POLES...not polls

The polls thread in the hockey forum got me thinking. Besides Derkac and Moyer, what's doing on the lacrosse defensive side since we're missing Gradinger and Dorne?

That's a good question. It's kind of scary.

If you believe the positions listed at the official Cornell Athletics site(not always advisable), here are the players on the current roster who are most likely to play with six-foot sticks.

Baker
Decker
Derkac
Feely
Gilbert
Howe
Kamedulski
Livadas
MacDonald
Moyer
Weyl

No matter how you distribute them among the four available starting slots at close defense and long-stick midfield, you end up without much experience or physical presence. Only three of the players above have ever logged significant minutes outside of garbage time.

If I had to guess, the four players most likely to start at D and LSM will emerge from this group of six, in rough order: Moyer, Derkac, MacDonald, Feely, Livadas, Howe. (Maybe include Baker as a dark horse.) And here's the freaky part. In an ideal world in which everyone played the position they were physically and mentally best suited to play, every single one of those six guys might end up being a long-stick midfielder, not a close defenseman.

Thanks HH.

If your considering physical size as the difference between an LSM and close defense I'm less worried- Ivy attackmen tend to be fast rather than big. If they have the speed they'll learn the slides and the rest is just practice practice practice. Hopefully there are some ball handlers.

Myers wasn't in goal for the alumni game in Sept, I'm hoping he continues the play he showed during the summer.

I'm SO tired of watching the reruns of THE OSU coast to coast goal...not that i blame him as much as the middie that didn't pick up the goalie on the rush.

Agreed. There's so much to playing good defense. Quick feet. Understanding space and slides. Consistent technique. Teamwork and listening. Courage (blocking shots).

But I do think we should be concerned about the physical thing. Like you say, size isn't all there is to it. It's more about having a physical presence and attitude. Being willing and able to dish out punishment when necessary with the body and the stick and, at times, demeanor. (Example: Speaking of goalies taking the ball coast-to-coast, anyone remember which Cornell player gleefully decked Brown's Jordan Burke after he cleared the ball past the midfield stripe and into the area? It was Dorne.) I think it's fair to say that the current group of defensemen and long-stick midfielders may be lacking in this department. I hope they prove me wrong. The funny thing is that Cornell's short-stick midfielders may have more of that search-and-destroy mentality -- like Calvert for example.

I got a chance to play against Max Dorne in High School, and he was an absolute beast. His HS was perennially in the top 10 nationally, and I believe they had 7 players on the Duke roster during the rape scandal.

Does anyone know why he left the team?

Cornell11
I got a chance to play against Max Dorne in High School, and he was an absolute beast. His HS was perennially in the top 10 nationally, and I believe they had 7 players on the Duke roster during the rape scandal.

Does anyone know why he left the team?

Back problems caused both Dorne and Gradinger to "retire" from lacrosse.

Whoops. Wrong thread...