UMLL Week #9 3/29-4/4 Game Preditions Thoughts Scores etc...

[oaklandlax]

Oakland 15
Duluth 9

Final

[Champ]

Oakland 15
Duluth 9

Final

Thanks for the update. Any info on the game? How was the weather.

[oaklandlax]

Weather was ok, just a little windy about 50 degrees. Duluth is a well coached team, they are ranked 11 for a reason. We were up 9 on them in the fourth but they never gave up netting 3 more at the end. Rob has done a great job over there. They have a very class act program. I think you all can count on them playing down in Texas.

[DanGenck]

Rainy and cold-

St. John's- 14
St. Thomas- 13

[Pinball]

ndsu beat carelton

[Adam G]

Any specifics on the NDSU / Carleton game, Pinball?

By the way, congrats on the W. I wish I could've seen it first hand.

[Pinball]

Umm, Carleton came out quick with a few quick goals. NDSU slowly chipped away at it and carleton had no ansewer. Both teams are vastly improved from last year.#6, 15 and 20 from Carelton were impressive and NDSU mechanics (throwing and catching) were great all around. I would tell you numbers but they were really hard to read from the press box and i didnt watch any of the 4th quarter. if i were to guess i would say the score ended up being something like 12-7

[DanGenck]

I hear Drunk Mike's #10 has been retired by the Johnnies? What's up with that?

Nice win for the Johnnies. Alumni all over the world are smiling tonight.

[jeffc]

Minnesota is truly in a rebuilding stage with a roster full of young and inexperienced players.

Up and down, yes. Rebuilding? Not more than any other season.

Our squad is young this year, but the rookies are no joke- probably the best batch of rookies I've seen the team pick up. Our perfomance thusfar has been erratic but the U is (in)famous for being unpredictable... especially this early in the season. Perhaps I should shed some light:

2003: U beats Missouri (ranked), loses to Mankato(unranked) a couple weeks later. Goes on to lose the Chamionship to a very talented Duluth squad in double overtime. Sidenote: Easily the greatest game I've ever played in, despite the loss. Hats off to Duluth for that one. It was electric.
2004: U fields one of their best teams in their history, yet an unranked UGA takes UofM to OT (U scraped it out) before the U lost the season to alcohol violations.
2005: U beats #7 FSU, loses to unranked Emory the very next day. Wins UMLL championship.
2006: U loses to #10 Oakland by a mere two goals in the first game of the season, then loses to unranked Loyola Marimount by a handful.

For as long as I've been on the team, the U's season has been a series of leaps and falls, with the pieces tending to fall together toward the end. We've certainly shown plenty of both sides this season, but the strikes-and-gutters phenomenon is certainly not unique to us. I expect a handful of young, talented UMLL teams to surprise a lot of people this season.

Conversely, a team like St. Cloud seems to have things together, at least they have the firepower that the lacked the past few years.

We played St. Cloud this morning, and they were easily the best SCU squad I've seen. Expect a lot of their young guys to get their names dropped in scouting reports this season and in years to come. They will have a lot of success this season. Look out for them come tournament time.

It seems as though any parity that existed when Duluth, Minnesota and Stevens Point had a chance of toping the conference just a few years back has disappeared....

While I have not seen a lot of the games, it seems as though the quality in our conference has decreased and hopefully the UMLL goes back to a conference where at least three teams could contend for the title.

Saying that the competition in the league has disappeared in the same breath as admitting you haven't been to many games might fall into the realm of conjecture. Coming out to games/practices to see the teams your discussing would be a probably be wise.

As far as this year being a 1-team league, it'd be awfully easy of me to point out the fact that the U is the defending league champions, or that we lost to Oakland by a smaller margain than Duluth. Then again, Duluth beat Cal-Poly, who trounced us, and has won the UMLL title SEVEN(!) times. Anyone remember Point coming out of left field to gun with anyone in the league in both 2004 and 2005? Cloud has certainly given some strong performances this season. Who's counting them out?

Then again, why is any of that important? New teams, new season. It's all a wash.

With the turnaround that happens every season, you should expect to be surprised by every team in the league. Even Duluth is no exempt from being surprising. Sure they're good every year, but I'm always surprised to see how they shine. Some years it's their run-and-gun. Sometimes its set plays. Sometimes it's individual dodging or shooting. Sometimes it's D and goalkeeping. UMLL teams are pulling off strong upsets every season. That's why it's so much fun to compete in this league. It's never easy, and as soon as you think it's predictable, it's not.

The oddest part about posting something like this is the timing. My regular season began less than 48 hours ago. In a league like this, why make predictions of mid-May dominance on the 1st of April?

.. Are players who would normally go to UMLL teams going elsewhere? Whatever it is, I think everyone will agree that the sooner a more balanced league emerges the better for everyone.

