PNCLL Week #3 (2/15-2/21) -- Predict, Scores & Discuss

[Dan Wishengrad]

Friday, Feb. 17th
Simon Fraser 13 Arizona State 12

Saturday, Feb. 18th
UC Irvine 11 Pacific Lutheran 10 (OT)
Claremont 17 Pacific Lutheran 5
Albertson 10 Central Washington 9
USC 14 Gonzaga 5
Western Washington 22 Willamette 0

Sunday, Feb. 19th
San Diego 18 Pacific Lutheran 6
Western Washington 16 Linfield 4
Boise State 18 Central Washington 6
Gonzaga 12 UC Davis 11 (OT)
UCLA 10 Gonzaga 4

Monday, Feb. 20th
Arizona 18 Simon Fraser 11

A big week for the PNCLL begins in the desert, as Simon Fraser takes on the Sun Devils in Tempe under the lights on Friday night. This will be the Clansmen' first real test against a ranked A Division team, and along with the Monday game in Tuscon against the Laxcats of UA will demonstrate whether SFU is ready to reclaim its traditional place among the MDIA powers.

After a weekend of Springlike weather in the Northwest, a "Siberian Express" descends upon the region and is expected to produce some snow along with frigid cold for this week's games. But like Simon Fraser, PLU also flies south ahead of this storm. The Lutes may find warmth in sunny Southern California, but they also find three ranked B teams ready to play them within a 24-hour window, a schedule which will sorely test PLU's depth and early-season conditioning. The Lutes must face this stern test without their top player, Middie Matt Kennedy, who dislocated an ankle at UW last week.

Taking the field for the first time in 2006 will be Central Washington and Albertson for a conference game Saturday in Caldwell, Idaho. Now in their third season of competition, The Wildcats of CWU have a veteran roster led by Attackmen Alan Columbo and Erik Heieneman and Middies Johnny Mack and TJ Serrianne, all four of whom are legitimate scoring threats. The Yotes of ACI return a tough defense led by Goalie Blake Gaudet, and an offense bolstered in '06 by DII transfer Cody Hart (Notre Dame de Namur). Albertson needs Hart and their returning shorties to step up and not only score some goals, but also to possess the ball and take pressure off a defense which saw far too much of the action a year ago in the Yotes' debut season. CWU completes the road trip Sunday with a game on the "Smurf-turf" at Boise State.

Also making their first appearance of the season will be Willamette, which takes the long drive north up I-5 for a Saturday affair at Western Washington. The Bearcats return All-Star Matt Parsons on Attack and Ross LaGrandeur in Goal, and all hope that these two players can help lead Willamette to a marked improvement in 2006. The Vikings of WWU provide a stern test, and if the Bearcats can prove to be comptetitive in this game it will give the team reason for optimism.

On Sunday there will be a showdown between ranked B teams when Linfield hits the field for the first time in Bellingham for a game against WWU. The Wildcats' return all-stars in Attackman Taylor Brennan and Goalie Alex Johnson, and boast one the the B Division's deepest rosters. LC Coach Tim Hart has ample weapons this year to compete within the PNCLL, and perhaps even nationally. The Vikings of Western will provide a serious test right out of the blocks, on a day when temperatures may never climb above freezing.

Kyle will be along soon to highlight the A games.

[muchachojones]

Hey Kyle and Dan. Nice job with the game previews this year. It's nice to see a journalistic style preview for the league. Keep it up.

[Chris Long]

Week 2 - nice showing by Boise State over the weekend. Even though both games were L's - good to see that they made a difficult trip and competed with OSU. UO was a tough 2nd game for them - overall, a difficult and admirable way to start the season.

Friday
SFU 12, ASU 6

Saturday
UCI 9, PLU 7
Claremont 10, PLU 5
CWU 7, Albertson 4
USC 12, Gonzaga 5
WWU 16, Willamette 3

Sunday
SD 17, PLU 5
WWU 8, Linfield 6
BSU 15, CSU 7
UCD 9, Gonzaga 6
UCLA 14, Gonzaga 4

Monday
SFU 7, AZ 5

Sidebar: two games in one day and three in two days and it occurs twice this weekend? Yes, these players are young and can bounce back - but c'mon - does squeezing in games matter more than the safety of the players? Please advise - I am interested if there are extenuating circumstances.

That is all, good luck to all this weekend. LONG OUT.

