PNCLL Week #2 (2/9-2/15) -- Predictions, Scores & Discus

[Kyle Berggren]

Any details on the Linfield game? I don't see a game report yet...

[muchachojones]

Southern came out hitting hard and they continued this throughout the game but this also led to a lot of penalties for them and even an ejection. Southern fought hard the whole game but about halfway through the first quarter Linfield was able to put together a scoring rally and we pulled away from there. Southern played well for it being their first game ever and I'm sure they will have the ability to beat some teams throughout the season.

[Kyle Berggren]

PLU over Western 8-6...

PLU has a knack for keeping teams from playing their game, which looked to be what happened today. Western has a ton of talent at all the positions. The strength and checks of their dpoles stood out to me today, not to take away from their attack, but PLU played within their game and took it to WWU all day long. The score at the start of the fourth was 7-2, PLU added one to make it 8, and started putting younger players in with just under 10 minutes. All game long Western was a few inches, or one dodge away from getting goals, and they really stepped it up against the young players to make it 8-5. PLU brought its starters back in, and Western got another good goal against them with 9 seconds left to make it 6.

[primetime21]

this was a very tough game for us...this whole weekend in general was great and is used as a positive for out team. taking it all the way the to the wire with UW yesterday was fun, but it took some out of us. and then to turn around and play what could be a preview to a great playoff game was tough. western is very talented....good weekend all around though...just wish we could get that UW game back

[Dan Wishengrad]

I'd say that our PNCLL B Division is going to be even better than advertised, if just a few games are any indication. PLU plays very well against the A Division, two losses or not, then comes back about eighteen hours after an exhausting, leave-everything-on-the-field cliff-hanger against UW to beat a Western Washington team which I'm sure will be right there in the B Division semi-finals, playing for the right to represent the PNCLL in Blaine. This was a first game for a brand new three-man coaching staff under Adam Greene, with a young but talented roster of WWU lacrosse players. Expect the Vikings to continue to improve with game experience and playing time, and to definitely be a factor at the end.

Then there's Montana, showing up for an early season road game and really competing against a quality A Division Gonzaga team on its home turf. The Grizzlies seem to have alot of new players too, and I will be curious to watch them develop as a team. Was this a fluke or is UM for real? In any case a very good showing to start 2005 for Montana.

And finally, there is Linfield. Another phoenix seemingly reborn out of the ashes of 2004's dissolution, the Lions rolled out on the road to Ashland and reportedly romped on one of our PNCLL newbies, Southern Oregon, playing their first MDIA game. I'm guessing that Linfield drove 59 miles per hour in the right hand lane all the way there (wink, wink). It is only two seasons since Linfield was the B Division favorite, losing a tough Finals to an inspired Lewis & Clark Pioneer squad in 2003. It's a little early to tell if Linfield is all the way back, but early signs are good. And the Pios? I haven't the faintest clue whether '05 will be an up or down year for L&C, but a few weeks from now we should know.

UPS is the B Division champs, and the Loggers are certainly a threat to repeat. Whitman is always good and could be stronger this season than last, when the Missionaries made it to the B Finals. Add those other teams discussed above and our small school division looks balanced and very, very strong. This doesnt even count any potential upstart, like Central Washington which lost only 12-7 at Western Washington to start the season. How good is our B Division nationally? Look to March 12th -- when PLU plays #3B Utah Valley State in Boise -- as a barometer for how we stack up.

I will be following the B Division as your PNCLL Correspondent throughout the '05 season. My colleague Kyle Berggren will follow the A Division and offer his perspective for the 2005 season. We invite all PNCLL coaches, players and fans to regsiter to post and offer your own contributions -- we need an army of reporters out there posting scoring updates of the big games and first-hand accounts. The usual cast of characters has been heard from already, but we especially need you folks in places like Ashland, McMinneville, Salem, Walla Walla, Moscow, Missoula and Ellensburg to stand up and be counted...

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

I agree with Dan that the PLU vs. UVSC game(and the UPS vs. UVSC game) next month will really be a great indicator as to the true strength of our B division relative to the rest of the country. I find it really hard to believe that there are any other conferences nationally at the B level that have some many good teams and balance. Not to leave anyone out, but I could easily see 6 different teams with a formidable chance to represent the PNCLL in Blaine - Linfield, Montana, Whitman, Western, PLU or UPS. . .with some other teams on the doorstep and not far behind.

