Vermont Game Preview (3/6/21, 1pm) | Syracusefan.com

Vermont Game Preview (3/6/21, 1pm)

Powellfan

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The Orange are coming off one of the biggest, most resounding victories in recent memory, but will have to put that behind them quickly if they want to avoid an upset on Saturday. The guys should definitely celebrate and feel good about their big win, but have to quickly realize they are just 1-1 on the year and have a tough schedule ahead of them. And even if Vermont is unranked, that doesn't mean they are going to be a pushover.

To be honest, I don't know much about Vermont and most of this preview will be based on what I found on their website. The only player I could name before doing any research was JJ Levandowski, who transferred from SU. Vermont opened the season with a 15-12 loss to Bryant. They had a pretty decent shorted season last year going 3-1, but their wins weren't that impressive (Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Merrimack, with a loss to Holy Cross). It looks like they lost two of their top three scorers in Rob Hudson and Ben French, but did bring in Middlebury transfer Michael McKormack on attack. Their leading scorer last year was Thomas McConvey, a big, 6'4 210 Canadian who had a balanced 15 points from the midfield, and who had 4,2 against Bryant. He'll have to be the focal point and if he really is a middie, sounds like moving Kennedy to LSM was the right choice. Old friend Levandowski had a quiet season last year with just 2 goals but had a nice game against Bryant with 2,1. He and McCovney did however combine for six turnovers (three each). And strangely, he scored the games first two goals then didn't register another shot. Hurt? One thing to watch for the Orange is Vermont typically has a very Canadian influenced game, so defending them might be quite different than most other teams. Watch for a lot of two man games and picking - SU will have to communicate and hopefully play like they did on Saturday night against the Cavs.

If there are reassuring statistics to look at, it is the Vermont goalie and face-off stats. The goalie Ryan Cornell saved just 46% of his saves against Bryant. He did have impressive stats last year, where it looked like he split time with Nick Washuta. He had a 7.21 GAA and an eye opening 66% save percentage, but those came in games against not the best competition. Vermont's main FOGO, Tommy Burke won just 46% of his draws last year and returned this year. Against Bryant, it looked to be more of the same, winning 48% (12-25). Have to think that Phaup will be able to do well in this matchup.

UVM has scrimmaged SU in the past, so they are not a totally unfamiliar opponent. SU "won" their scrimmage last January 11-10, though they were up 10-5 at the end of two quarters when it was starters only (they only played three).

Sorry my analysis isn't more in-depth, I just don't know much about Vermont. Overall I think SU should win this, and by more than a couple goals if they play as well as they did on Saturday. Curious to see how Vermont decides to defend the Orange. Thats a big question in general moving forward. Have to think after the Virginia game, teams will decide on long-polling Curry. Will they triple pole the midfield? Put a shorty on Trimboli (who has been a bit quiet with three goals on the year)? Will Syracuse invert as much as they did Saturday or will we see a more standard offense? Hoping to see Chase Scanlan get off the schnide here and find his shooting touch again. He leads the team in shots with 18 but has just two goals. Also I have my eye on the second midfield who had big performances from Owen Seebold and Lucas Quinn, but Jacob Buttermore had a quiet start to last year (just four goals) and so far has only one in two games. If he's drawing the pole away from his line-mates and they are scoring, that works, but would be nice to see him emerge a little here.

Hopefully this can be a game in which the Orange builds on their momentum. A good game for Syracuse to recover from such a big game, but can't have too much of a letdown.
 
The Orange are coming off one of the biggest, most resounding victories in recent memory, but will have to put that behind them quickly if they want to avoid an upset on Saturday. The guys should definitely celebrate and feel good about their big win, but have to quickly realize they are just 1-1 on the year and have a tough schedule ahead of them. And even if Vermont is unranked, that doesn't mean they are going to be a pushover.

To be honest, I don't know much about Vermont and most of this preview will be based on what I found on their website. The only player I could name before doing any research was JJ Levandowski, who transferred from SU. Vermont opened the season with a 15-12 loss to Bryant. They had a pretty decent shorted season last year going 3-1, but their wins weren't that impressive (Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Merrimack, with a loss to Holy Cross). It looks like they lost two of their top three scorers in Rob Hudson and Ben French, but did bring in Middlebury transfer Michael McKormack on attack. Their leading scorer last year was Thomas McConvey, a big, 6'4 210 Canadian who had a balanced 15 points from the midfield, and who had 4,2 against Bryant. He'll have to be the focal point and if he really is a middie, sounds like moving Kennedy to LSM was the right choice. Old friend Levandowski had a quiet season last year with just 2 goals but had a nice game against Bryant with 2,1. He and McCovney did however combine for six turnovers (three each). And strangely, he scored the games first two goals then didn't register another shot. Hurt? One thing to watch for the Orange is Vermont typically has a very Canadian influenced game, so defending them might be quite different than most other teams. Watch for a lot of two man games and picking - SU will have to communicate and hopefully play like they did on Saturday night against the Cavs.

