Lacrosse vs Defending Nat. Champs Yale, 1PM Today
Michigan lacrosse takes on the defending national champions and #4-ranked Yale Bulldogs (Elis?) in Atlanta today at 1 PM. I believe it will be streamed on this YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLIX9BK2g1s1ljp14cutEsVrIGxytnW5nr&v=6SAdLRnAGLA (looks like there's a Ga. Tech-UConn club game on right now).
Yale will be Michigan's toughest challenge to date. They're big, strong, fast and athletic but also exceptionally well-coached. They no longer have superstar attackman Ben Reeves who graduated, but they add TD Ierlan a transfer from Albany who was the #1 faceoff guy in the country last year. Faceoffs will likely be a problem for M in this game so they'll need to keep creating turnovers (they're #12 nationally right now!) if they want to give themselves a chance.
The good news is Yale doesn't seem to be as dominant this season (they dropped a close game to Villanova) and appear much more beatable. And Michigan hung with them late into the game last year before they ultimately pulled away. So, it could be an interesting game.
It's a topsy-turvy world in college lacrosse right now with wild comebacks, major upsets and a shockingly high number of one-goal games each week so stay tuned because anything can happen. It would be a nice W to help me forget about last night - GO BLUE!!!
March 10th, 2019 at 12:05 PM ^
In Atlanta? Are we and Yale in a tournament?
It appears to be the Atlanta College Lacrosse Classic
UConn vs. Georgia Tech
Michigan vs. Yale
https://atlantacollegelacrosseclassic.com/
Lacrosse does this a lot to grow the sport and improve attendance (by playing games in areas that typically don't get them). ND played Denver in orange county last night.
i think this is the michigan link. we are down 2-1 in the 1st
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaEqqGxO3lg&list=PLIX9BK2g1s1ljp14cutEsVrIGxytnW5nr&index=2
you can click between the two games on the OP link also
Hope we can come back
tie game, 4-4, after getting down 4-1. go blue.
Wow- all three of Yale's games so far have been decided by 1 goal (2 in OT)
L 11-10 OT Villanova
W 14-13 Penn State
W 12-11 OT UMass
PSU is ranked #4, Nova is #11
Go blue. Fuck PSU.
Killing that penalty at the end was actually pretty huge. It was sort of a bad call (looked like the dude tripped on his own feet after Buckanavage checked him on the bottom hand). Heidt made some good saves in that stretch and the D played well - I really feel like a goal there could've made it very difficult for Michigan to come back.
That run by Yale to close out the half was pretty brutal. Michigan couldn't seem to clear it or hold onto it once they did. And when Yale scored they won the faceoff each time. If Michigan can take care of the ball they can make it a game. Heidt is playing pretty great so far.
as a hockey player, i kind of get lacrosse and i know there are plenty of cross-over athletes. however, i don't get the 'checking' or lack thereof in lacrosse. i guess i think you should be able to (cleanly) level the ball carrier instead of the push-push as the carrier runs along, and the occasional stick whack. can you explain that a little, please?
You are allowed to cleanly level the ball carrier.
An unfortunate end to the first half after Michigan cut it to a 6-5 lead. Yale scored the next 3. And drew a weak penalty call to finish the half man up.
To answer your question you rarely see a solid body check when someone has possession. It’s very hard to line someone up when they can make a quick cut or roll away. If the defender misses or fails to finish the check it almost always results in a scoring chance. Unlike hockey, field Lacrosse is not confined to a small space. Most hits in hockey happen along the boards. The majority of hits in Lacrosse happen when someone receives a pass and doesn’t see the oncoming defender or in a ground ball situation so a teammate can possess the loose ball.
the field is about football field sized, and plenty of us have laid out guys who weren't running in a small space. i appreciate the input though, and i can see where a missed check could be a big problem and it is a more risky proposition than it might look to a guy like me who didn't play the game.
You're supposed to be able to just level the ball-carrier but no one does it anymore and they call it so tightly now. There are a lot of rules about body-checking in lacrosse - you have to have two hands on the stick, can't hit in the head, back or below the waist and you can't use your hands. Think of a really clean shoulder-to-chest block on a punt return - that's basically the model for hitting in lacrosse.
In many cases it's the best way to pry the ball loose but it's becoming a rarity, also because almost every hit is immediately flagged ( I saw a beautiful clean hit that got penalized in the UVA-Syr game the other day, a real bummer - the refs just seem to assume any hard hit is to the head now).
The game is not nearly as physical as it used to be. And body checks are a lost art ( I have a lot of hard opinions on this haha).
seems like they run alongside more like an escort than a defender, but with one quick step, boom, down goes frazier!
in another life, i would at least attempt to be the old-guard guy looking to wisely apply the appropriate de-cleating maneuver on the opposition. i certainly played hockey that way.
It's so satisfying when you make contact too- the other guy goes flying. When I played, every guy on the field was looking to tune somebody up. There are not as many opportunities as in hockey but there are still plenty. Clearing was always dangerous because a lurking midfielder, riding attackman or defenseman could come up and deck you, especially if you were trying to squeeze up the sideline or looking up for a lazy pass.
The best advice I ever got on body-checking was from an old-school coach I had in HS. If an offensive player is coming down for a shot, slide to them with your stick out - pointing through the space between the head of the stick and their shoulder. Then follow through with your body. If you don't get the check on the stick, you'll essentially follow through with your body and your shoulder will go right into their chest. I always found it incredibly effective - it usually ended with a hard check/turnover or a weak shot. I think if a team adopted it today they'd have the best help defense in the country!
The way the game is officiated certainly has changed the physical aspect and I’m not sure when that exactly changed. More was allowed when I played. And if someone turned into a hit, took a pass over the middle or if someone took a ground ball with their head down I certainly wouldn’t pass up a chance to light someone up.
Yale is really in control now. They move the ball well in transition and really attack when they catch Michigan out of position. They're locking down on the defensive and really controlling the game, giving Michigan no good looks. Michigan is also helping them out by taking bad shots and throwing the ball away.
Hopefully Michigan can go on a run here in the 4th but its looking bleak.
At what point do you take Heidt out given that he’s faced about 2 games worth of shots?
So I'm assuming they lost?
yup, 17-11 apparently
https://mgoblue.com/news/2019/3/10/mens-lacrosse-wolverines-fall-to-no-4-yale-at-atlanta-lacrosse-classic.aspx