Quint's Top 20: Cleaning It Up

[OrangeXtreme]

Quint's Top 20: Cleaning It Up

(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Zach Babo) COVID-19 looms over the 2020 season. Proceed with caution. Wash hands. Keep the locker room spotless.

www.insidelacrosse.com

1. Syracuse
#HHH made its first road trip of the season to Baltimore, dominating Hopkins after jumping to a 7-1 advantage. Drake Porter made a handful of key saves early, and Hopkins shot less than 25%. The Jays double-poled the first midfield and shorted Stephen Rehfuss. The senior responded with seven assists in the 15-9 victory that was never in doubt.

The ‘Cuse offense shared the ball. They reacted to the defensive gameplan and then attacked without ego. The only negatives I saw: lousy extra-man ball movement, some careless turnovers in the second half and a few defensive breakdowns when trying to cover the single invert.

’Cuse travels to Rutgers on Saturday. Defender Nick Mellen should be back from injury in one or two more weeks, as will Peter Dearth. The Orange are only holding one Top 20 win. The first midfield is playing at the highest level in the country.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Orangelax]

Quint's Top 20: Cleaning It Up

(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Zach Babo) COVID-19 looms over the 2020 season. Proceed with caution. Wash hands. Keep the locker room spotless.

www.insidelacrosse.com

1. Syracuse
#HHH made its first road trip of the season to Baltimore, dominating Hopkins after jumping to a 7-1 advantage. Drake Porter made a handful of key saves early, and Hopkins shot less than 25%. The Jays double-poled the first midfield and shorted Stephen Rehfuss. The senior responded with seven assists in the 15-9 victory that was never in doubt.

The ‘Cuse offense shared the ball. They reacted to the defensive gameplan and then attacked without ego. The only negatives I saw: lousy extra-man ball movement, some careless turnovers in the second half and a few defensive breakdowns when trying to cover the single invert.

’Cuse travels to Rutgers on Saturday. Defender Nick Mellen should be back from injury in one or two more weeks, as will Peter Dearth. The Orange are only holding one Top 20 win. The first midfield is playing at the highest level in the country.

Cant disagree with his assessment other than we have 2 Top 20 Wins: Army & Hobart.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Cant disagree with his assessment other than we have 2 Top 20 Wins: Army & Hobart.

In his poll yes but the actual media and coaches polls Hobart is just outside the top 20.

 

[ohmilax34]

I think Syracuse needs to both clean some things up, and expand what they do throughout the season.
*Adding Owen Seebold as someone who gets consistent runs through the midfield is a nice added weapon. he's comfortable dodging and can make some plays. As more teams double pole the midfield, maybe we will see a little more of him.
*Creating and capitalizing on fast breaks needs to improve. SU has generated a few but they don't seem to score in a 4v3 fast break when they have to pass the ball.
*Face off wings seem to make a few plays each game to get possession. That needs to continue as the games get harder. Clean face off wins aren't a given every game.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

ESPN's Anish Shroff: Shake the Polaroid

If the Selection Committee has taught us anything, it’s that the eye test doesn’t matter.

www.uslaxmagazine.com

1. Cornell (5-0)
Sunday’s game against Penn State was worthy of a Memorial Day weekend redux. Cornell’s half-field offense is a masterclass in movement and precision. Watching from field level, every player cuts and moves with purpose, and the ball rarely stops. The rules were simple on Sunday. The team that had the ball scored.

Cornell jumped out to a 12-3 lead. Penn State tied the score less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Jeff Teat, who was regarded as one of the best attackmen in college lacrosse a season ago, was an afterthought entering 2020. Let’s stop treating him like a late-90s version of Dr. Dre. Teat was spectacular on Sunday, and Cornell has dynamic pieces around him. Teams can’t just shut off Teat anymore.

Cornell won the faceoff battle in the first half. Angelo Petrakis was excellent at X. Expect more opportunities for him in the weeks to come. He and the rest of the face-off unit get a staunch test this weekend when Yale faceoff record-setter TD Ierlan comes to Ithaca.

2. Syracuse (5-0)
Where have all the one-goal games gone? Syracuse has won games by seven, 13, eight and six. A two-goal win against Army has been the season’s only close call.

Syracuse has elite players at every level and reinforcements are coming. All-American defenseman Nick Mellen should return for the ACC opener at Duke in two weeks. Peter Dearth, one of the top shorties in D-I, didn’t play on Saturday, but his injury isn’t considered serious. Goalie Drake Porter has played like an All-American.

The Orange trumpet the nation’s best midfield, a more than competent faceoff unit, a crafty scorer in Chase Scanlan and the Orange own the middle of the field. The challenge now is to handle the road. Saturday’s game marked the first of three straight road games (and five of the next six).