If there are reassuring statistics to look at, it is the Vermont goalie and face-off stats. The goalie Ryan Cornell saved just 46% of his saves against Bryant. He did have impressive stats last year, where it looked like he split time with Nick Washuta. He had a 7.21 GAA and an eye opening 66% save percentage, but those came in games against not the best competition. Vermont's main FOGO, Tommy Burke won just 46% of his draws last year and returned this year. Against Bryant, it looked to be more of the same, winning 48% (12-25). Have to think that Phaup will be able to do well in this matchup.

UVM has scrimmaged SU in the past, so they are not a totally unfamiliar opponent. SU "won" their scrimmage last January 11-10, though they were up 10-5 at the end of two quarters when it was starters only (they only played three).

Sorry my analysis isn't more in-depth, I just don't know much about Vermont. Overall I think SU should win this, and by more than a couple goals if they play as well as they did on Saturday. Curious to see how Vermont decides to defend the Orange. Thats a big question in general moving forward. Have to think after the Virginia game, teams will decide on long-polling Curry. Will they triple pole the midfield? Put a shorty on Trimboli (who has been a bit quiet with three goals on the year)? Will Syracuse invert as much as they did Saturday or will we see a more standard offense? Hoping to see Chase Scanlan get off the schnide here and find his shooting touch again. He leads the team in shots with 18 but has just two goals. Also I have my eye on the second midfield who had big performances from Owen Seebold and Lucas Quinn, but Jacob Buttermore had a quiet start to last year (just four goals) and so far has only one in two games. If he's drawing the pole away from his line-mates and they are scoring, that works, but would be nice to see him emerge a little here.

Hopefully this can be a game in which the Orange builds on their momentum. A good game for Syracuse to recover from such a big game, but can't have too much of a letdown.

Hope to have a lengthier post out sometime this week but I can all but guarantee Vermont will not triple pole. Triple polling is almost unheard of, I can recall one the last 20 + years. It would also mean putting a shorty on Rehfuss and Hiltz something a team will be loathed to do. Also, Desko could swap out Scanlan for Seebold or Ferris and play 3 dodging attackmen, it would never work. Even a team like Army and I guess Maryland who would in theory have the SSDM (at least on paper) to try and make it work wouldn't do it unless it was a last gasp of desperation. Double polling the midfield is hard enough for 98% of D1 teams.
 
I have so much more free time now that you do these previews every week! :cool:

Certainly not meant to be a one man show! The more feedback/discussion the better!

Hope to have a lengthier post out sometime this week but I can all but guarantee Vermont will not triple pole. Triple polling is almost unheard of, I can recall one the last 20 + years. It would also mean putting a shorty on Rehfuss and Hiltz something a team will be loathed to do. Also, Desko could swap out Scanlan for Seebold or Ferris and play 3 dodging attackmen, it would never work. Even a team like Army and I guess Maryland who would in theory have the SSDM (at least on paper) to try and make it work wouldn't do it unless it was a last gasp of desperation. Double polling the midfield is hard enough for 98% of D1 teams.

Good points, and I agree its highly unlikely to see all midfielders getting a pole. My thinking was, teams see that they are having success against Scanlan with the short stick, and, to this point, SU isn't using Hiltz as a dodger on attack.

Side note - I was actually a little surprised at how little he actually had the ball for. They seemed to plant him on the crease for most of the game, and for many possessions he didn't get a touch. It clearly worked out with his point total, but wonder if SU will expand his role as the season goes on.

Anyway, that was a tangent - Curry clearly showed he could be the QB behind the goal and after going off for that point total, teams have to think twice about leaving him on an island. Trimboli is an excellent shooter and a very smart dodger, but don't think he has the passing skill of Curry. If I was double polling, I think I'd leave Trimboli with the shorty and take my chances. Curious to see how defenses change things up and how SU responds.
 
The Orange are coming off one of the biggest, most resounding victories in recent memory, but will have to put that behind them quickly if they want to avoid an upset on Saturday. The guys should definitely celebrate and feel good about their big win, but have to quickly realize they are just 1-1 on the year and have a tough schedule ahead of them. And even if Vermont is unranked, that doesn't mean they are going to be a pushover.