With the addition of the B division national playoffs, this stands to be one of the most competitive and exciting season in league history, with a strong possibility that 3 northwest lacrosse teams will travel to Minnesota to compete with the rest of the nation.

And lastly, to answer the question of the Oregon player who wondered why PLU is playing in the B division this season - Kyle Berggren was close, but ultimately the Athletic Department at PLU has taken over "club sports" and they have made it very clear that they will only support our program if we play in a league with our "natural rivals" - the schools PLU competes with in other sports. (Lin, Will, Whit, L&C, UPS) The athletic department at PLU has no desire to support teams playing against Pac-10 opponents.[/url]

[Dan Wishengrad]

Going varsity may very well be a realisitic goal for some of our smaller schools. But it is highly unlikely that a big Pac-10 school like Washington school will ever go varsity for men's lacrosse, unless of course we decide to drop our football program and eliminate the 95 scholarships or however many they pass out like free balloons these days!

But I believe most current PNCLL members will add women's lacrosse to follow the lead of Linfield, UPS and now Oregon, and will do so within the next 5-10 years. Being a member of the PNCLL and the MDIA is a great college lacrosse experience anyway, though, and 2005 could be a breakout year for both our A and B Division winners.

[Timbalaned]

Dan what if we petition the Pac-10 as a group and just decided to all go Varsity as a conference. I think it could work. Or they need to get rid of that horrible Title IX and change it all around. It needs to be changed to Mens Sports, Womens Sports and Football. Make it three seperate divisions and then everything would be just dandy.

[Dan Wishengrad]

Maybe if Paul Allen, Bill Gates and Phil Knight pooled together an immense pile of gold and demanded "Make lacrosse varsity or else we cut off all funding!" we'd have a chance Timblaned. Otherwise, keep dreaming. At UW we have a Title IX inequity already. Taking men's lacrosse varsity means a need to add three to four new women's teams to offset the numbers. We are supposed to be taking steps to correct the current imbalance, not making it worse by adding a new men's sport -- and an expensive one with a 40-man D1 roster to boot! You think the taxpayers would vote a tuition hike (i.e. RAISE TAXES) to fund men's lacrosse when public universities are cutting programs? I don't...

[teslax14]

Just out of curiosity, why doesn't UPS play any "A" division teams? It seemed like you guys smoked the "B" division last year and thought you could contend with the higher calaber A teams, yet you never schedule games to prove yourselves. Is it a school issue or what?

[teslax14]

However Brauck, if our school did open up another mens team, I'm sad to say it would most likely be baseball because we are the only school in the PAC-10 without a varsity baseball team. I do think it is sad that football is counted as a men's sport because it brings in so much money. Nevertheless, Title IX is rediculous and should not be terminated. Too bad it will never happen though because of those crazy feminist

[Timbalaned]

yeah either baseball or soccer

[Kyle Berggren]

Our priority was getting our 8 league games in a fashion that wouldn't kill our travel costs. As is worked out, we only have 3 homegames this year, and one was a forfeit. We wanted to play a few A teams this year, but travel costs, really blew that one for us. We have B division trips for 3 weekends, plus the playoffs. As far as not proving ourselves, we have plenty to work for this year. Montana, PLU (twice), Linfield, Western (twice), UVSC (4), as well as Boise St. The only close team we couldn't schedule was Washington. As far as killing teams last year, as good as I think my team is (good), the B league has taken leaps and bounds in the last year. Montana, PLU, and Western coming down, that's 5 tough games. Last year, Linfield was out, but were ranked as high as 16 if I remember correctly, we play them this weekend. I really don't think that we have a cake walk schedule, we've got to work hard to win those games. I think we're in the most competetive B division in the country, and I didn't even mention Whitman.

A problem I never had to deal with before is how late UPS starts class, this year, January 18th was the first day, we start on the 19th, we don't even have a month of practicing in yet. If any A eams are willing to travel to us for a game, contact me and we'll try to work something out. Our Fall practices are light at best, and only every few weeks. If my guys were willing to practice 4 days a week in the Fall, we'd get more than 12 games in during Spring, but I don't see that happening for a few years.