Virginia Wins National Championship

Virginia's Colin Briggs scored 5 goals in the championship game

Virginia won the NCAA Division I National Championship earlier today 9-7 over Maryland.  The victory capped a roller coaster season which saw several players suspended including the Bratton twins who were suspended from the team indefinitely.  Congratulations Virginia.

Offensive Tips for the Midfielder

A couple of weeks ago we offered some defensive tips for midfielders. This week, we have some offensive tips for midfielders.

Midfield Offense Tips

1. Endurance.  Endurance is a midfielders best friend.  As a middie you need to be the most well conditioned player on the field.  How else are you going to make a big stop on D and than go to the O side and stick a corner?

In the off season, you should be running both long-distance and sprints every day.

Even if you aren't that great of a ball handler, if you have speed, then you have much of what you need.

2. Get GREAT at ground balls. The team that controls the ground ball game, wins the actual game.  No matter what level of lacrosse you play in, there will always be ground balls to pick up.

Just remember to get low and scoop through the ball.  Pound it into your head to NEVER rake the ball, and always scoop through the ball.

One more thing to remember with ground balls. Use two hands. One-hand ground balls are for showoffs that never get the job done. Use two hands, and be a reliable ground ball man.

Kyle Harrison after a successful split dodge

3. Become a GREAT dodger.  Don't dodge with the intention of always blowing by your defender.  To score goals, midfielders only need to be able to execute a dodge that will enable them to get their hands free for a quality shot or pass.  Getting your hands free for a shot (away from your defender and his stick) while in shooting range of the goal is the key to scoring goals.

When dodging from up top, midfielders can anticipate having to take a shot from a distance no closer than 8 yards away from the goal.  This is because there is often a defender standing right in front of the goal, on the crease area, who is ready to slide and double team if the offensive player gets close to the goal. Offensive midfielders that get too close to the goal before shooting the ball will often find themselves in this double-team and unable to shoot or pass effectively (a common mistake with young players).   As a result, midfielders should learn to shoot the ball relatively quickly out of their dodge.  A midfielder that has the ball and is within 13 yards of the goal with his hands free should shoot the ball if he has a quality shot, rather than trying to run in for a closer shot (if there are other defenders blocking his path to the goal).

Execute all of your moves in a game at FULL SPEED (Practice your moves this way too). Learn to play lefty and righty equally as well.   It does not matter how good you are at a dodge. If you make the move the same way every time, your defenseman will recognize this and you'll never get your hands free.

A player has a big advantage dodging from up top rather than behind the goal because they start their dodge while facing the goal, and therefore already have a shooting angle on the goal.  For midfielders, a basic split dodge is the dodge that will most often help you get your hands free for a shot, because when done correctly, it creates the most space between you and your defender than other dodges.  Midfielders should practice dodging and shooting drills designed to create separation from a defender within scoring range of the goal.

At the intermediate level, the split dodge is the primary dodge a midfielder should use.  It is actually better to have midfielders concentrate on this dodge because it makes them go north-south. Too often at the youth level, midfielders try to go back and forth across the field as they slowly back their way to the goal.  They either use a million face dodges or a million roll dodges and if they are lucky they get to the goal in a one-on-one situation. This is not an effective way to get to the goal in a game and it is not a dodge that any player would use at a more advanced level because he would get crushed.

Midfielders should be encouraged to make one hard move (a split dodge) and go to the goal.  Midfielders should attack their defenders “top” or “outside” foot, make them change direction, and then go to the goal. Midfielders will make split dodges from up top or from the wing but should never dodge east-west.  Getting to the goal or drawing a slide and passing is the main job for the midfielder on offense.  It is that easy.  A midfielder that understands this concept at an intermediate level will make them much better than their competition.

4. Become GREAT at shooting on the run.  Since they are learning to make one hard move and go to the goal, midfielders must also learn to shoot on the run. This is something that takes a great deal of practice and repetition. During practice, focus about 90% of the time shooting on the run. That is really the shot you will use most of the time in a game. The ability to shoot well on the run rests on the skills of snapping the wrists over and twisting the upper body.

