WCLL Week 5 (2/23 - 2/28): Schedule, Thoughts, & Scores

[Dan Wishengrad]

I have a problem with refs throwing out the stalling warning in the first half or early in the second. It's strategy and the refs shouldn't, in effect, play defense by making the stalling team keep it in the box.

The refs job is to call the rules in the book. If you have a problem, Slider, it is with the NCAA Rules Committee who debate, draft and pass all rules. The committee is comprised mostly of coaches, with A.D.s like Charlie Winters represented also. I don't believe there has ever been a referee serve on the Rules Committee. The rules state:

Rule 6-11 a1 "A team in possession of the ball in its attack area may be warned to "keep it in." This warning shall be made when it is obvious that a team is keeping ball from play.

If you start down the slippery slope of deciding which rules are to be enforced and which should be ignored there is no turning back. We have chosen to abide by the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules. All of them. "The warning shall be made"... leaves no ambiguity.

[bste_lax]

I have noticed after playing in Texas and the Midwest and seeing some games out here now. The West Coast just plays more discplined. They don't really stall but slow things down on offense, let things settle, work it around a couple times then go after what they want to do. Where as, I have seen GRLC/LSA throw a couple passes and go after it right away. Leads to a little sloppier of play and causes more run-n-gun if you want to call it that. I know at Iowa in my 4 years, we scored majority of our goals in transition over a set offense. That's just my opinion.

[CATLAX MAN]

I agree, Matt, the style of play is more disciplined. I think some of it has to do with the quality of the defense that a team has. The better the defense, the less the team feels that they have to score a lot of goals in order to win. The less pressure a team feels that it needs to score goals usually results in a more relaxed, "let the play develop" offense rather than trying to force something into happening.

You look at the teams that have been successful in the national tourney and those are the ones that play good defense. Outside of the usual suspects that are at the top of the heap, the team last year at the tourney who made the biggest impression in this area was Georgia Tech. It was no fluke that they won the SELC tourney last year. They showed at the national tourney that they had the type of defense that would make them competitive.

[slider]

Dan,
My post was intended to express an opinion about the stalling rule, not as a suggestion that referees ignore the rule that is on the books.

If you look at the rules that have come into play in the last 5 years or so, most of them seem designed to promote a more wide open game by taking some control away from the coaches. The timeout rules are a great example of this. In the last few years, we've gone from timeouts anywhere on the field with possession, to anywhere on the offensive end with possession, to with possession and within the offensive box. Also, the discussion of a shot clock form a few years ago demonstrates the direction the rules committee would like the game to go. Again, just a discussion not a criticism of officials or the rules committee.

[Baller1]

Santa Clara 7
Cal 6

[Ken Broschart]

offical scrimmage score: NYIT 11
Arizona 4

[CATLAX MAN]

From WCLL.com

Santa Clara travels to Berkeley and in a hard fought, close game come away with their first Divisional game in two years by the score of 7-6. SCU opened the scoring 3 minutes in when senior Henri Revel(2G-0A)converted on a feed from senior attackman Luke Young (0-2). Senior goalie Kyle Breuleux (23 saves) put a lid on the goal for Cal making 11 first quarter saves. Cal battled back to tie the score at 1-1 after 1 quarter. SCU kept the pressure on in the second jumping out to a 3-1 when CAL went on a run to take a 5-3 halftime lead. In the third, SCU found their offense again scoring three on back to back goals by senior middy Alex Scanlon, the second on a rebound from his third pipe of the game. The Bronco defense tightened up in the third to hold the Bears scoreless. Early in the fourth, Cal tied the score but once again the Broncos tightened up in the defensive half until they junior attackman Will Boyce scored the game winner in trasition. SCU hosts another division rival, # 13 Cal Poly, Sunday at 3PM.

[onpoint]

Who wears #1 at the Brittain family picnic?

[CATLAX MAN]

From WCLL.com

Oregon - 11
Chico - 10

[sohotrightnow]

Speaking of refs, I was at the Oregon-Chico game and it was quite possibly the most poorly officiated game I have ever seen. In fact, I truly feel Chico has a legitimate excuse to protest the game. Case in point, an illegal stick was called on one of Chico's players and the ref refused, yes refused, to show Chico's Head Coach the stick in question even though he is required to do so. On top of this, the stick head already been measured by two other refs and they deemed it was LEGAL, before the head ref decided to call the stick illegal. This led to two Oregon goals. In addition, in the late stages of the game, they called an offsides call on Chico, when they obviously were not. Then the head ref threw a flag on Chico's bench, even though they did not protest the call. It was a travesty and I hope that these refs are held accountable after the game tape reveals how atrocious the officiating was.

[Da Wrightstuf]

It is unfortunate when a game that is so closely contested ends up being decided by the officials. I agree that there were some questionable calls, but they went both ways. our bench got a conduct call too, and I think the worst word I heard on the sideline was "hell". To their defense though, I like to believe that the officials are aware of the ebb and flow of the game and they make calls to get control back. I like to believe that.

Wrightstuf #40

[NCInDaPlaceTaBe]

Typical PNCLL officiating, that's just how it is out here. Surprisingly, the officiating gets better every year. You can imagine how much we love to travel to other conferences where the officiating is more consistant.

[bste_lax]

UCSB was up like 11-1 after 3rd over LMU. I had to leave for work but my first time to see them play and they are really good. Quite impressed, and LMU's only goal did come on a good shot from either #2 or #8 for LMU. UCSB's LSM(#8 ) scored a goal in the third and Brittan was out after halftime and #5 (Wood?) got in.

[Hugh Nunn]

Case in point, an illegal stick was called on one of Chico's players and the ref refused, yes refused, to show Chico's Head Coach the stick in question even though he is required to do so.

It's been a few years since I officiated, but we were never required to show (prove) the illegality of a stick to a coach. We obvously explained the call and what, if anything, could be done to the stick to make it legal. Once that call is made, that's it. It is unfortunate that the head ref seemed to make this serious a call after his two associates both ruled the stick legal. It's too bad when games are decided on controversial calls.

[Sonny]

From WCLL.org:
UCSB 13, LMU 4 final