To be honest, I don't know much about Vermont and most of this preview will be based on what I found on their website. The only player I could name before doing any research was JJ Levandowski, who transferred from SU. Vermont opened the season with a 15-12 loss to Bryant. They had a pretty decent shorted season last year going 3-1, but their wins weren't that impressive (Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Merrimack, with a loss to Holy Cross). It looks like they lost two of their top three scorers in Rob Hudson and Ben French, but did bring in Middlebury transfer Michael McKormack on attack. Their leading scorer last year was Thomas McConvey, a big, 6'4 210 Canadian who had a balanced 15 points from the midfield, and who had 4,2 against Bryant. He'll have to be the focal point and if he really is a middie, sounds like moving Kennedy to LSM was the right choice. Old friend Levandowski had a quiet season last year with just 2 goals but had a nice game against Bryant with 2,1. He and McCovney did however combine for six turnovers (three each). And strangely, he scored the games first two goals then didn't register another shot. Hurt? One thing to watch for the Orange is Vermont typically has a very Canadian influenced game, so defending them might be quite different than most other teams. Watch for a lot of two man games and picking - SU will have to communicate and hopefully play like they did on Saturday night against the Cavs.

If there are reassuring statistics to look at, it is the Vermont goalie and face-off stats. The goalie Ryan Cornell saved just 46% of his saves against Bryant. He did have impressive stats last year, where it looked like he split time with Nick Washuta. He had a 7.21 GAA and an eye opening 66% save percentage, but those came in games against not the best competition. Vermont's main FOGO, Tommy Burke won just 46% of his draws last year and returned this year. Against Bryant, it looked to be more of the same, winning 48% (12-25). Have to think that Phaup will be able to do well in this matchup.

UVM has scrimmaged SU in the past, so they are not a totally unfamiliar opponent. SU "won" their scrimmage last January 11-10, though they were up 10-5 at the end of two quarters when it was starters only (they only played three).

Sorry my analysis isn't more in-depth, I just don't know much about Vermont. Overall I think SU should win this, and by more than a couple goals if they play as well as they did on Saturday. Curious to see how Vermont decides to defend the Orange. Thats a big question in general moving forward. Have to think after the Virginia game, teams will decide on long-polling Curry. Will they triple pole the midfield? Put a shorty on Trimboli (who has been a bit quiet with three goals on the year)? Will Syracuse invert as much as they did Saturday or will we see a more standard offense? Hoping to see Chase Scanlan get off the schnide here and find his shooting touch again. He leads the team in shots with 18 but has just two goals. Also I have my eye on the second midfield who had big performances from Owen Seebold and Lucas Quinn, but Jacob Buttermore had a quiet start to last year (just four goals) and so far has only one in two games. If he's drawing the pole away from his line-mates and they are scoring, that works, but would be nice to see him emerge a little here.

Hopefully this can be a game in which the Orange builds on their momentum. A good game for Syracuse to recover from such a big game, but can't have too much of a letdown.
I noticed a lot of teams are "inverting" almost from the start of the games. Seems to me, SU could invert all six very dangerous offensive players, and give defenses fits. Curry can play from anywhere and make his ds look foolish. If it looks like the middies are cooking from outside, then use the normal x guy behind until the other team stops the cannons out front. Then rotate every body behind when they adapt. SU presents real problems for almost any d.
 
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Certainly not meant to be a one man show! The more feedback/discussion the better!



Good points, and I agree its highly unlikely to see all midfielders getting a pole. My thinking was, teams see that they are having success against Scanlan with the short stick, and, to this point, SU isn't using Hiltz as a dodger on attack.

Side note - I was actually a little surprised at how little he actually had the ball for. They seemed to plant him on the crease for most of the game, and for many possessions he didn't get a touch. It clearly worked out with his point total, but wonder if SU will expand his role as the season goes on.

Anyway, that was a tangent - Curry clearly showed he could be the QB behind the goal and after going off for that point total, teams have to think twice about leaving him on an island. Trimboli is an excellent shooter and a very smart dodger, but don't think he has the passing skill of Curry. If I was double polling, I think I'd leave Trimboli with the shorty and take my chances. Curious to see how defenses change things up and how SU responds.
I think Scanlan's meager possessions reflect the offense's general excellence. When other teams pay him less attention he will show up. The other five offensive players feast when the defense concentrates on him or tries to take him out of the game.
 
