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Message: [QUOTE="Lax Mouse, post: 5369968, member: 8158"] As a fan of both teams (we don’t have to talk about that) I find this to be a really intriguing matchup. As noted, there are a lot of base similarities between these teams. For me, the key difference between them is talent and discipline. Syracuse is unquestionably the more talented team on paper, but Hopkins plays a style that is more restrained and deliberate. So while both teams on offense like to move the ball and do play a relatively unselfish brand of lacrosse, the Syracuse offense focuses on volume of shots and seems confident that eventually their talent level will lead them to prevail. Hopkins, on the other hand, waits for the best opportunity for scoring chances and aims to be as efficient as possible. Both of these approaches come with their benefits and their faults, but the Blue Jays have benefitted from their style more so far this year. Both fanbases likewise have some fairly loud criticisms of their respective coaching staffs, but I think Hopkins finds itself in a much better position. You can criticize coach Milliman’s in-game decisions with timeouts or strategy, but there’s no doubt he’s been able to maximize or even exceed the talent level of his players. It’s not like the cupboard is bare at Homewood, but Milliman has his team playing at at least a quarterfinal level without the same number of 5 stars (albeit not a perfect metric) of other top teams. Gait, meanwhile, has arguably one of the most talented rosters in college lacrosse and, as of yet, has failed to coach that group to its potential. Hopkins is vulnerable at the 3rd close defense spot, and it’s clear there’s some concern about injuries and their LSM depth, but I think they’ll be fine there. I think Syracuse is quite vulnerable at d-mid. Both teams have the players to take advantage of the other team’s weakness. FOs are coming in relatively even as is goaltending (and not in a good way for either team). Callahan has gotten better later in games, which has been a trend for Hopkins as a whole. I think Hopkins has the edge in this matchup over the course of a full game, but Syracuse’s talent level will always mean they’re capable of putting things together at the right moment. Syracuse has had fast starts and Hopkins has been just the opposite, but finishing games strong has led to greater success for the Blue Jays thus far. If Syracuse starts fast and continues to apply the pressure (which they haven’t done much of this season), I do think this could be a blowout – Hopkins just isn’t built to win a shootout unless the opposing team’s defense takes a day off. But with the evidence so far this season, I have more confidence that the Blue Jays will be able to dictate their style and pace of play. This game could be very reminiscent of the Orange’s trip down to College Park (minus the weather). [/QUOTE]

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