2026 Men's Lacrosse

[mike1960]

The camera work is making my eyeballs swim.

[dbilmes]

In case anyone cares, we beat High Point, 17-9, on Monday. Firth had five goals and Luzzi had four. We led, 9-2, at halftime and coasted from there.

[billhoward]

And also:
Willem Firth 5 goals on 9 shots
Brian Luzzi 4 goals on 5 shots
Freshman Rowyn Nurry with 2 goals Tuesday, back from IR, has scored in each of the games he's played, 2 games in February, none in March, 3 so far in April.
Midweek games were a big thing a lifetime ago, played on Lower Alumni Field which is now Comstock Hall, built 1985.   Cornell versus Hobart, Syracuse, Cortland State et al where the visitor was an upstate college and the game was a day trip. What reminded me of the '70s was the warm weather (high 70s) and Tuesday's midweek attendance: 213.

[djk26]

What reminded me of the '70s was the warm weather (high 70s) and Tuesday's midweek attendance: 213.

This game started at noon--I assume the students on campus were in class--I wonder if attendance would have been better if the game had been at, say, 4:00 p.m.

[billhoward]

I would like to say this gave High Point a chance to bus back and be home before midnight. Except I see it's 600 miles and 10 hours drive-time. You'd need two bus drivers; there's a limit of 10 hours per driver before a mandatory 8-hour minimum time away from dirver, per the feds (https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Interstate-Passenger-Carrying-Driver-Guide-To-HOS.pdf). So maybe they flew Syracuse-Greensboro NC (15 miles away). Otherwise yes it would have made sense to have an afternoon game. I think there must have been big falloff from player parents trying to get to Ithaca and do it in a single day.

BTW High Point is the school where they meet prospective students / parents with a covered golf cart and that's how you tour campus. IIRC High Point is also the school that had severe constraints on what students can put up on the public walls of the dorms. (But then I see Cornell is powerwashing away chalk inscriptions on the sidewalks in advance of admitted students/parents visits.) 75% admit rate at High Point, 85% for early-decision (and early lock-in). 

[George64]

High Point touts itself as the nation's number one lifeskills university (write your own punchline).  They also have a link on their athletics page to make NIL gifts.

[Weder]

High Point touts itself as the nation's number one lifeskills university (write your own punchline).  They also have a link on their athletics page to make NIL gifts.

And the life skills include fine dining!

[Weder]

So maybe they flew Syracuse-Greensboro NC (15 miles away).

The school chartered a jet for students to fly to the men's basketball team's NCAA tournament games. so I would bet the athletes fly for a trip that long.

[rss77]

The NCAA covers travel costs for tournament games. Willing to bet that they traveled by bus for lacrosse.

[Weder]

The NCAA covers travel costs for tournament games. Willing to bet that they traveled by bus for lacrosse.

For the players, not regular students. High Point chartered a jet for regular students.

[mike1960]

Princeton beat Harvard.

Great game. Tied at 13-13 and Harvard passed to the man in the crease attack position, who bounced one in. Then Princeton set an off ball-pick screen for  Palumbo who scored free hands from the top right.

We need to do much more of this kind of scoring: cutting, off ball screens, good passes the middies in front of the crease. Too often we take low-percentage outside shots (they will work against a High Point but not against a Harvard) or we try to win ISOs to shoot or pass. But we run into teams like Yale that shut down the ISO and then we're pretty much stuck.

Maybe I'm complaining too much here but we basically play a 1-4-1 with two attacks on the wings and two middies sinking in front of the goal for passes or to screen the goalie. (We sometimes look like a 2-3-2 when the weak side attack moves upfield.) Those two crease middies don't get open very often and so they don't get the ball very often. I think they need to work harder. I know they have assignments in the motion offense (for instance, move to upfield on the drive down the alley to draw away the help), but they do seem to just stand around a lot in my view instead of working to open spaces for passes. /rant over

The final score: Princeton with a wrap around from X because of a hung defenseman.

[billhoward]

The NCAA covers travel costs for tournament games. Willing to bet that they traveled by bus for lacrosse.

Maybe High Point thought it could match Richmond's rise in lacrosse, so why not push some money at it under the heading "Raising High Point's Profile. US News has it ranked #1 in Regional Colleges (not universities) South and #1 in Most Innovative.

[CU77]

All remaining ILT scenarios:

C>H: C Pr Y H

H>C & Y>B:  Pr Y H C
H>C & B>Y:  Pr H C Pe

Unlisted games do not matter.

[billhoward]

Beat Harvard in Ithaca Saturday 4/25, Cornell hosts the Ivy League Tournament (again). Standings as of 4/25 and Saturday's opponents:

1. Princeton  4-1  Dartmouth (close to guaranteed win)
1. Cornell    4-1  Harvard
3. Harvard    3-2  @Cornell
3. Yale       3-2  @Brown
5. Penn       3-3  Ivy season finished (@Umass Friday)
6. Brown      1-4  Brown
7. Dartmouth  0-5  @Princeton (even closer to a guaranteed win)

Princeton's loss is to Cornell, Cornell's to Yale, Harvard's to Princeton & Yale, Yale's to Princeton & Penn, Penn to Harvard, Cornell & Princeton. Lose to Harvard, I believe we are the 3 or 4 seed, and Princeton is the 1-seed.

[djk26]

I saw that #20 Utah beat Queens College yesterday, 18-0.  I don't ever remember seeing a shutout in college lacrosse before.