Vermont offensive scheme has given Cuse some problems in past scrimmages but obviously different personnel. Usually have a couple of very good Canadians from Ontario such as McKay but the only established is T McConvey. In past checks on Scanlan doings in Ontario jr A box league , noticed that T McConvey was league scoring leader and there are many high scoring college players in that league. Looking further at their roster, most come from lax powers in Conn., NY n IMG so pedigrees are there. At attack McCormack is a new grad transfer from Middlebury where he had good success. Other att McCloskey and Limoges are returnees. m Lewandowski showed well in the short time here. Nothing to add on their defensive personnel but usually UVM has some good ones. Bryant scored fifteen so problably more about Cuse executing their O . Cuse has advantages in goaltending and faceoffs . UVM usually a competitive American East team and they'll arrive at Dome with little to lose .It's a game Cuse should win but also a game that Cuse could lose if not ready.
 
Not a ton to add to what Powell fan said but I had some thoughts on another thread that I will post her and piggy back off of.

Both of Vermont's leading scorers are middies (McConvey and JJ) its possible SU could double pole but that is not usually SU's style. The DIII attack transfer McCormack had 6 goals yesterday against Umass-Lowell and 2 against Bryant. He has no assists on the year and doesn't appear to be much of a feeder type. He's listed at 6'2 215, this seems like the matchup for Murphy. Closterman the 2nd attackmen is the leading assist guy with 5 and he seems like the guy Wykoff will draw unless McCormack is doing a lot of ISO at which case I can see Wykoff on him. Limoges is the third attackmen and has 4 assists on this year with 3 goals, 2 of which came yesterday. Seems tailor made for Dipetro or a SSDM as he is smaller - listed at 5'9 155.

SU has some potential interesting defensive decisions here, lots of potential ways to defend and matchups. Play it straight up and match up or try and double pole or match up Wykoff on the leading assist guy versus McCormack and see if he can score off of Murphy etc). SU was slow slide last Sat against UVA and I assume they will do the same here, forcing Vermont to win 1 on 1 matchups. Not a ton of depth on the Vermont squad but definitely a solid top 6 offensively.

I tend to take the Bryant game as a better example of Vermont as a team as Umass-Lowell is so bad its hard to get a true read. In the Bryant game their man fogo was essentially 50% (13-25), the back up was 1-4 though. They have a very solid goalie in Cornell who was a HS AA but he has barely played until this year as he was backing up a great goalie. I am unclear how solid a D they have in front of Cornell, and I find it hard to believe they have the personnel to double pole but crazier things have happened. With it being the initial game you don't want to read to much ( SU knows this better then anyone) but Bryant isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut and they had 15 goals and didnt' exactly dominate possessions at the X. The Vermont FOGO was 14 of 18 against Umass Lowell and just over 50% against Bryant who usually had a decent FOGO. Still Phaup should have the edge after just dominating one of the best FOOG's in the country.

From an SU standpoint I think they should win obviously but a few concerns. Obviously the first is a natural letdown from Sat's performance. SU was excellent especially in the second half, its hard to carry that over and certainly you can' expect to play like that every week. I hope this team doesn't go back to reading the press and articles and think the ship is fully righted, this is definitely not a just show up type of game. I don't think that will be an issue but with college kids you never know 100%.

The other main concern would be running into a goalie who stands on his head as SU has a tendency to do at times especially at home (sounds bizarre) against a goalie they are not familiar with. SU has so many weapons it's hard to see them being really shut down but we have all seen what can happen when a goalie just goes off. For me there are a few players or groups I am concentrating on.

1. Scanlan and Trimboli - Both have been relatively quiet so far but for different reasons. This the type of game those two should go off on with Vermont likely to concentrate on Dordevic, Curry, Rehfuss, Hiltz etc. I would really like to see one of them with a 4 or 5 pt game.

2. 2nd mid line - Great job against UVA but I would like to see some of that momentum continue. Quinn had two huge goals early then kind of went MIA the rest of the game as he was subbing in. I think he can continue to put up points but I think he needs to work his way in a bit closer, shooting that deep against a rusty Rode was wise but not sure that's gonna work long term against most goalie. Would really like to get Buttermore going as well, especially as teams will now be on the lookout for Seebold inverting. For Cook just some positive play, had a great look and shot in the 2nd half aainst UVA but shot into Rode's chest. he just seems out of sorts still.

3. Turnovers and Sloppy play- It was much better against UVA but still to many head scratching decisions and we turned it over 4 straight possessions in the early 4th cracking the door for UVA. Never going to have a turnover free game but would like to see us limit turnovers again.

