Cornell lacrosse 2008 (can't really call it a preview anymore)

[Hillel Hoffmann]

[quote TimV]I think Syracuse will do better than implied here - an OT loss to UVa is not bad.  The question is if we have a prayer to get a Quality win at Orange expense.  The way the D looked against UNC I'd say "Not a prayer" but if that can firm up, maybe.  I'm anticipating that Navy will have a strong year, so that's one that's in the bag already.  Army will be a big test this Sat.[/quote]
Dude, this paragraph (written almost three weeks ago) turned out to be genius. I admit that I totally underestimated Syracuse's ability to give itself a total makeover. These days Syracuse's prospective RPI is looking so promising that Cornell may in fact have an unexpected opportunity for a at-large-bid-sealing high-yield RPI win. And just as you predicted, Navy and Army seem to providing a lot of bang for the buck too.

Wasn't it interesting to see how Yale's defensive conservatism (compared to Denver's recklessness) put Cornell's offense in a very uncomfortable place? This year's team just doesn't have the maturity and adaptability of the 2007 model. The Penn game could be serious trouble.

[DeltaOne81]

The offense definitely lost it for about half the game on Saturday. Question though, did Yale change their defense after going down 4-0? Did they just execute better? Or was it more an issue of our guys pressing irresponsibly and making stupid mistakes? I'm not enough of a lax expert to notice a defensive shift in strategy, so to me it looked like we were making rash plays, but they could have been forced into it.

Speaking of Penn, Hillel, are you going to be there? Might I finally get an opportunity to meet the man behind the previews?

[Hillel Hoffmann]

[quote DeltaOne81]The offense definitely lost it for about half the game on Saturday. Question though, did Yale change their defense after going down 4-0? Did they just execute better? Or was it more an issue of our guys pressing irresponsibly and making stupid mistakes? I'm not enough of a lax expert to notice a defensive shift in strategy, so to me it looked like we were making rash plays, but they could have been forced into it.

Speaking of Penn, Hillel, are you going to be there? Might I finally get an opportunity to meet the man behind the previews? [/quote]

I can't remember if there was a shift in Yale's defensive strategy -- I'll have to check out the archived video when it's posted.

To me, what mattered was the difference between the offensive chances made available by Yale's defense compared to Denver's. In the Yale game, there weren't as many opportunities for shooters to get their hands free to shoot from angles that opened up the face of the goal mouth -- or maybe I should say that the only such opportunities were created by Cornell attackmen pressing and dodging solo from X (behind the net), rather than by ball movement. Some of that was the product of Yale's more conservative defensive approach. They were more packed in and less willing to extend their defenders to the edge of Cornell's offense.

Even when Cornell gets opportunities near the crease, the finishes haven't been there this year. There was a revealing quote from Coach Tambroni in today's Ithaca Journal:

But what has troubled Cornell the most, Tambroni said, is the absence of a David Mitchell-type scorer. A year ago as a senior, Mitchell's deadly catch-and-release scoring ability gave opponents fits around the crease. The left-handed Canadian finished the year with 47 goals and a second-team All-American award. "The last five, six years we've always had a guy that's consistently been a sharpshooter inside," Tambroni said. "It does two things. One, it softens up the outside so you have more time to shoot from the perimeter. And two, when balls like that are going in, you feel a little more comfortable taking your next shot, whether it be inside or outside. "We're working a lot harder this year to score goals, and it shows."

Hell yes, I'll be at the Penn game. I'm am so sick and tired of losing to them at Franklin Field, and I can't wait to check out their two butt-kicking freshmen from Long Island, Kohart and Winkoff. You coming?