My Top 20 presented by SPIRE Lacrosse, always a treacherous exercise. Quint Kessenich's Top 20 presented by Spire 1) Denver Pios holding pocket aces, wins | NCAA, quint
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8) Syracuse
Otto came up a goal short on Wednesday in a home thriller against Army, falling 14-13 in OT. This game was terrific. Both teams deserve recognition. Fiercely contested, with first class playmaking, controversy, tempo and tension – I loved it.
SU took 51 shots. Joey Spallina is a very nice player. The hype has been overwhelming. Has it created false expectations and pressure? Probably. Let’s face facts – He isn’t in the discussion for the Tewaaraton Trophy just yet. He may be down the road. He is highly skilled, an elite passer and distributor with perhaps one of the most advanced game IQ’s I’ve seen for a player of his age. He can read and diagnose the game faster than everybody. His mind is a weapon. But we have seen in losses to Maryland and Army that when covered by a top tier defenders (Ajax Zappitello & AJ Pilate) Spallina struggles to create his own high percentage scoring chances. Speed and separation quickness become an issue. This isn’t a revelation. Creating his own shot can be a challenge. Against Army, AJ Pilate locked him up and it appeared to lead to frustration and poor shot selection, especially in OT. That’s human nature. It’s understandable. A lesson to be applied going forward against ACC powers. And by the way, there are some of Spallina’s teammates who need to look deep into a mirror and figure out how to better contribute. This one was not on #22. Not the game I watched.
Everybody listen up. Spend less time worrying about the box score and individual accolades, instead pursue wins, and the awards will find you.
Joey is a great young man, he is heavily invested and cares deeply about lacrosse. He, OC Pat March and coach Gary Gait will figure it out, they’ll find solutions. You can count on that. This is a small speed bump on what will be a long and fruitful career. This setback will trigger growth.
And I don’t want to hear anybody talking about “pressure”. Don’t willingly put the #22 jersey on your back, run around social media promoting it and then complain about pressure. You invited this attention and scrutiny. Now deal with it.
Army was slow to slide to SU all night and it became a day when Orange midfielders had to be able to run by their man. One issue I have with SU’s offense is that many of the offensive players have the similar attributes and body types. They’re clones. So opposing teams can switch picks and not stress out. Like a basketball starting five, it’s helpful to have a differing cross section of size, length, speed and physical traits on your offense. I would expect Duke and Virginia to play the same styled defense as Army. Force SU ball carriers to beat their man and score unassisted goals. Orange midfielders had some success with the re-dodge on Wednesday.
And lastly, BTB goals that go viral on social media are only worth 1 point. At times I get the feeling that certain players are chasing style points, rather than making bread-and-butter plays. Respect the difference between functional creativity and show-boating.
On Saturday, they set a North American record for earliest Senior Day, celebrating on March 2. Joey Spallina has seven goals and was more active off-ball. Love to see his bounce back. That’s why he’s special, make the adjustments, analyze how to improve and incorporate.
#HHH postseason resume is very much a work in progress. I’d surmise that they’ll have to win two of three against Hopkins, North Carolina and Cornell if they don’t upset ND, UVA or Duke.
Orange and Hopkins take their iconic rivalry on the road to Charlotte, NC on Saturday.