4. Keep the ride going. It was outstanding against UVA and we didnt' get hurt in transition ala the Army game as the defenders didn't have to press up. Hiltz and Scanlan were especially a force, lets hope to see more of that Sat, keep some of that intensity.

Lots of positives going into this game. Phaup and Drake really played well against UVA, hard to see SU having an issue if that continues versus Vermont. Interested to see how this team looks now that the pressure is back off a bit.
 
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Do students even have season tickets for LAX?

Last I knew they were letting them in for free.

Good questions, I actually don't think they do. Lax usually doesn't turn out a lot of students save for a few games here and there. However, with everything having been on lockdown I think this may get a pretty good response. To bad it isn't a 6pm or so start, that would really ramp it up.
 
Not a ton to add to what Powell fan said but I had some thoughts on another thread that I will post her and piggy back off of.

Both of Vermont's leading scorers are middies (McConvey and JJ) its possible SU could double pole but that is not usually SU's style. The DIII attack transfer McCormack had 6 goals yesterday against Umass-Lowell and 2 against Bryant. He has no assists on the year and doesn't appear to be much of a feeder type. He's listed at 6'2 215, this seems like the matchup for Murphy. Closterman the 2nd attackmen is the leading assist guy with 5 and he seems like the guy Wykoff will draw unless McCormack is doing a lot of ISO at which case I can see Wykoff on him. Limoges is the third attackmen and has 4 assists on this year with 3 goals, 2 of which came yesterday. Seems tailor made for Dipetro or a SSDM as he is smaller - listed at 5'9 155.

SU has some potential interesting defensive decisions here, lots of potential ways to defend and matchups. Play it straight up and match up or try and double pole or match up Wykoff on the leading assist guy versus McCormack and see if he can score off of Murphy etc). SU was slow slide last Sat against UVA and I assume they will do the same here, forcing Vermont to win 1 on 1 matchups. Not a ton of depth on the Vermont squad but definitely a solid top 6 offensively.

I tend to take the Bryant game as a better example of Vermont as a team as Umass-Lowell is so bad its hard to get a true read. In the Bryant game their man fogo was essentially 50% (13-25), the back up was 1-4 though. They have a very solid goalie in Cornell who was a HS AA but he has barely played until this year as he was backing up a great goalie. I am unclear how solid a D they have in front of Cornell, and I find it hard to believe they have the personnel to double pole but crazier things have happened. With it being the initial game you don't want to read to much ( SU knows this better then anyone) but Bryant isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut and they had 15 goals and didnt' exactly dominate possessions at the X. The Vermont FOGO was 14 of 18 against Umass Lowell and just over 50% against Bryant who usually had a decent FOGO. Still Phaup should have the edge after just dominating one of the best FOOG's in the country.

From an SU standpoint I think they should win obviously but a few concerns. Obviously the first is a natural letdown from Sat's performance. SU was excellent especially in the second half, its hard to carry that over and certainly you can' expect to play like that every week. I hope this team doesn't go back to reading the press and articles and think the ship is fully righted, this is definitely not a just show up type of game. I don't think that will be an issue but with college kids you never know 100%.

The other main concern would be running into a goalie who stands on his head as SU has a tendency to do at times especially at home (sounds bizarre) against a goalie they are not familiar with. SU has so many weapons it's hard to see them being really shut down but we have all seen what can happen when a goalie just goes off. For me there are a few players or groups I am concentrating on.

1. Scanlan and Trimboli - Both have been relatively quiet so far but for different reasons. This the type of game those two should go off on with Vermont likely to concentrate on Dordevic, Curry, Rehfuss, Hiltz etc. I would really like to see one of them with a 4 or 5 pt game.

2. 2nd mid line - Great job against UVA but I would like to see some of that momentum continue. Quinn had two huge goals early then kind of went MIA the rest of the game as he was subbing in. I think he can continue to put up points but I think he needs to work his way in a bit closer, shooting that deep against a rusty Rode was wise but not sure that's gonna work long term against most goalie. Would really like to get Buttermore going as well, especially as teams will now be on the lookout for Seebold inverting. For Cook just some positive play, had a great look and shot in the 2nd half aainst UVA but shot into Rode's chest. he just seems out of sorts still.

3. Turnovers and Sloppy play- It was much better against UVA but still to many head scratching decisions and we turned it over 4 straight possessions in the early 4th cracking the door for UVA. Never going to have a turnover free game but would like to see us limit turnovers again.

