Cornell v. Towson pre-game

Hillel Hoffmann

Al DeFlorio
...and, yes, I know about the 6-5 1988 Cornell team that got to the finals before losing.

Thank you, Al. I'm glad someone brought up that team before we opened up another bag of fresh and tasty Righteous Indignation Chips.

Going into the season, was there a veteran college lacrosse fan here who actually thought that the current tournament selection and seeding system wasn't stupid, unfair, redundant, inconsistently applied, lacking transparency and set up to reward independent and Atlantic Coast Conference teams? (Newcomers to following the game closely are forgiven for getting huffy.)

Free red "21" t-shirt to the first person who creates a new thread about the Towson game with at least one unit of analysis, scouting or some such.

Okay Hillel, I'll bite. I'm not sure what analysis I can provide, but my "googling" (and procrastination!) skills are quite adequate and I can post a link to the numbers for others to comment on .


I hear that face-offs are one of Cornell's weaknesses. Towson is about 45% on face-offs. For comparison, listed below are the face-off stats for the ACC and Cornell is at 51% for the season. Seems like we have a slight edge in that area.

Okay, I have to go back to my "day job".

FACEOFF PERCENT
## Team GP Won Lost Pct
---------------------------------------------
1.North Carolina...... 14 198 131 .602
2.Virginia............ 15 190 147 .564
3.Duke................ 16 176 181 .493
4.Maryland............ 15 149 174 .461

Can't think of a better winner. Please send me a private message with your address (or where I can find you at an upcoming tournament game).

I'm guessing they are well coached (disciplined, low turnovers, lots of assisted goals). But, nothing really jumps out from their stats. Balanced scoring, and avg. goaltending. If the faceoff man (Eckerl) Hillel referred to has healed up, that may be our main concern.

redhair34
I'm guessing they are well coached (disciplined, low turnovers, lots of assisted goals).

Well, Seaman almost pulled off the upset of the century against Syracuse at the Dome in the 1988 semifinals. Led the Gaits et al until the very end of the game, despite the legendary "Air Gait" goal against them. I suspect that one game won him the Hopkins coaching job.

Cornell walloped Virginia in the other semi and, had Penn been able to hold on against Syracuse, we might have had a fourth national championship that year. Syracuse just had too much for us.

Looking around the LaxPower forums, I found these tidbits:

Towson's Justin Schneider was hurt in the Delaware-Towson game over the weekend. His teammate's shot hit him in the back of the neck. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be serious, and the trip he took to the hospital was precautionary.

Eckerl, the faceoff guy, seems to have not done very well last weekend. [q][q]Did Coach Seaman complain about the face-offs???? [/q]

I didn't see Seaman complain. Hard to complain when Smith left Eckerl bent over the X while Smith was 5-10 yards out in front of him. We went to the game just to watch Smith in action, he didn't disappoint. He was awesome![/q]
Smith is Delaware's faceoff specialist, with a season average of .745 (yikes!). Towson only won a third of the day's faceoffs (7 of 21 total, while the first half was a meager 2 of 12), though I assume that Eckerl wasn't the only one taking them.

First Team CAA players from Towson:
Bobby Griebe (A)
Matthew Mehrer (D)
Goalie Matt Antol and middie Brian Vetter gathered second team honors. Towson fans are a bit miffed than Engelke didn't get on the list.

Liz '05
Towson's Justin Schneider was hurt in the Delaware-Towson game over the weekend. His teammate's shot hit him in the back of the neck.

With what? Sounds like Miami football.

Faceoffs are just one form of possession change, along with:

ground balls
clears/rides
loss of possession penalties
possession after shot
bad passes

I wonder which of those stats is the one a team can do the most about (relative to the norm for all teams).

Al DeFlorio

Liz '05
Towson's Justin Schneider was hurt in the Delaware-Towson game over the weekend. His teammate's shot hit him in the back of the neck.

With what? Sounds like Miami football.

Presumably the lacrosse ball, though nothing I saw stated so explicitly

I'm sorry, but this irks me.

Athletics email
Unfortunately, your Big Red Sports Pass does not admit you to post season playoff games. This game is an NCAA event and is not included in the regular season schedule for which the BRSP is valid. We apologize for this inconvenience but hope you decide to attend the game and support your Big Red lacrosse team.

If they're looking for a good crowd in the middle of finals, charging students $5 isn't the way to go.

billhoward
Faceoffs are just one form of possession change, along with:

ground balls
clears/rides
loss of possession penalties
possession after shot
bad passes

I wonder which of those stats is the one a team can do the most about (relative to the norm for all teams).