Try to be deceptive. Try to hide your stick behind your body until the last second. And, make sure to shoot with the proper technique. Remember to:

• Get your hands away from your body - Hands and elbows high and away from your body, hands 12 inches apart close to the bottom of your handle
• Snap your stick over the top with your wrists
• Turn your shoulders and hips and uncork like a golfer
• Drive with your front shoulder toward the goal

Some players find it more effective to bring their hands closer together when shooting on the run because it gives them more torque on their shot.  Some players also find that jumping while shooting on the run gives them more power as it allows them to twist their body more as they are in the air.  This is a very difficult skill to learn and is more suitable for stronger, more advanced players.  If you are fading away from the goal or shooting off your back foot or not turning and shooting in stride, you’ll want to practice to break these bad habits right away.  A young midfielder who can learn to shoot on the run effectively will have a very bright future as a lacrosse player.

5. Perfect your quick stick. Quick sticking can be the most lethal attribute that a middie can have.  It is so difficult for the defender and the goalie to stop it, or to even see it coming.

It doesn't require a lot of power (or skill) to do. Just get out to a brick wall, and play wall ball.

It is very important that you learn how to quick stick with both hands. Doing this might make you the MVP of your team (at least for scoring and finishing).

6. Practice Time and Room shooting as well (midfielders have to be well-rounded). To learn to shoot with time and room from the outside, young midfielders should first try to catch the ball behind them.  If the midfielder can learn to catch the ball with his arms extended, his hands away from his body, and his stick behind him, then this will set him up for a great outside shot.

As he catches the ball, the midfielder wants to push off his back foot and step with his front foot, take a small cradle, and let the ball go.   Just having a quick shot at this level will catch goalies off guard.

Much like shooting on the run, catching and shooting with time and room is learned from a great deal of repetition. The more it is practiced, the greater the level of muscle-memory will come into play. Things to watch out for and avoid when practicing time and room shots are letting your hands get to close to your body, letting the head of your stick drop, using your arms instead of your wrists, stepping with the wrong foot, and attacking the ball when catching instead of receiving it behind you.

7. Learn how to play off the ball. Off ball play is an overlooked and important part of the midfielder's game. 60-70% of the goals scored are assisted by a teammate. To get these scoring opportunities however, you must know how to move without the ball.

Here are four tips to better off ball play:

• After throwing a pass, immediately cut to the goal for a return pass (give and go), Most defenseman relax after you give up the ball...make em pay.
• If the defenseman covering you goes to double or help a teammate, follow behind him and get in a passing lane.
• Always cut to the ball as hard and fast as you do when you dodge. You'll be surprised how open you get just by cutting 100%.
• Watch top level lacrosse and see how the middies and attackmen cut. Also watch and play basketball.

8. Perfect your Passing game. The key to being great at midfield is learning when and how to pass.   Of course every player wants to be the one who scores the goal, but a player who can pass when necessary is worth more to the team.  Make sure that your passes have purpose. You don’t want to move the ball just for the sake of passing.  If the recipient is no better off to make a move or shot on goal, then the pass loses its value.  After a pass, however, the midfielder should hustle down to the goal to grab a return pass if necessary. A midfielder should always be on the move to keep the defense on their toes.

For young midfielders, it's important to pass before you run into trouble, find one or two or three opposing players collapsing on you and then can't make a good pass or shoot.  Midfielders need to see the field and pass to the open man before they draw the double or triple team.  It's painful to watch young midfielders dodge to the goal directly into trouble while one or two of their teammates wait open for a pass.  Learning to see the field and find the open man comes with experience.  

9. Practice your face-off technique. Don't rely on the other guy all the time. Learn some moves and practice! Young midfielders should all practice face-offs. You may be called upon to face-off in a game and you should know how to do it and practice. If not practiced, it might be hard to discover who might be good at it as well. Face-off tips coming soon.

Instructional Video of the Week: Midfield Play - Split Dodge with Kyle Harrison

St. Michael-Albertville Pushing to Make Lacrosse School Sanctioned Sport

Good article about the St. Michael-Albertville lacrosse teams effort to make lacrosse a school sanctioned sport there.

St. Michael-Albertville's Lacrosse Club Pleads Its Case to Become School Sanctioned Sport

Gaining in popularity all over the state, St. Michael-Albertville players are hoping the district can find the funds to support a growing sport.

By Meghan Gutzwiller

Anna Churchill and Ethan Mark making their case

   

Members of St. Michael-Albertville lacrosse teams put up their best effort recently to move boys and girls lacrosse from a club sport to an official, school-sanctioned activity.

The club didn’t get the answer they were hoping for when school board members and the superintendents unanimously agreed that this could not be done for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year, but the team walked away with more information on the process, a sense of optimism from the board and a timeline for bringing the option up again this fall...