4. Keep the ride going. It was outstanding against UVA and we didnt' get hurt in transition ala the Army game as the defenders didn't have to press up. Hiltz and Scanlan were especially a force, lets hope to see more of that Sat, keep some of that intensity.

Lots of positives going into this game. Phaup and Drake really played well against UVA, hard to see SU having an issue if that continues versus Vermont. Interested to see how this team looks now that the pressure is back off a bit.
all good points. Brought me back from my tendency to underestimate the next opponent. The UVA game does not matter in the Vermont game.
 
Little self scout for faceoffs, I think we are going to see teams have their wings follow the Cuse wings and essentially lock off the wing players. Last game Phaup was just chucking balls in the general vicinity of his wings, but they were wide open and had time to track and scoop. Phaup scares me every time he has possession of the ball for any length of time. Ben used to have a similar goofiness in possession. I miss the days of a Danny Brennan who could possess the pebble calmly while players got open. I am not sure if it’s s mental thing of the FOGO tag or if these kids just aren’t well rounded lacrosse players as well as FOGOs but I’d like to see a FOGO come in that had 30 points his senior year of high school. I couldn’t find any stats on Savage but coming from Oregon I’d assume he wasn’t just a FOGO. All that said Phaup is a terrific FOGO, but he could be winning 3-5 more faceoffs a game if he could hold possession for a minute while things matriculate around him. I think we are okay with Vermont but I think the more athletics teams will try to put all the pressure on Phaup and take the wings out of play.
 
Little self scout for faceoffs, I think we are going to see teams have their wings follow the Cuse wings and essentially lock off the wing players. Last game Phaup was just chucking balls in the general vicinity of his wings, but they were wide open and had time to track and scoop. Phaup scares me every time he has possession of the ball for any length of time. Ben used to have a similar goofiness in possession. I miss the days of a Danny Brennan who could possess the pebble calmly while players got open. I am not sure if it’s s mental thing of the FOGO tag or if these kids just aren’t well rounded lacrosse players as well as FOGOs but I’d like to see a FOGO come in that had 30 points his senior year of high school. I couldn’t find any stats on Savage but coming from Oregon I’d assume he wasn’t just a FOGO. All that said Phaup is a terrific FOGO, but he could be winning 3-5 more faceoffs a game if he could hold possession for a minute while things matriculate around him. I think we are okay with Vermont but I think the more athletics teams will try to put all the pressure on Phaup and take the wings out of play.
Good points. I hope we are in a position to use Varello and maybe Garlow and Savage on Saturday. They need playing time and they may demonstrate more ability to hang onto the ball. I think getting more guys in will be crucial over the season. I'm sure the coaches are keeping this in mind, to say nothing of Phaup getting tired or injured. We all remember Ben playin injured.
 
Not a ton to add to what Powell fan said but I had some thoughts on another thread that I will post her and piggy back off of.

Both of Vermont's leading scorers are middies (McConvey and JJ) its possible SU could double pole but that is not usually SU's style. The DIII attack transfer McCormack had 6 goals yesterday against Umass-Lowell and 2 against Bryant. He has no assists on the year and doesn't appear to be much of a feeder type. He's listed at 6'2 215, this seems like the matchup for Murphy. Closterman the 2nd attackmen is the leading assist guy with 5 and he seems like the guy Wykoff will draw unless McCormack is doing a lot of ISO at which case I can see Wykoff on him. Limoges is the third attackmen and has 4 assists on this year with 3 goals, 2 of which came yesterday. Seems tailor made for Dipetro or a SSDM as he is smaller - listed at 5'9 155.

SU has some potential interesting defensive decisions here, lots of potential ways to defend and matchups. Play it straight up and match up or try and double pole or match up Wykoff on the leading assist guy versus McCormack and see if he can score off of Murphy etc). SU was slow slide last Sat against UVA and I assume they will do the same here, forcing Vermont to win 1 on 1 matchups. Not a ton of depth on the Vermont squad but definitely a solid top 6 offensively.

I tend to take the Bryant game as a better example of Vermont as a team as Umass-Lowell is so bad its hard to get a true read. In the Bryant game their man fogo was essentially 50% (13-25), the back up was 1-4 though. They have a very solid goalie in Cornell who was a HS AA but he has barely played until this year as he was backing up a great goalie. I am unclear how solid a D they have in front of Cornell, and I find it hard to believe they have the personnel to double pole but crazier things have happened. With it being the initial game you don't want to read to much ( SU knows this better then anyone) but Bryant isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut and they had 15 goals and didnt' exactly dominate possessions at the X. The Vermont FOGO was 14 of 18 against Umass Lowell and just over 50% against Bryant who usually had a decent FOGO. Still Phaup should have the edge after just dominating one of the best FOOG's in the country.

