for the Whipsnakes today (and seemingly every game). Rabil still showing hes got a little something in the tank.

[SouthernLaxGenius]

Redwoods and their defense just looked lethargic and like they were sleep walking. Baptiste big face off wins late, after TD got the better of him for much of the game. Jules a quiet day and Parnell had 3 goals, although it seemed like a "quiet" 3 goals. Concannon great day for the Atlas and had some pretty nice acrobatic saves. Some may call it an upset, but looked like the Atlas wanted it more today and were ready to play 4 quarters