The Freshman and Sophomores in this league are making an impact that many don't see, simply because they aren't big names yet. We've seen a handful of high schoolers go East and West to play Varsity ball, but the influx of talented players to the UMLL continues to grow every year. The number of teams playing high school ball has tripled (quadrupled?) since I first picked up a stick 6 years ago, and no one team could possibly pick up all of them coming into the UMLL. Strong high school programs have given the UMLL a much higher level of competition. Gone are the days of 1-man teams and pickup groups without uniforms. Fielding and growing a team as a unit is the only way to find success in this league. No one person has "carried" a team in this league since I've been around, and I doubt it will happen in the future; this is largely due to the breadth of talent in our local high schools that funnel into the UMLL.
~
Wow, that was epic. I apologize for the length, but someone discounting an entire league when the season had barely begun rubbed me the wrong way. If the state of affairs were as bad as Eugene's post made out, UMLL games would hardly be worth watching.

[gopherlax27]

we never lost to emory, so lets get the facts straight. Wow, what can I say about that post, The U must have a great writing program. My post was a combination of observation from the scores that I have seen come in and my knowledge of the league, having played against most of them. I hope that I didn't insult anyone with my comments but sometimes the truth hurts. Now that I am on outside observer, it is easier for me to see things I didn't notice while I was a player.

EZ
UofM Attack (ret.)

[oldmanlax]

NDSU 7
Carlton 6

Pinball hit it on the head. Strong start by Carlton but they faded late in the first quarter. They wouldn't find their game until the fourth when they made an unsuccessful charge. Carlton took some tough penalties and their emotions led to more. In my opinion, both teams played well. On a different day, it could have been an entirely different outcome. NDSU had strong performances by several players and clearly won the ground ball war. Tough D from NDSU's poles and also attack calmly picked their shots. Carlton's #15 and 6 were key to the performance. 15 started as a pole and switched from short to long all game. Carlton's keeper saw at least 20 or so shots.

I'm excited to see NDSU's game against Moorhead on Friday. A healthy cross-river rivalry never hurt anyone. The University of North Dakota is going to practice with NDSU on Sunday so it will be fun to see what talent they have rounded up. All I know is Andrew Law (Former NDSU) started a squad and they had a dozen or so experienced players plus a few other randoms. The Red River Valley is making a good push to get on the map. This time next year there could be and "Iowa" weekend except with snowboots and sandbags in Fargo/Moorhead.

[Cameron pederson]

The talent in the league has improved over the last five years. But besides duluth, no teams this year have a wealth of talent. I would say that duluth has its best team that it has had in years. It may not look like it because nationally they are not dominating. But the talent of the top teams in the USLIA is greatly improved (ie. many quality performances against ncaa teams this year). The only thing that I can't pin down is why you aren't seeing more minnesota HS players on UMLL rosters. My guess would be lack of stable and qualified coaches. If lacrosse in MN is going to improve we are going to need our best athletes playing lacrosse at an early level!

You can't blame Rob for recruiting top talent to keep up with national powers. Coaches of other teams need to get out and do the same to stay competitive.

[jeffc]

Ick, you're right. It was Auburn, not Emory. I got my GA trips mixed up. Regardless of who the loss was to, the point is the same.

And I'm not hurt, I've played with you long enough to know you're a good guy- and you're certainly free to to have and express your own opinion. I just didn't agree with your argument that this league's level of play has diminished or is diminishing, or that off/on performance from UMLL teams is anything new.

Looking back, I may have over-emphasized the U's history over the UMLL's history in general, but that's because it's a history we're both particulary familiar with and, frankly, it's much easier to research when you're pulling it all from memory. You can look at ups and downs of the UST, SJU, UW-SP, SCU (and so on) programs for further examples, I'm just not nearly as familiar with them.

Maybe I'm putting too much faith in teams that haven't fared well in the past. Maybe you're right and I'm being foolish. However, I think the real meat of this season has yet to come, and the teams in this league will stay competitive. Given that your outlook on the UMLL is as it is, I think (perhaps wishfully) that you will be surprised at the performance of more than a couple teams come tournament time.

[jayp4757]

Minnesota - 8
St. Cloud - 3

[DanGenck]

The talent in the league has improved over the last five years. But besides duluth, no teams this year have a wealth of talent. I would say that duluth has its best team that it has had in years. It may not look like it because nationally they are not dominating. But the talent of the top teams in the USLIA is greatly improved (ie. many quality performances against ncaa teams this year). The only thing that I can't pin down is why you aren't seeing more minnesota HS players on UMLL rosters. My guess would be lack of stable and qualified coaches. If lacrosse in MN is going to improve we are going to need our best athletes playing lacrosse at an early level!

You can't blame Rob for recruiting top talent to keep up with national powers. Coaches of other teams need to get out and do the same to stay competitive.

I think in general there are not a lot of kids from Minnesota who play college lacrosse. Don't forget that the state still has fantastic high school hockey, football, and basketball... so most lacrosse players might be leaning in other directions for college athletic participation.

I agree as well that qualified coaches and students/players who are willing to keep the programs running are hard to find. Some athletes do not want that responsibility/instability.