PNCLL Week #3 (2/13-2/19) -- Predict/Report Scores/Discuss

[nhoskins]

I don't think you need to apologize Will, you're doing a really good job. I also understand about not having the depth to take out your starters, but it doesn't mean you have to keep attacking the cage... perfect your stall, work all your plays through without taking a shot, whatever... scoring just to score (which is certainly what it looks and sounds like) is pointless and rude.

I've been on both sides of this situation, while playing at SFU and after having taken a team to the Space Needle Shootout that suffered a few losses as lopsided as this one. That being said, as a player and a coach, I'd be much more embarassed if a team all began playing left-handed and stopped shooting when they got open looks. And nothing is worse for the fans to watch than a team possessing the ball for the entire second half of a lopsided game.

As far as working your second or third string in, I definitely agree. But you can't tell a player who rarely sees playing time to not shoot or try to score when this may be his only chance all season. And if that second or third string middie (which it seemed WWU had) passes to a starter, should that starter NOT shoot and take away an assist for that third stringer?

I wasn't at the game, but WWU had 12 different scorers on a 22 man roster... sounds like almost everyone got in on the action at some point.

Kudos to Willamette for sticking it out, its tough to be on that side of a big loss. But every team has been there at some point, including UO, SFU and Montana... and they seemed to build from that, with a lot less complaining too.

[GrizLens]

CWU looks to be the front runner now in D2, huge win for their program taking down WOU congrats

With all due respect Tyler, I think it's way too early to name a frontrunner. . .we need to see a few more games from each team.

I think that CWU proved this weekend they are as good as anyone and plan to be in this thing until the end. . .this weekend has a few very interesting games that will certainly tell us a lot about the season in front of us. . .namely the WWU vs. CWU and Whitman vs. UPS and PLU. With Coach Schmitz back in the mix in Walla Walla, you can never count those guys out. . .

All of that being said, I hope the poll voters from around the country were paying attention and CWU gets the love they deserve in this week's poll. I'm not a voter any more, but I would have to put CWU in the top-10 until they prove otherwise. . .with WOU also moving up after the big win over #9 WWU.

Why is it too early to say that? Everyone else was saying the WWU and WOU game was the game to watch to see who the frontrunner was in D2. WOU won pretty big, than got beat by CWU. I think CWU deserved some props and from what I've heard they are legit. Beating a good WOU who just beat WWU by 10+ proves that.

Soooo... What you are saying is A + B = C.... Profound. Someone alert the pollsters!

[Hi-Line Lax]

right on Nathan. I appreciate that response (especially since WWU is hardly ever on here) and I know what you're saying... I guess when we've been on the giving end of some of these games, we've just been fortunate to just sit players all together. And we for sure have been on the receiving end too... and if Willamette needs a timeline for the future take a look at Montana v. Oregon on April 10th, 2004, the day I decided to get real or go home. I guess I see this game as more of a retaliation for the day before, which bothers me, and the game could have been played differently from the start.

[Tyler Baumann]

I am just saying that they deserve some credit.....sorry if it ruffled everyone's feathers, usually when a team plays another team, the better team comes out on top. Is it really that upsetting to everyone that I gave CWU props?

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

I agree with you Tyler that CWU deserves "props". . .I just think CWU proved that no one can be overlooked in our D2 this season. If you asked most people, CWU would have been ranked in the preseason after WWU, WOU, SOU. . .and maybe even PLU.

I just think that WOU sent a message that WWU wasn't going to dominate our D2. . .and then the next day CWU reminded us all that there are several teams that are capable of winning our D2 (and certainly Central is on that list).

Central did a great job of reminding us not to overlook anyone. . .I was just stating that we should not fall into the trap (again) of anointing one team as "the team to beat."

[chat sauvage]

Has anyone looked at the revised Laxpower.com rankings? Six PNCLL teams in the top twenty. Granted, the season has barely started but...

[Kyle Berggren]

I've coached & played in blowouts... Holding the ball is not the answer. You still have to let the other team play. Just unload your bench & let them go to town. If they play, yes you can slow it down, & I don't encourage guys to take 20 yard cranks, but to literally just possess the ball with no intention of going to the cage in a blow out is still an odd thought to me.

I remember standing in the corner of a men's club game running the clock out... 2 minutes left, up by 15, I wasn't getting pressured, just stood there, bored. I had a short stick "guarding" me. I thought it was insulting as I was doing it, but my team was just yelling hold it. After a while I did stick tricks to pass the time because it was a joke. If teams are mismatched on any given day, clear the bench, try new things, but you can't be too upset with the team for winning big.