[lil lady lax fan]

Chris,
I believe the Shootout at UCI was set up way back in September so that some of the Div. B teams could get their OOC games taken care of. Because of travel costs it made more sense to do it over a long weekend, ergo the games crunch. The fields are good playing fields-firm grass with good drainage in case of rain. UCI has a nice set up with the fields close together and facilities close by. It may be a little tough on the guys, but from what I've heard from some of the local players they are all stoked for this weekend's matchups. I'll be at UCI all day Saturday so I'll try to get the scores posted in as quickly as I can. I'm sure there will be lots of folks keeping y'all updated as the weekend progresses.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

In order to qualify for an at-large trip to nationals a B division team only needs to play two OOC games to get consideration. Playing 3 games in 2 days. . .against 3 of the best teams in the country - seems a little much to me. It will be hard for PLU to be at their best on Sunday against the defending national champs after playing two very good teams back-to-back on Saturday.

But. . .if they somehow get through this thing with a win or two. . .it will certainly make them battle-tested and tournament ready - but in mid-February???

Honestly, I've never heard of a men's team playing two regulation games in one day. . .much less two of them doing it in one weekend. I hope UCI changes the format for this invitational next year and has teams play on Friday or Monday (President's Day) instead of playing double-headers.

[kladis]

Chris;

The reason team's squeeze games in is simple- they want to play games.

Yes, of course, its very hard to play 3 games in a weekend, and especially 2 full games in one day, but when it comes down to it, players, coaches, teams simply want to play games. For some teams in some geographical areas getting games is an extremely hard thing to do and when players train and practice hard, not playing as many games as possible isn't fair to them. Home games are usually out of the question, and away games cost a ton of money which means when you make a trip you want to make it very worth it. Irvine allowed teams to schedule games however they wanted- they are simply hosting them.

For reasons of personal and team satisfaction and program recognition and all of those types of very important reasons, playing your necessary amount of OOC games is fine, and winning as many games as possible is good as well- but for the sole reason of making the league playoffs- in our league only a few games count.

If your a team like Oregon then yeah, your playing to get an at-large bid as well. But in my opinion, the rest of the teams in the PNCLL are playing for all those previous reasons, and also to make playoffs, and win them earning the at large bid. Teams in the PNCLL hardly have a change to even schedule a tough enough schedule to even be glanced at toward a high national ranking or an at-large bid. Oregon can now because they've climbed that ladder- even SFU has a tough time scheduling games let alone games against good teams that could help their ranking.

What all this garbage means is simple- For most teams - OOC games are for fun, they are for the experience, they are to get your program some recognition and hopefully turn some heads which could help recruiting. OF COURSE you play to win them, thats a given, but with the way the conference and the entire MDIA is structured- good luck playing OOC games to try to get an at-large bid- so "winning" the score isn't exactly the most important thing on them. "Winning" respect from others by playing hard, and being respectful, and performing at a high level and feeling good about the experience is what those games are for. This is the reason that I will schedule pretty much ANY game! A teams or B teams, good teams or bad ones, it doesn't matter. Any team that wants more games, call me!! Games are games and the only ones that matter toward the "league standings" are the ones against the teams in your conference so that you make the tournament, and then the 2 games in the tournament. Other than that, games are for practice, for fun and self-satisfaction of success and giving all-out effort and making the season worth it!

So, we are going to go to California this weekend with the goal of giving 100% on the field and showing another area of the country what the Gonzaga Lacrosse Program is all about. I have no doubt that my guys are ready to play their hearts out on the field against 3 teams (which on paper are exactly at our level) and in the end I am confident that we will win through the score yeah, but I guarentee that the players will be happy about the games and the trip if they simply gave it their best effort. Then, when we're done on the field, we'll punch out and we're gonna go kick it on the beach in southern california - toss the ball around and feel good that we have worked our tails off for months and have achieved something.

In short- My opinion is playing as many games as possible is the key, and I can't see how any player that pays money to play lacrosse on a team and works hard at practice and trains hard would ever disagree. The safety issue is valid, but as long as your in good enough shape, 2 games in a day shouldn't be that killer- my guys know- I've made sure of that.

sorry. I got long winded there.

[TheBearcatHimself]

I would like to say that yes more games the better, being a player I want as many games as possible, even playing for a less than championship worthy team as I am. The experience is what its all about. The road trips my freshman year are some of the fondest memories of mine even though we lost the games on the road trip (one in 2OT to CWU grrrrr).

The two games in one day is curious however, I wonder if the team goals somehow overshadowed the players' comfort level. I cannot say that even as a player I would be comfortable playing two games in one day, but that is my unexperienced non-two-game-in-one-day-playing opinion. The more games the better and the more games the more experience in any situation, whether tough or simple.