From an SU standpoint I think they should win obviously but a few concerns. Obviously the first is a natural letdown from Sat's performance. SU was excellent especially in the second half, its hard to carry that over and certainly you can' expect to play like that every week. I hope this team doesn't go back to reading the press and articles and think the ship is fully righted, this is definitely not a just show up type of game. I don't think that will be an issue but with college kids you never know 100%.

The other main concern would be running into a goalie who stands on his head as SU has a tendency to do at times especially at home (sounds bizarre) against a goalie they are not familiar with. SU has so many weapons it's hard to see them being really shut down but we have all seen what can happen when a goalie just goes off. For me there are a few players or groups I am concentrating on.

1. Scanlan and Trimboli - Both have been relatively quiet so far but for different reasons. This the type of game those two should go off on with Vermont likely to concentrate on Dordevic, Curry, Rehfuss, Hiltz etc. I would really like to see one of them with a 4 or 5 pt game.

2. 2nd mid line - Great job against UVA but I would like to see some of that momentum continue. Quinn had two huge goals early then kind of went MIA the rest of the game as he was subbing in. I think he can continue to put up points but I think he needs to work his way in a bit closer, shooting that deep against a rusty Rode was wise but not sure that's gonna work long term against most goalie. Would really like to get Buttermore going as well, especially as teams will now be on the lookout for Seebold inverting. For Cook just some positive play, had a great look and shot in the 2nd half aainst UVA but shot into Rode's chest. he just seems out of sorts still.

3. Turnovers and Sloppy play- It was much better against UVA but still to many head scratching decisions and we turned it over 4 straight possessions in the early 4th cracking the door for UVA. Never going to have a turnover free game but would like to see us limit turnovers again.

4. Keep the ride going. It was outstanding against UVA and we didnt' get hurt in transition ala the Army game as the defenders didn't have to press up. Hiltz and Scanlan were especially a force, lets hope to see more of that Sat, keep some of that intensity.

Lots of positives going into this game. Phaup and Drake really played well against UVA, hard to see SU having an issue if that continues versus Vermont. Interested to see how this team looks now that the pressure is back off a bit.

Good stuff as always Jeremy. Really enjoyed the breakdown of the UVM offense, lots of good points made about who should guard who. And totally agree about your biggest concerns - Cornell and the SU mindset are the two things I am most worried about. You covered it pretty extensively, but I think I discounted the UVM goalie unfairly after seeing that Bryant score, and a big win can be just as deflating as a big loss is motivating. Will be hard for the coaches to manage the mental whiplash the team has been going through.

I just wanted to add a note on the second midfield - they started out so strong and had kind of a rough second half, certainly not all of it their fault. The first midfield was used a lot more than they were, and it seemed like every possession they did get, it was over quickly. Most of the time it was because they took a quick shot, I don't think it was due to turnovers. I was a bit surprised at the amount of time Seebold had the ball, he took 5 shots on the game, Quinn 3 and Buttermore a surprising 0.

It seems a little ridiculous to nitpick the second line midfield in a 20-10 victory, but I thought they could have diversified things outside of Seebold a little more. He did have two very impressive goals and his inverting was obviously key, but he also took some not so great shots and in general I thought he held on to the ball for too long. Quinn didn't touch the ball in the second half, and I know we criticize him but after those two quick goals it felt like he should have seen a little more the ball. Also would have liked to see Ferris more, he had a nice dodge in the second quarter and then never saw the field again after hitting a pipe. I hope that wasn't done as punishment.
 
Little self scout for faceoffs, I think we are going to see teams have their wings follow the Cuse wings and essentially lock off the wing players. Last game Phaup was just chucking balls in the general vicinity of his wings, but they were wide open and had time to track and scoop. Phaup scares me every time he has possession of the ball for any length of time. Ben used to have a similar goofiness in possession. I miss the days of a Danny Brennan who could possess the pebble calmly while players got open. I am not sure if it’s s mental thing of the FOGO tag or if these kids just aren’t well rounded lacrosse players as well as FOGOs but I’d like to see a FOGO come in that had 30 points his senior year of high school. I couldn’t find any stats on Savage but coming from Oregon I’d assume he wasn’t just a FOGO. All that said Phaup is a terrific FOGO, but he could be winning 3-5 more faceoffs a game if he could hold possession for a minute while things matriculate around him. I think we are okay with Vermont but I think the more athletics teams will try to put all the pressure on Phaup and take the wings out of play.

