OrangeXtreme
The Mayor of Dewitt
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Two of the wildest lacrosse games I’ve ever seen ended with heroics by so-called short-stick defensive midfielders.
Covering my first NCAA championship in 2005, I saw Benson Erwin lift Johns Hopkins to a 9-8 victory over Virginia in the semifinals at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field with the winning goal in overtime — after a freak storm sent the teams to the locker rooms for 46 minutes and Jake Byrne tied the game with 1.4 seconds left in regulation.
And then in 2009, Syracuse’s Matt Abbott played a pivotal part in the frenzied final 24 seconds of regulation in the NCAA championship game against Cornell at New England’s Gillette Stadium, flipping the ball over his shoulder in desperation to find Kenny Nims on the doorstep for the game-tying goal with 4.5 seconds left. Cody Jamieson won it for the Orange in overtime.
Short-stick defensive midfielders get overlooked. They toil with tough defensive assignments and get picked on constantly. “Dodge the shorty” is the refrain. Most offenses are built to attack this position 20 to 30 times per game. It helps if you’re a good athlete who doesn’t mind the grind or box scores full of zeroes.
But recent NCAA rules changes, which have encouraged a quicker pace and more transition, have made it a more glamorous position. Duke’s Will Haus and Notre Dame’s Jack Near made highlights with their end-to-end antics in the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year, and both were first-round picks in the Major League Lacrosse draft. UMass’ Ryan Izzo went in the fourth round...
Big-Time Performances
Dylan Donahue, Syracuse
Whether they were low-angle shots or time-and-room opportunities, the senior attackman could not miss. Donahue displayed his lightning-quick release in a seven-goal performance against a Notre Dame defense that seemed willing to concede those chances. If not for a miraculous save by Irish goalie Shane Doss in overtime, Donahue would have eight goals and a game-winner to boot.
http://laxmagazine.com/college_men/...ssed_it_why_short_sticks_deserve_your_respect
Covering my first NCAA championship in 2005, I saw Benson Erwin lift Johns Hopkins to a 9-8 victory over Virginia in the semifinals at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field with the winning goal in overtime — after a freak storm sent the teams to the locker rooms for 46 minutes and Jake Byrne tied the game with 1.4 seconds left in regulation.
And then in 2009, Syracuse’s Matt Abbott played a pivotal part in the frenzied final 24 seconds of regulation in the NCAA championship game against Cornell at New England’s Gillette Stadium, flipping the ball over his shoulder in desperation to find Kenny Nims on the doorstep for the game-tying goal with 4.5 seconds left. Cody Jamieson won it for the Orange in overtime.
Short-stick defensive midfielders get overlooked. They toil with tough defensive assignments and get picked on constantly. “Dodge the shorty” is the refrain. Most offenses are built to attack this position 20 to 30 times per game. It helps if you’re a good athlete who doesn’t mind the grind or box scores full of zeroes.
But recent NCAA rules changes, which have encouraged a quicker pace and more transition, have made it a more glamorous position. Duke’s Will Haus and Notre Dame’s Jack Near made highlights with their end-to-end antics in the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year, and both were first-round picks in the Major League Lacrosse draft. UMass’ Ryan Izzo went in the fourth round...
Big-Time Performances
Dylan Donahue, Syracuse
Whether they were low-angle shots or time-and-room opportunities, the senior attackman could not miss. Donahue displayed his lightning-quick release in a seven-goal performance against a Notre Dame defense that seemed willing to concede those chances. If not for a miraculous save by Irish goalie Shane Doss in overtime, Donahue would have eight goals and a game-winner to boot.
http://laxmagazine.com/college_men/...ssed_it_why_short_sticks_deserve_your_respect