Two games in one day though, I hope this is a blip on the scheduling screen, I do not want to see this become a trend, in lacrosse or any sport (this being the season that a DIII football team played two games in one day in Louisana, UNREAL, and won both!!!). OOC games are an excuse and a trip to California does not happen everyday, but please for the sake of the teams and players, let this not become an everyyear occurence. While as far-fetched as my team is from playoff contention, I do not want to have to subject my players to two games in one day on the road ever. This is my opinion, take it as you will.

[lil lady lax fan]

With a National championship to shoot for many B teams are hungry for games, especially against those in the top rankings. Add to that the fact that this year there will also be three at-large bids. Many teams that finished second in their league are shooting for those bids. Playing such high-ranking teams--both the ones here and the ones coming in—will give those who didn’t make it last year an idea of what they will be up against in Dallas.

This is also Irvine's first year of doing this. I'm sure they'll work out any bugs in the scheduling. Fortunately they scheduled a break between the two games so that should allow them a little rest.

For those coming in, here's the weather forecast:

Friday: High 58, Low low 40's, Sunny
Saturday: Possible showers, High mid-50's, Low low 40's
Sunday: Sunny, Highs and lows same as Saturday.

Hopefully the rain will hold off until Tuesday. Hope y'all have a safe trip. Looking forward to the games.

[Kyle Berggren]

Friday (Tomorrow),

The Clan are off to play the #24 Arizona State Sun Devils. The clan have not been "THE Top" of the PNCLL for a few years, and this year could be the turning point. After what many may not consider an impressive win over WWU, the Clan have weathered gale force winds to play one of the most under-rated teams in division B. Yes they are a B team, yes they were un-ranked last season, no that is not a reflection on the caliber of this team. The Clan will have another test at ASU, and if you've ever been to Arizona, they'll have to get used to the flat, ugly, nothingness that is ASU. Hopefully the Clan will enjoy the sun, control the ball, and dominate the game between the lines, coming home with a win against the Sun Devils.

Saturday (2 days from now),

Gonzaga heads down to play USC, at UC Irvine. The Bulldogs already have a few games under there belts, and their experienced coaching staff (Kladis, Shogun, & Peter Lewicki (Whitman Missionary, trading sides)) should give them a shot at winning any games they play. Coming from down 4 goals in 5 minutes vs. PLU to get the game into overtime is a testament to what this team can do on the field. Being so young, they'll have to lean on coaches to get the Job done. USC is supposed to be much improved, and ready to compete with anyone this year. USC already played Stanford, winning 11-8, and lost to Cal Poly 15-9. We know how competitive Stanford was in Eugene last weekend, this will give the Bulldogs an idea of how they stack up to OSU & UO before they play the game.

Sunday,

CWU visits a tough BSU team. I would like everyone to notice that CWU has volunteered to travel to BSU out of the goodness of their hearts. For those of you that don't know, BSU was ready to play every game on the road this year in an effort to help get into the PNCLL. Good for you Wildcats, you'll have your hands full. BSU will be tough at home, you'll be playing on turf no matter how you look at it. Either you're in the stadium, turf, or you're on the intramural field, dirt (turf). The game should be fast paced, and a good opportunity for CWU to be tested against a solid opponent. For CWU to have a chance in Boise, they'll have to win the game between the lines and control the ball on offense. Good luck to both teams, should be a fun one.

Monday,

The Clan are back in action against #15 ranked Arizona. Arizona is untested so far, but has been unpredictable the last few years. 1 game they can compete with the elite, one day they struggle with an unranked team. The Clan will have to be on their A game, ready to go for this one. The weather should be better than the snow in BC, and the Clan will be ready to face this tough WCLL opponent. Yuen will help on the offensive side of things, it will be interesting to see how much of a factor he is on the offense. A lot of us forget, but with box so prevelant in BC, this isn't his first time with a shorty, he's been effective, and will most likely be a major weapon in the box on offense. Good luck Clan!

Well, I left out the rest of the Zags trip, but we'll talk about it now. UC Davis & UCLA on Sunday. It will be tough, but they're deep, and experienced for this time in the season. The weather has been good in Spocompton all winter, so practice hasn't been limited as much as the past. Davis is our league presidents old stomping grounds, and for Davis' first game this year, we'll hope they get stomped as well. UCLA has been tested, playing Stanford in a 12-10 win at UCLA. They've also beat UC Irvine handedly, letting us know they're absolutely a team to not overlook. This game could be the closest of the week, if Gonzaga is conditoined enough to run with UCLA in the heat, after playing earlier that morning.

