DoctahLexus
Renowned lacrosse analyst
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Here goes a brief attempt at optimism about Duke. Would love to hear any thoughts as this will be an exciting and highly anticipated game on our schedule.
1. Their defense was below their standards last year and could really feel the loss of Giles-Harris if he leaves, which is a strong possibility due to his football commitment. Airforce loss was early but highlighted the inexperience of the unit. Still soaked 15 goals from Richmond in their 5th game. Upgren was at 44% in goal, and I still believe that says something about the quality of the defense and the shots they allow, not just the skill of the goalie (think Hopkins/Darby). Also potential to lose senior ssdms Terry Lindsay and Blake Leischow who I believe started.
2. Despite the depth, there is not a line of three mids they have that intimidates me on the level of say ours, MDs, or UNCs last year. The only truly elite dodger of the bunch is Nakie, who has Curry/Dordevic levels of separation. #5 Badour is big, strong, and an excellent shooter. Caputo has some shake. Leadmon has tons of potential despite not blowing up the stat sheet in 2020, but ultimately it's the type of group that we would not feel the need to double pole, which of course is not an option given who they have at attack. Also could lose seniors Carpenter Lowerie Walsh and Quigly, which puts a dent in that depth.
3. Robertson and Dyson Williams are not major threats off the dodge. While they are both great off ball, at least with those two I feel like our long poles could handle the match up from a 1 v 1 perspective. Robertson might be fine even with a shorty in a pinch (this might be wishful thinking). Even Bomberry was able to keep pace with Robertson last year and that was before his acl tare and he is not a big strongman who could back down a smaller ssdm. Will Sowers vs Kennedy be scary? Yes. Kennedy is an elite athlete but it's the second coming of Mike Powell we are dealing with. Will O'Neill vs anyone be scary? Yes. We have some big strong poles in Murphy and DePietro but it could very well be the second coming of Gary Gait/John Grant Jr. that we are dealing with.
4. Organization and keeping everyone happy. As others have mentioned O'Neill and Williams are both full time lefties. I also don't really see Williams' game translating to middie either. Will the threat of O'Neill be slightly reduced if they have him playing a little attack and a little middie out of the box? Would he be happy doing something like that? They can't just have him running the show and initiating every time with Sowers on the team. How will Danowski juggle their abilities? How will they chose to employ the senior vet Robertson in a non QB type role? Danowski values seniority. Will the minutes Robertson takes up minimize other younger threats? Will Sowers be quite as effective with totally new guys and being managed by a totally new coach and OC?
Now to be slightly more negative. The key to success comes down to if we can put up a bunch of goals on their defense. With Sowers in the lineup and their offball talent in Williams, Robertson, Badour, and O'neill, goals will be scored. In a way those are the exact type of guys that Sowers could excel with. Then you have Nakie dodging from up top and O'Neill dodging from wherever as additional legitimate threats. I am hoping that for the reasons 2-4 above that they score only a large amount of goals and not a disturbing amount of goals. Maybe 14-15 instead of 20-21. And I am hoping that due to reason #1 we will be able to match their scoring output. I think we have a fighting chance! Unless of course O'Neill comes in and instantly changes the game as we know it, which is unfortunately a possibility.
1. Their defense was below their standards last year and could really feel the loss of Giles-Harris if he leaves, which is a strong possibility due to his football commitment. Airforce loss was early but highlighted the inexperience of the unit. Still soaked 15 goals from Richmond in their 5th game. Upgren was at 44% in goal, and I still believe that says something about the quality of the defense and the shots they allow, not just the skill of the goalie (think Hopkins/Darby). Also potential to lose senior ssdms Terry Lindsay and Blake Leischow who I believe started.
2. Despite the depth, there is not a line of three mids they have that intimidates me on the level of say ours, MDs, or UNCs last year. The only truly elite dodger of the bunch is Nakie, who has Curry/Dordevic levels of separation. #5 Badour is big, strong, and an excellent shooter. Caputo has some shake. Leadmon has tons of potential despite not blowing up the stat sheet in 2020, but ultimately it's the type of group that we would not feel the need to double pole, which of course is not an option given who they have at attack. Also could lose seniors Carpenter Lowerie Walsh and Quigly, which puts a dent in that depth.
3. Robertson and Dyson Williams are not major threats off the dodge. While they are both great off ball, at least with those two I feel like our long poles could handle the match up from a 1 v 1 perspective. Robertson might be fine even with a shorty in a pinch (this might be wishful thinking). Even Bomberry was able to keep pace with Robertson last year and that was before his acl tare and he is not a big strongman who could back down a smaller ssdm. Will Sowers vs Kennedy be scary? Yes. Kennedy is an elite athlete but it's the second coming of Mike Powell we are dealing with. Will O'Neill vs anyone be scary? Yes. We have some big strong poles in Murphy and DePietro but it could very well be the second coming of Gary Gait/John Grant Jr. that we are dealing with.
4. Organization and keeping everyone happy. As others have mentioned O'Neill and Williams are both full time lefties. I also don't really see Williams' game translating to middie either. Will the threat of O'Neill be slightly reduced if they have him playing a little attack and a little middie out of the box? Would he be happy doing something like that? They can't just have him running the show and initiating every time with Sowers on the team. How will Danowski juggle their abilities? How will they chose to employ the senior vet Robertson in a non QB type role? Danowski values seniority. Will the minutes Robertson takes up minimize other younger threats? Will Sowers be quite as effective with totally new guys and being managed by a totally new coach and OC?
Now to be slightly more negative. The key to success comes down to if we can put up a bunch of goals on their defense. With Sowers in the lineup and their offball talent in Williams, Robertson, Badour, and O'neill, goals will be scored. In a way those are the exact type of guys that Sowers could excel with. Then you have Nakie dodging from up top and O'Neill dodging from wherever as additional legitimate threats. I am hoping that for the reasons 2-4 above that they score only a large amount of goals and not a disturbing amount of goals. Maybe 14-15 instead of 20-21. And I am hoping that due to reason #1 we will be able to match their scoring output. I think we have a fighting chance! Unless of course O'Neill comes in and instantly changes the game as we know it, which is unfortunately a possibility.