A mini collection of thoughts from the weekend.
A Weekend for #1 vs. #2
Virginia and Maryland disappointed from an entertainment standpoint while Boston College and UNC came down to the wire. (Do we get a rematch in the finals or will Maryland crash the party?)
But, we are here to discuss the attendance.
The Sunday women's game drew 6,000 fans.
Saturday's men's game had 10,000 which was supported by Catholic/Hampden Sydney prior and Duke/Towson afterwards. UVA head coach Lars Tiffany discussed the venue being a key size in our latest podcast.
Coach Tiffany is right. Smaller venues that sell out make more sense than massive yet empty NFL stadiums.
Paul Rabil said that folks aren't going to the D1 title games anymore because of the Duke lacrosse scandal. That seems very far fetched.
The reason people aren't attending the title games comes down to two key points:
- More games on television during the season devalues the title game just a smidge
- Better viewing experience at home because of HD television, no money spent on travel, and no weather issues
Typically, the weather compliant has been that it is too hot. Last year, it rained. The NFL tried a cold weather Super Bowl one time and it was a disaster relative to dome games.
Go find a medium sized venue with a roof and pack that out for ten years before returning to an NFL stadium.
And more than that, host all three divisions of the men's and women's the same weekend at the same venue.
Duke Tried It, Again
Last week, we were licking our wounds after a loss to Loyola powered by a terrible first half that found the Devils trailing 10-2 at half. Things got so bad Lacrosse Twitter joked about a coaching change.
Duke decided to reward the faithful by only trailing 4-2 to Towson at halftime yesterday. Just like the following week, their offense arrived in the second half and they were over to overcome a two goal deficit.
Sean Lulley was listed as a starter and produced 2 goals on 10 shots. While we aren't crazy about the efficiency, letting Lulley loose is very encouraging for a team that seemingly refuses to put together the right line ups. Even though Lulley started, Dyson Williams was moved off the field in favor of Joe Robertson.
Williams scored 3 goals on 4 shots. Robertson had 0 points on 4 shots.
They did this last year to Williams as well with Sowers in the Lulley spot.
They are still bringing Cam Mule as a man up crease specialist. Why deploy someone off the bench when you have your supposed top 6 out there, already?
Just let your best players be your best players. O'Neill scoring 6 goals on 15 shots? Thank you.
Duke is about to enter the ACC component of their schedule. Syracuse, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia, North Carolina, and Notre Dame.
No more fooling. No more trying things out. We shouldn't have questions about your offense. You need to go 4-2 to get an at large bid. Under no circumstances should you struggle to score goals against Syracuse or North Carolina.
Our Best Tweet from the Weekend
If there was a 2020 high school season, are the Friars beating everyone by 20 goals?
Danenza, McAdorey, and O'Neill combined for 14 points. Fellow Friar Jake Naso went 17-22 from the face off X.
Are You Listening?
We've now released three episodes of our podcast. Which one is your favorite so far?
Episode 1 - Brian Brecht (Rutgers) & Bryan Kelly (Calvert Hall)
Episode 2 - Robyn Rooney (Wantagh) & Emily Boissonneault (Pitt)
Episode 3 - Lars Tiffany (Virginia) & Casey D'Annolfo (Tufts)
If you’re a fan of the game or love learning about coaching, you’re going to listen to every episodes more than once.
Two episodes will drop every week.