I feel like ground balls, rides and after shot possession are similar in that hustle is a big factor. I know hustle is a hand wavy quality to look at, but I feel like the better conditioned, more prepared team will fight for more ground balls, attack the opponent's clear more, and race after more shots to gain possession.

Then again, not taking dumb penalties and not make bad passes can go a long way to winning a game.

eblimes
If they're looking for a good crowd in the middle of finals, charging students $5 isn't the way to go

So I guess charging $3 for students on Slope Day wasn't a good idea either. Hopefully everyone will show up and support the team anyway.

What's five more singles on top of $45K? Maybe you can stay home and watch on the Big Red sports pass ... or is that a premium charged event, also?

ebilmes
I'm sorry, but this irks me.

Athletics email
Unfortunately, your Big Red Sports Pass does not admit you to post season playoff games. This game is an NCAA event and is not included in the regular season schedule for which the BRSP is valid. We apologize for this inconvenience but hope you decide to attend the game and support your Big Red lacrosse team.

If they're looking for a good crowd in the middle of finals, charging students $5 isn't the way to go.

I'm pretty sure the NCAA gets the vast majority (over 70%) of the ticket gate money. So they would have to pay the NCAA for every attendee with a BRSP. This situation is analogous to what happens in the ECAC playoffs. Consequently, student attendance sometimes drops at schools where the students are usually admitted for free.

NCAA makes them charge. I think the band has run into this in the past (even at home) when there are more than 25 instrumentalists. It would be a nice gesture though if athletics picked up 1 or 2 dollars of the tab for those with the pass.

I am patiently waiting for my "you can't watch this on all-access" release on Friday at 3pm.

Chris '03
I am patiently waiting for my "you can't watch this on all-access" release on Saturday at 2pm.

FYP.

billhoward
What's five more singles on top of $45K? Maybe you can stay home and watch on the Big Red sports pass ... or is that a premium charged event, also?

For many, I'd imagine their parents' $45K does not affect their decision on whether to spend $5 on their ticket or another beer (or two, depending on bar of choice).

Chris '03
I am patiently waiting for my "you can't watch this on all-access" release on Friday at 3pm.

Watched a replay of the first period of the Hobart game over the weekend and then immediately canceled All-Access--forever, I hope.

Due to NCAA guidelines regarding televised contests during its tournament championship games, the Cornell men's lacrosse team's game against Towson on Saturday, May 12, at 2:30 p.m. from Schoellkopf Field will not be available as part of the All-Access video streaming. Audio of the game will be available, as will GameTracker for the contest.

[cornellbigred.cstv.com]

Where's my free May Madness On Demand, NCAA?

From Syracuse.com blog an amusing "interview" with the Towson coach.

Pouring it on thick down Baltimore way...

peterg
From Syracuse.com blog an amusing "interview" with the Towson coach.

Pouring it on thick down Baltimore way...

Rare is the team that will nail their own coach's comments to the bulletin board?

I mean, cute, and refreshing in a "doesn't recant the usual coach cliches" way, but... still, kind of dismissive of his own squad.

Section A Banshee

peterg
From Syracuse.com blog an amusing "interview" with the Towson coach.

Pouring it on thick down Baltimore way...

Rare is the team that will nail their own coach's comments to the bulletin board?

I mean, cute, and refreshing in a "doesn't recant the usual coach cliches" way, but... still, kind of dismissive of his own squad.

Trying to pull a Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors coach), I guess. The following quote is from after winning Game 1 vs. #1 seeded Dallas:

Don Nelson
They'll be dominant as they should be and they'll mop us up...We have a better chance to get hit by lightning than to win.

Maybe this is the new underdog coach motivational technique.

RichH

Section A Banshee

peterg
From Syracuse.com blog an amusing "interview" with the Towson coach.

Pouring it on thick down Baltimore way...

Rare is the team that will nail their own coach's comments to the bulletin board?

I mean, cute, and refreshing in a "doesn't recant the usual coach cliches" way, but... still, kind of dismissive of his own squad.

Trying to pull a Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors coach), I guess. The following quote is from after winning Game 1 vs. #1 seeded Dallas:

Don Nelson
They'll be dominant as they should be and they'll mop us up...We have a better chance to get hit by lightning than to win.

Maybe this is the new underdog coach motivational technique.

I guess since "the media didn't respect us" and "our opponents didn't respect us" are played out, "our own COACH didn't respect us" is where it's going next.

Worth noting that with a minute or two to play, it was Hopkins 8, Towson 7.

Al DeFlorio
Worth noting that with a minute or two to play, it was Hopkins 8, Towson 7.

Also might be worth noting that Hopkins has been notorious for being unable to put teams away.

so i guess that the fact that CBS broadcast the entire NCAA b-ball for free was ok?