Congrats to CWU on the big win. I'm excited to see Whitman's new freshman this weekend, scoring 12 points in his first collegiate game (9g3a).

[Dan Wishengrad]

Lopsided blowouts always produce some hard feelings... in lacrosse and other sports as well. We've had this same discussion many times in the past and will surely have it again in the future. You just got to try to learn from the experience and strap the helmet back on next week.

As the DII correspondent I'm pleased that the conference is so wide-open and interest in it appears to be very healthy and growing. But I'm a little disappointed that not much is being written about DI so far this year. Congrats to the Zags on a nice win to start out the '08 campaign, getting a big effort from Frosh Stewart Allen in his first collegiate contest. We'll see the Zags on Sunday, and definitely won't be overlooking them.

Good showing by the Beavers in L.A., for those who didn't notice. A one-goal loss to USC in a game that OSU had chances to tie-up in the closing minutes, a convincing win over the Bruins and, in the third game in as many days, a competitive loss to an underrated Cardinal team. Oregon State trailed by only 8-7 late in that final game, which they played without some players injured earlier in the weekend. Dannny Hoffman, for one, was out with a separated shoulder. First-year Head Coach Matt Vosberg is doing a great job so far with the Beavers, despite the team's current record. OSU has played a tough schedule so far and will definitely be a factor in the PNCLL playoff hunt.

I also want to give a shout out to Coach Wilmot and my own team for a respectable Pac-10 Shootout for the Huskies. We never quit against a solid Cal team and played them tough, despite our youth and heavy reliance on Freshmen to play big minutes. The win over USC on Sunday was hard-earned, as the game was tied 6-6 at the half. We played a strong second half, and the Dawgs really gutted it out. Thanks to the parents and family who made the trip down to UCLA to root us on, your support means alot to us! Hopefully we can take a little momentum from this OOC victory on the road with us to Boise State. The Broncos and Huskies have played twice and each team has won a one-goal game. We expect another battle this Saturday, and then another on Sunday.

[I'm back baby!!!]

As a member of the WOU team I have to agree with Bauman on this one(even though it pains me to agree with anyone from SOU), CWU definitely deserves props, they just flat outplayed us on Sunday, their defense destroyed our man up, and on the other side their man up killed our man down, they were better prepared for us then we were for them, and we were definitely guilty of over looking them, as we put all of our focus on the saturday game and forgot that last years game against them was only a two point game. Hats off to them for a very well played game, they executed when it counted and did all the little things down the stretch to hold on to a very deserved win. Nothing but respect for those guys from me and my team, good luck with the rest of your season, if you guys go undefeated it makes the loss look a little better, so keep on winning boys.

[Forty Two]

That post - without any doubt - is what sportmanship is truly all about.

No matter how the deck looked at the beginning of the season, it has been completely shuffled and what happens from here lies in the hearts of men.

[TheBearcatHimself]

and they seemed to build from that, with a lot less complaining too.

Sorry for late reply, haven't had internet for 2 days. But I would point out Mr. Hoskins that I made only one post to clarify my position on the game. My main point was that WWU's starters posted 13 goals in the second half, 7 in the 4th quarter. Those are stats that will undoubtedly affect All-League and perhaps All-America voting. To pile on our backup goalie I felt was an interesting decision. I was not "complaining" for my sake or my team's sake, and I certainly plan on using the experience to build rather than to shrink from defeat.

I would also like to thank Kevin Flynn from Montana for his kind words and point out that his team the last two seasons, more than any other, could have easily beaten Willamette by 30 goals if they wanted. However, with the same number rostered as WWU, they managed to take out their starters after the 2nd quarter (when that had established a lead) and run their whole 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th lines and gave both their guys and our great experience in a much more even game. The way we treat each other in this league and in this game is a barometer of our maturation as sportsmen. Stomping on throats just because you can will continue to create ill will and teach future generations of laxers that blowouts are a necessary and enjoyable part of the game, which they of course should not be.

I also admit that my first game report was a childish attempt at deflecting the reality of what happened, for which I again apologize.

For the sake of sanity on this forum I won't mention the game again, and I will continue to look forward to each game so that we can build off the experience and never let such a blowout happen to us again and I will hopefully spare the rod when faced with the other side of the coin.