STMA 7/8 grade team

...Churchill said that just having league status, even without the monetary benefits initially, would be a huge help for the teams. For instance, she said Don’s Bus Service currently will not contract with them for transportation to and from games since they are not an official sport. She also noted that this would give their sport the ability to use school facilities for practices and games as well as to make announcements in school if there are any changes or cancellations in the practice or game schedule...

...Cusick said that while they are already experiencing significant growth, one big factor to bringing about even faster growth is to sanction it as an official sport. He cited neighboring Buffalo, whose participation numbers doubled the year lacrosse became a Minnesota state high school league sport. Mark noted that the Elk River-Rogers-Zimmerman team has so many players that Rogers is now considering seceding into their own team.

 “We know the numbers will double next year,” Cusick said, basing his assertions on what he has seen happen in other districts. “Kids absolutely love the sport. And you want to talk about opportunity? Eighty kids went out for freshman baseball this year and you only took 25. You turned away 60 kids, and that’s 60 potential players for us that we could be starting to develop. The numbers are there.”

Read the full article HERE

Five Bulldogs Named to All-American Team

Capping off a season which saw the Bulldogs again play in the 16 team MCLA National Championship Tournament, 5 Minnesota-Duluth players were named MCLA All-Americans. Three Bulldogs were named to the first team:

Andy Madsen winning a faceoff against CSU in the tourney

Mike Becken , Junior, Defense
Joey Slattery, Junior, Goalie
Andrew Madsen, Junior, FOS

Two Bulldogs were named All-American Honorable Mention:

Brandon Nispel, Senior, Midfield
Andrew Straus, Junior, LSM

Dwayne Hicks of Michigan State was named 2011 MCLA Division 1 Coach of the Year.

Maryland's Sweet Hidden Ball Trick

Sweet execution of the hidden ball trick by Maryland in the NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina.

Last Week in the MBSLA

Last week the top team in the MBSLA got a little scare but came back two days later to beat one of the better teams in the MBSLA. #1 Delano inexplicably squeaked by Centennial 1-0 on Friday night May 20. On Sunday, they came back strong to beat #3 MontiQuois 10-6 in Monticello. In rematch of last years state championship game, Orono came out on top of St. Louis Park this time by a score of 8-5. With that victory, Orono has solidified their hold on the #2 ranking in the MBSLA.

In the MBSLA North, Brainerd beat Grand Rapids and #3 MontiQuois topped St. Cloud North on Thursday May 19. On Saturday, Duluth-Superior continued to beat the teams they should in convincing fashion, coming out on top of lopsided affairs against Fargo and Brainerd on a water covered field. Duluth is starting to flex their muscles a bit and asserting themselves as the team to beat in the MBSLA North. On Sunday Grand Rapids picked up their first victory of the season, beating Fargo 9-5 and Shakopee topped Brainerd.

Instructional Video of the Week: Middie Defense Part 2

This little video features Benson Erwin, one of the best short stick defensive midfielders in the game.  He discusses the importance of keeping your man outside, away from the middle of the field.

News Coverage From Last Weeks Duluth v. Grand Rapids Game

Wow, incredibly enough, here's a little video from WDIO TV in Duluth with news coverage of last weeks Duluth vs. Grand Rapids game.  It's nice to see a little news coverage of lacrosse in northern Minnesota.

Bulldogs Lose Opening Round Game to Colorado State

The UMD Bulldogs lost their opening round MCLA Championship Tournament game to Colorado State 10-6.  With the loss, the Bulldogs are eliminated from the MCLA Tournament and will look towards 2012.

Game report from CSU Lacrosse:

CSU Advances with 10-6 Victory over Duluth

Game Reports | 17. May, 2011 by CSU Lacrosse

  

Commerce City, COLO – The 2^nd seeded Colorado State Rams used patient offense and suffocating defense to get past 15^th seed Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the MCLA national tournament at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.  CSU led 5-2 at the half and outscored Duluth 5-4 in the final thirty minutes to secure the 10-6 win and advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Austin Fisher scored 3 goals for the Rams

Duluth took the lead 2-1 early in the 1st Quarter.  After being tied up 2-2 after one quarter of play, the Rams dominated the time of possession in the second quarter, taking 15 shots to UMD’s two and scoring three goals while holding the Bulldogs scoreless.  The Rams were led by attackmen Cooper Kehoe and Austin Fisher, each contributing three points.  Senior Garrett Fugier cashed in on two scoring opportunities as well for the Rams, who defeated UMD for the second straight time after falling to the Bulldogs in 2009.