On a side note: Hopefully the Zags will leave their rowdy fans at home. We wouldn't want any bench penalties for yelling any "Brokeback" comments at the opposing team.

Good luck to all, I'm off for the weekend if there are any comments from the peanut gallery.

[Kyle Berggren]

Oh, and an extra wish of luck to the injured PLU team travelling this weekend. Hopefully Bryan & Bubba can make the necessary changes and you guys can fight out one of the toughest weekends imaginable for a B team. Good luck guys.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

Rick, with all due respect. . .I certainly love your attitude and approach as a coach that you will play any team, any time, anywhere. . .but I was just trying to make the point that it makes absolutely no sense to play 3 games in two days - especially on a 3-day holiday weekend.

I understand that GU is not in the running for an at-large bid to nationals this year. . .but PLU certainly is. With 3 at-large spots to the B division National tourney, PLU would have been an at large team last year, and with thier top-10 pre-season ranking they are certainly in the running again this year.

When teams from the PNCLL travel to play teams in other conferences, which I think EVERY PNCLL team should do. . .I want those teams to be in position to succeed. . .and I just don't think playing 5 hours of intense lacrosse in one day puts players in a position to be at their best. And with the #1 team in the country waiting for PLU on Sunday - there is no way you can convince me that the two games on Saturday won't affect the legs of the PLU players this early in the season.

And then when you consider the increased risk of injury that comes with fatigue. . .I just think it is a really bad idea. I think it puts the players' health at risk. I've never seen it done before, and I hope next year, if UCI hosts another big lacrosse event on a 3-day weekend. . .they go ahead and schedule games for 3 days.

I wish the Lutes and Bulldogs the best of luck with the immense task that is in front of them - I hope both teams can overcome the grueling schedule and have a great showing against some very, very good competition.

[Dan Wishengrad]

I'm guessing that Flip Naumburg might agree with you, Jason. In 2003 he scheduled Colorado State to play twice in the same day. After spanking Utah Valley State 17-5 in the opener, CSU suffered what turned out to be their only loss to a MDIA opponent all year with a stunning 5-4 loss in the second game to then-unranked Utah. The Utes weren't yet the team they are today, and wouldn't have had much of a chance against the #1 Rams had CSU not played an earlier game that day and faced-off with a tired bunch of players in the nightcap.

While an otherwise-undefeated CSU was able to overcome this upset loss and go on to win a third national title, a team like PLU might not be able to overcome adversity after this weekend -- given that the Lutes will have no more OOC games for the pollsters to consider. IF the Lutes stumble badly against Claremont in the nightcap on Saturday and then lose to USD on Sunday, we may never know how these games might have turned out had PLU been well-rested for them instead. But PLU's national ranking will not take this into consideration -- the scores will stand as recorded.

This schedule will prove very brutal for both the Lutes and the Zags, and while I wish them both the best of luck, personally I would have rather seen them stick to a two-game road trip -- or stretched out to play a third game on Monday instead. But this was obviously not my call. Just my own two cents worth here...

[lil lady lax fan]

IF the Lutes stumble badly against Claremont in the nightcap on Saturday and then lose to USD on Sunday, we may never know how these games might have turned out had PLU been well-rested for them instead. But PLU's national ranking will not take this into consideration -- the scores will stand as recorded.

This schedule will prove very brutal for both the Lutes and the Zags, and while I wish them both the best of luck, personally I would have rather seen them stick to a two-game road trip -- or stretched out to play a third game on Monday instead. But this was obviously not my call. Just my own two cents worth here...

Keep in mind that Claremont and USD will be in the same boat as the Lutes. Claremont has an earlier game on Saturday, as does USD. This isn't their home turf so they don't really have field advantage.

[lil lady lax fan]

Speaking of home field advantage...which one of you weisenheimers brought the rain along???

[Laxfan23]

I would like everyone to notice that CWU has volunteered to travel to BSU out of the goodness of their hearts. For those of you that don't know, BSU was ready to play every game on the road this year in an effort to help get into the PNCLL. Good for you Wildcats

CWU is already in Idaho to play Albertson, a conference game. In fact, I think BSU is doing all of the teams that travel to play Albertson a favour, by providing them with a second game in Idaho. BSU and Albertson are only about 25 minutes apart.