I equate FOGOs with field goal kickers, part of the team but at the same time not interacting in the same way, since they are focused on that one thing. The position is so hyper-focused you can't seem to get an edge on your opponents if you spend your time doing anything else. I would think more FOGOS would realize the importance of ball security, but I doubt any of them spend much time on it. LaSalla is one of the only that I can think of who is a legit threat with the ball in his stick. Long gone are the days of Kyle Harrison. Even a guy like TD Irelan pokes fun at his own actual "lacrosse skills".

I did want to point out that a number of times it looked like Phaup lost the initial clamp, but was able to rip it away from the UVA fogo and ended up with the ball. Not a standard cradling move, but still impressive of him to be able to redirect.

I know Desko likes riding the hot hand at X, but I would have scarified a goal or two if it mean getting one of the other fogos in there for a couple of runs at the end of the game. I wonder if Varello is hurt, I can't remember the last game he didn't see any time at all, and he only took three in the Army game. Maybe they viewed it as good practice for Phaup as he didn't have a typical offseason?
 
I equate FOGOs with field goal kickers, part of the team but at the same time not interacting in the same way, since they are focused on that one thing. The position is so hyper-focused you can't seem to get an edge on your opponents if you spend your time doing anything else. I would think more FOGOS would realize the importance of ball security, but I doubt any of them spend much time on it. LaSalla is one of the only that I can think of who is a legit threat with the ball in his stick. Long gone are the days of Kyle Harrison. Even a guy like TD Irelan pokes fun at his own actual "lacrosse skills".

I did want to point out that a number of times it looked like Phaup lost the initial clamp, but was able to rip it away from the UVA fogo and ended up with the ball. Not a standard cradling move, but still impressive of him to be able to redirect.

I know Desko likes riding the hot hand at X, but I would have scarified a goal or two if it mean getting one of the other fogos in there for a couple of runs at the end of the game. I wonder if Varello is hurt, I can't remember the last game he didn't see any time at all, and he only took three in the Army game. Maybe they viewed it as good practice for Phaup as he didn't have a typical offseason?
I think the new FO positioning makes a big difference in the game and changes the dynamics between all the players. Fogos are on their feet and therefore much faster to the ball whichever one starts with possession. There is much less circling among the wings, so they are on the ball much sooner. Straight ahead speed becomes more important. They are faster to the Fogo who possesses the ball making it difficult for him to go straight to the goal and, I believe, turning the ball over more frequently. For me, It's a major improvement in the game. Speeds it up and affords more use of the middle of the field for tactical creativity. I hope they don't change it again.
 
This won’t be an easy game, high confidence in the team can sometimes result In a loss. We have to be ready to take another step forward and play just as hard as we did against UVA.

Vermont bring a very different style and present a totally different prospect offensively! Lots of 2 man and one handed play will test our Def and SSDMs. Communication and preparation is key.

If we can win possessions from face offs, clear the ball to a high percentage and be a little more patient in possession, this should do the trick. We need to take time off the clock offensively early and what I call cutting their throat with a goal at the end of it, this should wear Vermont down. I don’t think Vermont defensively can hang with us.

It is important that we go into this game prepared and ready for a fight. It would be great to get the bench a bit more PT and get production from Chase and Buttermore.
 
This won’t be an easy game, high confidence in the team can sometimes result In a loss. We have to be ready to take another step forward and play just as hard as we did against UVA.

Vermont bring a very different style and present a totally different prospect offensively! Lots of 2 man and one handed play will test our Def and SSDMs. Communication and preparation is key.

If we can win possessions from face offs, clear the ball to a high percentage and be a little more patient in possession, this should do the trick. We need to take time off the clock offensively early and what I call cutting their throat with a goal at the end of it, this should wear Vermont down. I don’t think Vermont defensively can hang with us.

It is important that we go into this game prepared and ready for a fight. It would be great to get the bench a bit more PT and get production from Chase and Buttermore.
Fortunately both Cormier and Bertrand seemed to enjoy getting involved in some 2 man game antics and I’m sure we were doing some prep for them last week as well. Also Mr Porter is not just a brick wall, but a Canadian brick wall. He tends to not fall for a lot of the deception with twister shots or guys shooting stick side high and expecting the goalie to drop his stick, things I’m sure the UVM Canadians like to do.
 

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