“This game was just about what I thought it would be,” said CSU head coach Alex Smith.  “They are a very good defensive team and their goalie played great.  We had several looks that would have been goals against most other goalies and the game could have been a little more comfortable.”

Joey Slattery made 10 saves in cage for Duluth while Andy Flax made six for CSU.  The Rams also enjoyed an advantage at the face-off ‘x,’ where they went 12/20 on the afternoon.

Joe Slattery made 10 saves for the Bulldogs

“We did some good things today,” said Smith.  “I thought our six on six offense did its job and I was happy for our man-up unit to break out a little bit.  Our defense held it together really nicely and we just kind of went about our business today.  Tomorrow is going to be a different story against a very talented Boston College team.  We are going to have to be at our best to advance.”

The Rams victory over Duluth is the 11^th time in the last 13 years that CSU has made the quarterfinal round.  Last year, they were bounced by 10^th seeded Simon Fraser and will find themselves in a similar position this year against Boston College, also a #10 seed.

BC advanced to the quarters with an emotional 10-9 win over 7^th seeded Colorado.  CSU defeated Boston College 10-7 in the MCLA first round in 2010.  The two teams have played three times since 2008, with CSU sweeping the series, but all the games were within three goals.  Face-off at Dick’s Park is at 4:00pm MST on Wednesday.

Lacrosse Box Score (Final)
#15 Minn-Duluth vs #2 Colorado State Univ. (May 17, 2011 at Denver, CO)

Date: May 17, 2011  Attendance: 300
Weather: cloudy with rain

SCORE BY PERIOD       1  2  3  4  Tot
————————————-
Minn-Duluth………          2  0  2  2 -  6
Colorado State Univ.    2  3  2  3 – 10

Minn-Duluth SCORING: GOALS: Gaydos, Kevin 3; McNamara, Alex 1; Sanocki, Matthew 1; Moore, Bobby 1.
ASSISTS: Nispel, Brandon 2; McNamara, Alex 1; Sanocki, Matthew 1; Thomas-Olson, Max 1.

Colorado State Univ. SCORING: GOALS: Fisher, Austin 3; Kehoe, Cooper 2; Fugier, Garrett 2; Devlin, Alex 1; Carter, Kacy 1; Campbell, Braxton 1.
ASSISTS: Konkel, Greyson 2; Devlin, Alex 1; Kehoe, Cooper 1; Smith, Sean 1;
Taggart, Tim 1; Warfield, Dan 1.

SAVES BY PERIOD       1  2  3  4  Tot
————————————-
Minn-Duluth………     2  5  2  1 – 10
Colorado State Univ.    2  1  1  2 -  6

UMD Bulldogs Opening MCLA Tourney Game Televised on CollegeLax.tv and Preview

The UMD Bulldogs opening game of the 2011 MCLA National Tournament will be televised on CollegeLax.tv  The game will be played this Tuesday May 17 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.  Check CollegeLax.tv on gameday for the link to the game.  All of the MCLA playoff games are scheduled to be televised online at CollegeLax.tv.

Below is a game preview for the opening round Colorado State v. UMD Bulldogs matchup from CollegeLax.us.

No. 2 Colorado State v. No. 15 Minn-Duluth

Record: 13-2, 2-1
How they made it to Denver: Colorado State is the automatic qualifier from the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference after beating BYU, 8-5, in the RMLC final.
CollegeLAX: What do you know about Minn-Duluth and how are you going to prepare for them?
Coach Alex Smith: Duluth plays a very aggressive game and they can get rolling if you let them. They play the game the right way and will be physical and not intimidated. We need to be ready for the emotional piece of the game and at the same time prepared to play the game at our pace and at our tempo.
CL: What are your goals for the tournament?
AS: Our goal is to get better in each and every game. We can’t overlook anyone and we truly have to take this thing one game at a time. My goal would be for us to remain rooted in our game plan and focused on every moment.
CL: What are your players saying about heading to Denver?
AS: “Bring it on.” “We are excited.”


Record: 7-7, 4-1
How they made it to Denver: Minn-Duluth is the automatic qualifier from the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League after beating Minnesota, 11-6, in the UMLL final.
Colorado State and Minn-Duluth have faced one another 5 times with the Rams winning 4 of the contests.