Interesting snippet from the Ithaca Journal today re Tambroni and the coaching staff:

"Most important, they [the coaching staff] trusted in their 11 seniors to transform a patient, half-field style team into an attacking, up-and-down, ride-them-into-submission machine that led Division I in goals scored (14.38) and margin of victory (8.0).

"The change prompted Princeton coach Bill Tierney to call Cornell 'the new Syracuse.'"

Al DeFlorio
Interesting snippet from the Ithaca Journal today re Tambroni and the coaching staff:

"Most important, they [the coaching staff] trusted in their 11 seniors to transform a patient, half-field style team into an attacking, up-and-down, ride-them-into-submission machine that led Division I in goals scored (14.38) and margin of victory (8.0).

"The change prompted Princeton coach Bill Tierney to call Cornell 'the new Syracuse.'"

Actually, Syracuse was the new Cornell. We're the new new Cornell.

oceanst41

ebilmes
If they're looking for a good crowd in the middle of finals, charging students $5 isn't the way to go

So I guess charging $3 for students on Slope Day wasn't a good idea either. Hopefully everyone will show up and support the team anyway.

I wasn't implying that I wouldn't attend because of the charge, but just saying that anything that costs money will make college students second-guess whether they want to attend. It's supposed to be a nice day, so hopefully there'll be a good turnout.

As for the $3 on Slope Day, there was no charge for students this year.

Looking forward to tomorrow's game. Let's Go Red!

Edit: Looks like I'm going to be a little tired for the game...Damn finals week.

For any night owls with ESPNU, the replay of the JHU-Towson game will be aired from midnight - 2 am (followed by Syracuse-UMass at 2 am).

actually there is a pretty large charge to the students for slope day.. its just buried in all the fees. you dont think several hundred employee's not working for a couple days doesnt come at a cost to the university?

upperdeck
actually there is a pretty large charge to the students for slope day.. its just buried in all the fees. you dont think several hundred employee's not working for a couple days doesnt come at a cost to the university?

Be that as it may, the marginal cost of actually choosing to attend was apparently $0. That's the cost that would effect attendance (for sports as well as other events like slope day).

Scouting Towson

It's hard to get a handle on Towson. They're erratic, and they've been hit by a bunch of semi-disclosed and partially healed injuries. On top of that, I've only seem 'em play twice in two years, so a big thanks goes out to M, a Baltimore County resident who follows Towson closely, for supplying most of the best stuff herein.

The last time these two teams met (a 2005 playoff game), Towson's lineup was dominated by underclassmen. That team pushed Cornell to the edge, losing on a last-minute goal. You'd think that they'd have made more progress since then given all that experience, but injuries, academic difficulties, and a few key losses to graduation since 2005 -- especially goalie Reed Sothoron and defensive midfielder Casey Cittadino (one of the nation's best in recent years) -- have stunted Towson's development.

Towson's strengths are overall team experience, a deep but injury-riddled midfield, crafty veteran attackmen and an athletic defense that is not nearly as penalty-prone as previous models. The big mystery is the injury status of first-line midfielder Justin Schneider, who suffered a frightening neck injury when he was blasted in the neck during a CAA tournament game by teammate Cryder DiPietro, a freshman who has a rifle of a shot.

Towson has three weaknesses that Cornell may be able to exploit: a defense lacking the stick skills and clearing savvy to stand up to Cornell's hard ride, average defensive midfielders, and a goalie -- junior Matt Antol -- who is streaky and may collapse if assaulted early.

Players to watch:

Nick Williams, midfielder. One of my favorite non-Cornell players in the nation, Williams is strong, fast, and aggressive -- just what you'd expect from a running back who gained almost 1,000 yards rushing for Towson's football team in his junior year (he didn't start in 2006). He killed Cornell in the 2005 playoff game; expect more of the same.

Bobby Griebe, attack. Son of Towson's all-time leading assist man Robert Griebe, national hall of famer one of the greatest players of the 1970s. Small but versatile; has trouble carrying the ball against large defensemen, according to M.

Jonathan Engelke, attack. Son of Norm Engelke, one of Cornell's all-time great middies (hey Norm, why no sons on East Hill?). Has matured into a complete player, although still largely a lefty finisher.

Matt Eckerl, midfielder (faceoff). Like Delaware's Alex Smith, one of the new breed of slight faceoff men built for the new faceoff rules. Missed several games this season due to injury, and then struggled since his return -- although in part due to playing a string of great FOGOs, including Smith twice. Another guy who killed Cornell last time around. He's probably better than Schmicker/Glynn, even playing at 75 percent.