Best Offense and Best Defense

[norway]

I was just curious what ideas everyone else might have. Which Div A team will have the best offense? Which will have the best D? Same for Div B.

[scooter]

I'll talk about the B division, since its what I'm familiar with.

For best offense, it is very difficult to argue with the numbers Harding put up last year. The reigning offensive MVP and a first team all conference player in Allen are a difficult task for any team to hold down.

For best defense, I think I like Augustana. Their middie defense was one of the best, if not the best around. Also, their long poles seem to have very few weaknesses. Not fancy, just very solid

Just observations based on last year. But as always, a stellar freshman class, or players coming into their own can thwart this entire prediction

[romo8]

As far as B goes, Creighton has a very solid offense. They could put up alot of points this year

[norway]

i guess everyone is trying to keep their weapons a secret. Harding graduated one player, and attracted a good sized freshmen group for Harding. So I there are a lot of expectations for our squad this year. I am curious about some of the A teams this yr.

[norway]

well, since nothing is being said, i guess i will try and stir it up a little. Harding returns all of their "all-conference" players. Look for HU to be turning heads nationally.

[beckner11]

I guess I'll be a little critical of your post and say that it's hard to be "turning heads" when you were already ranked pretty high nationally! They're already in the spotlight

[Dan Wishengrad]

Watch out for Montana's offense, they have all their weapons back and have added some new ones. If transfer Sam Cameron can return from the knee injury that prevented his career at Ohio Wesleyan from ever really starting two years ago, well the Griz could be flat-out deadly.

[scooter]

well, since nothing is being said, i guess i will try and stir it up a little. Harding returns all of their "all-conference" players. Possibly the best goalie and def. the best attackman in GRLC-B. Look for HU to be turning heads nationally.

That is a bold statement....while i agreed earlier Harding would probably be good, "turning heads" is a bit much. Many teams in the conference probably already expect them to be one of the better teams, it is going to take a lot to "wow" opponents......and by calling stozak the best straight out, he has officially become a marked man. I'm willing to bet most defenses will work much harder now to ensure he doesn't repeat.

[norway]

awesome! actually got some feedback from some people on here. HU probably has the tightest group of guys they have ever put together.

[scooter]

awesome! actually got some feedback from some people on here. First off, "Sostacked" has already achieved the repeat, so I'll bet he is looking to 3peat this year. Yes, they are bold statements, but I believe HU can back it up in play on the field. HU probably has the tightest group of guys they have ever put together.

just wondering.....do you see any GRLC B division team beating HU this year? Last year you had a very talented squad, but many weaknesses were exposed in the conference semis, mainly that sztosak can be contained, and without him, HU cannot finish games. Have you done anything to remedy these problems?

[norway]

HU had weaknesses last yr, primarily due to the lack of lacrosse experience on the team. HU has a great coach, and I am sure those problems have been solved.

[norway]

If Creighton has added anyone to help Mulaney out at O, then they probably will be solid on offense. Will creighton be able to hold on the defensive side of the field w/o their take away man(metcalfe). That's the question.
I agree that Montana is probably the team to watch out for in Div B this yr. They play some great lacrosse. i don't understand it though...is there prominant source for their recruiting. I mean c'mon it's montana.

[scooter]

How is this, he didn't play up to his level for whatever reason.....I do believe he had 3 points. 1 goal and 2 assists.

http://grlc.org/statistics-uslmdia.cfm? ... on=players

I think these are the stats before the conference tourny, and it clearly shows he didn't perform as well as he did during the season, in fact, he had put up less than half of his game average.

This is not to say that szostak is a bad player, quite the contrary, especially if 3 points a game is an off performance. But the mere fact that Augustana's defense limited him to > 50% of his regular is something to be praised.

[culax]

If Creighton has added anyone to help Mulaney out at O, then they probably will be solid on offense. Will creighton be able to hold on the defensive side of the field w/o their take away man(metcalfe). That's the question.
I agree that Montana is probably the team to watch out for in Div B this yr. They play some great lacrosse. i don't understand it though...is there prominant source for their recruiting. I mean c'mon it's montana.

Montana is a school that in my opinion recruits itself. To explain, I really doubt that many student-athletes chose to attend one school over another based upon its Division B club lacrosse program. Montana and Montana State are both located in incredible, beautiful settings if you enjoy the outdoors (skiing, climbing, flyfishing, etc.) The academics and outdoor opportunities at Montana have attracted enough student-athletes with enough prior lacrosse experience that they have been able to develop a successful lacrosse program in a fairly short period of time.

[mdlax]

i will give it to augustana, they beat harding...but i think if they were to go up against the squad that harding has this year it would be a different story...