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Message: [QUOTE="DoctahLexus, post: 5429150, member: 6798"] Long one here so fair warning. It was a rollercoaster in the dome. I did not feel like we were playing that bad in the first quarter. Had some solid looks at the cage that we did not quite finish. Meanwhile Harvard is getting similar quality looks but the ball is finding the back of the cage. It was really the second quarter where the doom and gloom set in. Offensively we were getting in our own way more often than they were shutting us down. Some dumb turnovers and missed gimmies from Hiltz, English looking all over the place, some routine passes on the clear getting dropped, losing the speed battle a couple times in transition, hottle dropping his entire freaking stick on a turnover, McCool struggling. Still it felt like a game where the offense was going to get going once they got out of their own way. We had some quality looks where we just didn't finish. My main concern was the defensive end where we had a lot of guys allowing separation 1v1 and McCool not getting saves. Lowest point in the game was in the third quarter when we are trying to finally get that third goal and English drops a routine pass from Rhoa, picks up the gb, and then immediately throws it away, all fairly close to where I was sitting. Started to really lose my cool then and would have said any number of terrible things in the game thread if I was watching from home. If there is one game to not feel guilty about saying wild stuff in the game thread it is this one!! A lot of these plays were a reflection or a recurring problem all year, our lack of depth for midfield athletes at all positions. The fact that English is still ALIVE right now, let alone still playing, is a testament to his insane motor. But the main point is this - yes this team is guilty of some undisciplined and sloppy play, but at no point this season have I felt like the issue is a lack of effort, or a lack of desire to win. I was on the opposite side of the benches, so watching the replay I was pleased to see the level of commraderie and support guys were giving eachother after goals and in timeouts. Guys were smiling, hugging eachother, arms around shoulders, gassing eachother up after goals, trying to get the crowd going, and several other things that showed a clear high level of intensity and motivation. After the Caccamo goal to cut it to 4 my confidence was quickly growing. Gait is always looking as calm as ever, but his players do not play or act at all passive during games. His sideline demeanor does not reflect the overall attitude of the team he coaches, which is anything but passive. The other thing is that it is just hard as hell to play 4 quarters of clean lacrosse, especially with the intensity of a playoff game. I came away from this game with a tremendous amount of respect for coach Bryne and the Harvard team, but how are Harvard fans feeling about giving up 7 goals in the 4th quarter and only scoring 4 in the second half? How are Harvard fans feeling about 4 4th quarter penalties? The Caccamo one was the only slighty questionable one (thought it was more like a trip than a push), but the others were clear as day! What on earth was that guy thinking cross checking spallina in the face as his head is down for a gb at that point in the game?? He has time to think it through and decides to bum rush him with his hands completely separated on his stick. They were extremely lucky to not get two locked in minutes for that. How do they feel about Ip trying to plow through three guys on their final settled possession? As mad as we get at our own teams sloppy/undisciplined moments, our opponents are always guilty of similar errors. I am not saying we should stop critiquing players and staff when these bad plays happen. I think both players and staff are implicated in some of the trends this season. Just keep in mind that the reason these mistakes occur is not because guys are disinterested. This is not a team that was doing kegstands the night before and just want the season to end so they can enjoy their summer. They were laying it all on the line for a win and never gave up. If Gait and co.'s message is just keep the calm groovy vibes going and things will work themselves out, then we do not see that late game comeback and we do not see the high levels of emotion from the players. This team has flaws, but they do not shy away from a challenge, and they hate losing, so the staff is doing something right. [/QUOTE]

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