I kinda disagree about unforced errors. I saw a few more risky/sloppy passes than I'm accustomed to.
No. 6 Rutgers Men's Lacrosse Travels to No. 19 Ohio State for Big Ten Opener Sunday on BTN
- Thread starter Tango Two
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Rall really is awesome. Do we have someone who can possibly step up to his level on the roster?
We had 10 turnovers. Our average on the season is 12.5, which is second best in all of D1. We were also 16-16 on clears and 14-21 on face offs.
I was posting with a negative slant last night which I regret but we really need to improve shot selection, that is still bothering me, LOL.
Our clear was much improved and I wonder if a lot of our focus was on that during the week and potentially we had to sacrifice game prep in other places.
Anyway, on to the next one and putting my faith in the staff that we will sort ourselves out.
Our clear was much improved and I wonder if a lot of our focus was on that during the week and potentially we had to sacrifice game prep in other places.
Anyway, on to the next one and putting my faith in the staff that we will sort ourselves out.
The other team has a lot of impact on poor shot selection. There were some shots that were forced early in the possession but a lot of the poor shots were a result of simply not being able to get a better one. At some point, someone needs to win a one on one battle and create their own shot or draw and dump, and we were unable to do that.
What I am most bothered by is that the offense lacked a sense of urgency. It seemed like a lot of guys waiting around for someone else to make a play. When we are at our best, everyone is attacking and making themselves a threat.
New to the forum and somewhat new to lacrosse. When in HS, was just that odd sport with the sticks the QB's and RB's played in the spring (since it was lots of running and no tackling, was outside my area of expertise). Ended up getting more into into lacrosse during grad school though I didn't start following RU lacrosse until we entered the B1G conference.
I'll say this, OSU seemed like they went out and improved their defense for this very game (using NIL money??). They were tired of that losing streak and it showed - cannot take away the effort by the OSU defense.
Also, the RU team has improved since the beginning of the year so looking forward to what they learn from this game and improve on/move on from. Was at the Army game, and there was a point in the 1st half where I could have played better lacrosse than the team, then compare that to Princeton game. Trust they will make further adjustments with more time in practice without Cameron.
I'll say this, OSU seemed like they went out and improved their defense for this very game (using NIL money??). They were tired of that losing streak and it showed - cannot take away the effort by the OSU defense.
Also, the RU team has improved since the beginning of the year so looking forward to what they learn from this game and improve on/move on from. Was at the Army game, and there was a point in the 1st half where I could have played better lacrosse than the team, then compare that to Princeton game. Trust they will make further adjustments with more time in practice without Cameron.
Yes it certainly does!! This will probably sound crazy but our shot selection has been a minor concern of mine for a couple years but this year it's coming to the fore as we don't have the weapons to compensate for it as we have previously.
I like our run and gun style but I do think our half field offense lacks an identity at times and we don't work hard enough to find an open man.
Yes at some point we do need to win one on one battles but they don't have to be hero goals every time, keep the ball hot, keep the defense moving and find a guy who has a step on his defender.
#4 with the busted leg was feasting on us from everywhere on the field taking uncontested shots as he did a great job moving without the ball.
I would not lay any of the blame from yesterday on Mullin as most of OSU's goals were barely contested while we ran question mark dodge after question mark dodge that resulted in contested, low angle looks.
Here are some stats from last year, I am not sure how much can be gleaned from them but we consistently take a lot of shots.
Yesterday we took 43 shots and scored 7, not good.
LIU: 51 shots, 15 goals
Marist: 63 shots, 13 goals
St. Johns: 59 shots, 23 goals
Army: 46 shots, 13 goals
Loyola: 40 shots, 13 goals
Princeton: 58 shots, 11 goals
Lafayette: 45 shots, 22 goals
Hofstra: 54 shots, 22 goals
OSU: 46, 18 goals
JHU: 35, 12 goals
MSU 38, 13 goals
UM 36, 9 goals
PSU: 51, 15 goals
OSU in the BIG Tourney: 47, 12 goals
Maryland in the BIG Tourney: 35, 7 goals
Regarding OSU’s defense, I’d summarize them as strong on ball and weak off ball. Their 4 losses came against teams that prioritize assist vs. goals.
