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How did the teams look this weekend at the Lindenwood tournament?

Good. Some teams looked gooder than others, some teams not as gooder, but all teams good. I miss Gobblerlax....

I'll try a little more concise approach than my counterpart. It seems that, even though he was raised in Texas, the heat still gets to coach.

The heat was a big story for the weekend. A new record high for October 6th was set. It definitely made the five game (20 min. running halves) day a bit longer.

Let's start with the obvious; Minnesota-Duluth has not missed a step from last season. They a legitimate top five team in my mind when considering who was up there last season, and who everyone lost to graduation. Their depth is not a question given that they played mostly 2nd and 3rd team guys on Saturday. Jake Launert played an excellent game this morning. Duluth's attack is back together with Pete Nelson's recovery from an injury suffered in Dallas last May.

Michigan State is solid, very physical, and has two goalies that play very well. They are organized up front and seem to communicate well with each other. Mike Manetta and Brian Kegley impressed on attack. Midfielders Mike Schumacher and Kyle Kirch were also impressive. State's face-off middies performed well to boot.

Illinois looks very good; better than they have in previous Octobers. The new coaching staff is having a positive effect on the team. They communicate well and are in good condition. Goalie Eric Rackozy <sp> is back in top form. The offense commmunicates well and they seemed to click well on EMO. As far as individual players sticking out, Stephen Black and Joe O'Malley look good on offense. Freshman Attackman Scott Pfiffner looks like he may break into the top three in the spring, and Senior Paul Dworzanski looks like he'll be making the move to offensive midfield from the defensive end.

Missouri State traveled light from Springfield. During Lindenwood's game with Mo. State, standout middie Mark Livesay jumped in goal for the Bears. He performed well despite limited experience. Due to their numbers, I doubt that what we saw in Sportport will be representative of what they're likely to have on the field in the spring.

Fontbonne looked to be improved over last season. Freshman goalie Marko Prey adds some athleticism to that position for the Griffons. Attackman Patrick Zeis is back from a knee injury and looks to be back to his old self. I suspect Josh Albrecht and Rob Begley will round out the attack for them. Brendan Eckles has moved back to the midfield from a year on attack.

As far as how we (Lindenwood) looked, I have a skewed perception. I would ask as my counterparts to make that analysis.

Thanks to everyone for coming despite the heat and the long distance traveled for UM-D and Michigan State. I'm looking forward to traveling to my alma mater in April. Well done one and all. Plans are underway to do something similar next fall. Hopefully, we'll have better weather!

For those in college I present the Cliffs Notes version of Coach Hood's assessment of the teams:

Troy Hood wrote:Teams played good

I don't know about any of the other coach's but I have some mad crazy tan lines going on right now such as some nasty racoon eyes. Stupid sun in eyes thing and having to wear sun glasses.

As far as how we (Lindenwood) looked, I have a skewed perception. I would ask as my counterparts to make that analysis.

OK, I'll take the bait.

Lindenwood had a strong weekend. Diplock looks even better and is adapting to the space of the field game at an accelerated rate. What a dynamic first step and quick release. Goalie Tim Jennings looked more settled and in control of his defense. His outlet passes are unreal in both accuracy and length. I know a number of expected Lindenwood starters did not play aginst my team for various reasons, and thus I cannot comment on them. Enlarging Diplock's role and having a healthy Mike C should lessen the blow of Jimmy Lange's graduation (Welcome to the world of coaching Jim!). Defensively they remain athletic and physical.

And on a personal note - thanks to the Lindenwood team and coaching staff for setting up the play day and Sunday game. It was professionally handled and well run. A great weekend.

Rob

my sunburn lines are brutal....brutal.....

I heard so many comments about them already today at work....

I would post a picture, but no need to ridicule myself further....

I second the thanks to Coach Hood for putting together the play day! Although we travelled very light, we still had a great time and were able to take quite a bit away from playing top caliber teams!

Troy thanks for a great weekend!

I had to take a corporate photo today. Racoon eyes forever. Great....

I must say nothing like 95 degree weather in October... Thanks again to Troy and Lindenwood for hosting.

It was exactly what we needed. We had the opportunity to see our team play against three of the top MCLA teams in the Midwest. Duluth showed us what it is like to play a top five team. Michigan State looked solid as always. The Lindenwood v. Illinois preview this past Saturday left both teams looking forward to the continuation of one of the best rivalries I have ever been part of. I'm sure both teams will spend all winter looking forward to April 19th! You could feel the tension as soon as we took the field. Thanks for a great fall event.