Cornell lacrosse 2021

[dbilmes]

Attendance for semifinals at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on rainy, cold day in CT was about 13,000. I don't live that far away, but have no desire to watch any of these teams play in person, even if weather was nicer. Forecast better for title game on Monday. Not having Syracuse, Cornell or any other northern teams in Final Four had to hurt attendance.

[billhoward]

... be prepared for some BS stories, "The South Takes Back College Lacrosse." Just so long as they don't count all the Yankees on their teams.

Was lax like hockey with only the Ivies and a handful of northeastern programs sitting out?

And Syracuse having a bad year made worse by player Chase Scanlon getting arrested in a domestic violence case, the team saying they didn't want Scanlan back, and Scanlan getting suspended / off the team at least once.

[billhoward]

4-seed Virginia wins its second straight title, 17-16, over 3-seed Maryland, Terps coached by John Tillman '92. Apropos of the hockey thread about how much Mike Schafer makes, Tillman's contract has him salaried at $341,000 through 2022.

Small consolation for NYS / upstate NYS lacrosse that D2 title won (again) by LeMoyne of Syracuse and D3 by RIT, its first NCAA title in anything. (Remember they sneaked into the Frozen Four a couple years back, then the wheels fell off the bus.)

Now Duke ex-Princeton Michael Sowers one of three first-team All-Americas at attack. Duke relied heavily on transfers, maybe more than any other D1 team. Coach John Danowski quoted as saying broadly that the team had trouble meshing this year. Duke got blown out in the semis by Maryland, 14-5. (Virginia got by NC 12-11.)

[upprdeck]

Rit won the Div 3 hockey title in 1985

[Weder]

Rit won the Div 3 hockey title in 1985

They also won the DIII women's hockey title right before they moved up to DI about 10 years ago.

[jtwcornell91]

Rit won the Div 3 hockey title in 1985

Beat me to it. B-)

[upprdeck]

yeah I was there then. fun team.

[upprdeck]

coaches are now official

interim tags removed

[Al DeFlorio]

Should be a good read: https://cornellbigred.com/news/2021/6/4/50-years-ago-cornell-mens-lacrosse-changed-the-game.aspx

[scoop85]

IL is confirming the rumors that Desko is retiring at SU and being replaced by Gary Gait. Interesting development.

[billhoward]

IL is confirming the rumors that Desko is retiring at SU and being replaced by Gary Gait. Interesting development.

John Desko is 63, career record of 258–86 (.750) over 22 seasons, 5 NCAA titles but the last 12 years ago in a come-from behind overtime win. IIRC, Syracuse had something like 22 consecutive final four appearances under Simmons then Desko. But the last final four was 2013.

Gait's final game as head coach of the Syracuse women's team was a 16-10 loss in the title game to BC, which also made the three previous title games, all losses.

[billhoward]

Matt Gaudet Yale '20 of the Chrome Lacrosse Club (Premier Lacrosse League) gets part of his finger bitten off by Austin Staats of Chas Lacrosse Club. This was the first weekend in June. The league says both were suspended indefinitely.

Interesting Twitter thread. There are others. https://twitter.com/Turn_Rake13/status/1407440495412928527

[Trotsky]

They teach biting at Choate now?

Progress.

[billhoward]

Jeff Teat pro debut Friday. https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/jeff-teat-to-make-pll-debut-friday-at-homewood-field/58120

The No. 1  pick in the 2021 Premier Lacrosse League College Draft, Cornell attackman Jeff Teat, will make his rookie debut for the Atlas LC on Friday night [6/23/21] at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field as they take on the Whipsnakes at 8 p.m. The game will air live on NBC Sports Network.

It'll be Teat's first competitive action since March of 2020. IL's No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016, Teat was granted a fifth year of eligibility waiver in June 2020, but the Big Red did not play this spring. Teat did not transfer in an effort to play one final college lacrosse season and despite being out of sight (but not out of mind, as Matt Kinnear profiled in April), Atlas coach Ben Rubeor selected Teat No. 1 overall, ahead of Michael Sowers, JT Giles-Harris and TD Ierlan.

Love to see if the quality of Atlas LC's other attackers means Teat has some freedom to maneuver. He was so amazing freshman year, before he got a good or a bulky defender draped all over him.

[dag14]

I just watched the second game of Teat's PLL debut -- Cannons [Buczek, Pulver] v. Atlas [Teat].  Jeff's first game was Friday night and he was mediocre, to put it kindly.  Not all his fault -- his first game since March 2020, only one practice with this team and it was clear his teammates were not ready for his style of team play.  They didn't drop his precision passes inside, they didn't seem to realize he was making passes....

Today was different -- Jeff seemed more willing to take a shot.  In fact, he tied the PLL record for goals in a game with 7 goals on 11 shots [10 of which were SOG].  He also managed 2 assists.  I am not sure at what point Cannon came up with a strategy to defend him but for most of the game he drew Pulver, I assume because he was the defender who had the most experience covering him.  It didn't stop Teat but it may have slowed him down a little.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, Coach Buczek scored 3 goals, prompting several mentions from the commentators.  Tremendous free publicity for Cornell lacrosse as they noted often that the Cornell head coach clearly could play the game, was a great coach [noting he and Jeff worked out together, etc.], should be an inspiration to young players.  Considering that Paul Rabil, Lyle Thompson and Brodie Merrill were also on the field, it was a good day press-wise for Cornell lacrosse.

Atlas won 18-17.  Given that Jake Pulver had a goal and 2 of the scores were 2-pt goals, the Cornell players were responsible for one-third of the total goals scored in the game.