I'd agree. We didn't move the ball nearly enough. It was dying in sticks all night.
Smart lacrosse posters, help me understand the man up challenges during the OSU game. Why would RU put #5 behind the goal during man up 30 sec? RU did this often in the 2nd half when they should have been trying to score quick goals. OSU put their 5 defensive players above GLE and let #5 play from X. So basically we played 5v5 with no advantage. And after RU spun the ball around a couple times the penalty was over with zero shots or a very low chance.
Ross plays the X spot so he is a feeder. He's also deadly on quick dunks from behind. You need to have someone behind because it forces the D to turn their heads. Ball movement and player movement are what beats a zone down man, but you need someone behind to have them turn heads when the ball is behind and you still have to play that person when he gets to GLE. Putting six guys in front of the cage would play right into a defenses hands.
We got good looks but took some poor shots on EMO. The issue is 30 second man downs now aren't what the used to be. It's much easier for teams to kill them off now. I rarely see teams scoring when down for only 30. It's the minute penalties that leave teams enough to spin it for open looks.
Definitely effected our EMO and overall play. Both Kulas and Civetti and right handed players. We weren't attacking from the left wing at all, not to mention those guys are not ones to take you off the dribble. We were very easy to guard because of it.
I would just add that overall, one of the biggest advantages an offense has is the fact that you can throw the ball behind the cage. It doesn't just force defenders to turn their heads, but goalies too.
The toughest saves for them are when they have to do a 180 and locate the shooter.
On slow breaks, it's basic lacrosse strategy to get the ball behind the goal and make cuts from that as an example.
The toughest saves for them are when they have to do a 180 and locate the shooter.
On slow breaks, it's basic lacrosse strategy to get the ball behind the goal and make cuts from that as an example.
Is it me or we do less cutting than other BIG teams? Off ball movement in general seems like maybe it's a bit lacking.
We definitely do but it's just a system thing. We move the ball after beating guys off the dribble. Teams like Uva, Unc, and others play this way. Other teams like Hopkins are different. They are very Loyola'ish. You will see quick passing, lots of off ball picks, rather than breaking down one on one in hopes of creating open looks.
It's just a different philosophy on how to play offense, sometimes based on personnel. I would agree though against OSU we did a lot of standing around watching. I expect that to change Sat. They had a tough week of practice. I think they will come out fast.
Two things you have to be ready for against Hopkins. They will feed the crease even when it isn't open, and they aren't afraid to work deep into the shot clock. They are very comfortable there so we have to be buttoned up until the end.
The one guy we have to keep tabs on one on one is Collison. Some guys on their team dodge to move the ball on. He and Degnon dodge to score. We are going to have to defend them with that in mind.
We went after that kid. He got sold a bill of goods to go to Hopkins and then the assistant got fired. Wonder if he's actually happy there.
I'd love to see us get out of the gates early. Hopkins presses when down I've noticed. That style of clock eating has it's negatives.
Also, I think we can win the middle of the field. Groundballs and faceoffs are going to be key, as usual. We can also turn them over. Their clearing game is suspect. Also, they are having goalie issues. Whoever starts, make them question themselves. Get to the back up if possible.
Goalie issues are never good for team.
That 30 second man up opportunity was tough to watch. Like Cali mentioned, it is hard to score that fast but to spin it for the entirety of the penalty was strange. Also, thanks to Cali for elaborating on our style and how we seem to live and die with the 1 v 1s as opposed to the pick and passing game. It was on full display vs OSU
We use the two man pick game a ton too. Though it didn't look like it Sunday because we were standing around watching much of the night, it isn't always like that.
We played terribly Sunday. But understand we are missing a big gun on the left side. It would have looked much better had we not. OSU has two of the best on ball defenders and they neutralized our attack while our middies were also having a hard time getting separation. Much of that was because we were getting doubled a lot up top funneling things back to the attack, where they got manhandled. We didn't help ourselves with our shot selection.
For the record, I'd play exactly how we play. To me it's the best style.