Last Week in the MBSLA

It was another interesting week in the MBSLA.  Delano remains undefeated after edging St. Paul 7-6 last Thursday May 12.  On Friday, Orono edged MontiQuois with a 9-8 victory.  MontiQuois came back on Sunday May 15 and solidly defeated defending state champion St. Louis Park 12-6.  With the action last week between several of the state's top MBSLA teams, it looks like St. Paul and MontiQuois may be looking to leap past St. Louis Park in the rankings.  St. Paul's only losses have come from three of the top four ranked teams.

In the MBSLA North, St. Cloud North solidified its' standing atop the conference with a 6-4 victory over Brainerd.  Duluth-Superior beat Grand Rapids on Thursday night in convincing fashion and Brainerd completed its' murderers row of opponents (after starting the season with games against St. Louis Park and Orono) taking a loss to the state's top MBSLA team Delano.  With the results of last weeks games in the MBSLA North, St. Cloud North has the inside track to win the regular season conference title.  It will come down to the MBSLA North tournament to decide who gets the top seed and automatic bid to the MBSLA state tournament.

Defensive Tips for Midfielders

The following are some tips for playing defense from the midfield position. Defense from the midfield position, particularly for short stick midfielders, is a critical aspect of overall team defense.

1.  Play defense with your feet.  Good footwork is a critical skill for defensive players. Good footwork means speed, agility, and quickness.   Not every player naturally possesses great speed, agility, or quickness, but every player can gain it. You can do this by jumping rope, wind sprints, shuttles runs, and playing pick-up basketball.

Play basketball a lot to help learn to play with your feet. Get your hands up in front of you.  Find pick-up games at gyms, playgrounds, schools, etc.  Play against people taller and faster than you.  The principles are exactly the same, and it's a lot easier to get a pick-up game of basketball going than a pick-up game of lacrosse.

2.  Look at your opponents waist.  What are you looking at when your opponent starts to dodge at you? (His eyes? His stick?) These are common mistakes. You'll probably get faked out. You should be looking at his waist. Wherever his waist goes, he is going.  If you ever played football this is where you are taught to look when trying to tackle someone. You can still see what he wants to do with the ball out of the corner of your eye.

3.  The main goal of a midfielder playing defense from up top is to keep his man down the side or going down the alleys.  An important concept when playing defense against an offensive midfielder is the position of your stick, more specifically the head of your stick. The proper way to hold your stick as you are covering a dodger from up top is to have the head of your stick in an “UPFIELD” position.  Upfield means that you have the head of your stick towards the midfield line and your butt end towards the goalie.   For example, if you are covering a dodger going down the field’s left hand side, the head of your stick should be to your right (hence pointing to the midfield line). If the dodger is going down the right hand side of the field your stick should be to your left (hence pointing to the midfield line).   

By having the head of your stick in the UPFIELD position you accomplish a major defensive goal – preventing a dodger from rolling back or getting to the middle of the field.  The middle of the field is sacred for a defense and needs to be protected at all costs because it is where offensive players have the best angle to shoot and greatest chance to score. When you can keep an offensive player down the sides and not the middle of the field you decrease your opponent’s shooting angle and make the job of your goalie and fellow defensemen easier.

4.  You want to dictate where your man goes, not the opposite.  Force him to his weak hand or toward a diminishing shooting angle.  Do this by slightly turning your hips and shoulders and mostly by actually being on one side of him. The key to good team defense is tricking your opponent into taking poor shots. So play your individual defense accordingly.  Once he makes a move, close the distance between you, and take a good angle so you'll meet him at a point where he becomes dangerous.

The d-middie wants to guide his man down the side of the field for three reasons.  The first reason is that the further the offensive midfielder goes down the side, the less of an angle that he will have for a shot. Secondly, the further he goes down the side, the fewer options he will have for a feed.  Finally, the defender that is sliding to the ball carrier will know exactly where he needs to slide if the d-middie gets beat by a few steps. The defensive midfielder keeps the ball carrier going down the side by using a cross check (which is gently pushing the ball carrier out with the shaft of his stick and his hands about six inches apart on the stick (if his hands are two wide or he jolts the ball carrier with his stick, then a penalty will be called).

If an intermediate level midfielder can learn to keep his man down the side, then he/she is way ahead of the game.  This does take some time to learn.  When teaching this Coach Bill Tierney always tells his midfielders, “All I want you to do is get beat. Just make sure you get beat down the side of the field and not towards the middle of the field.” As simple as it sounds, it takes a great deal of practice for youth players to grasp. Once they learn though, it makes them a great defensive player as a midfielder.

5.  Don't throw stick checks until you have perfected footwork and body position.  A check thrown when not in good foot position will almost always result in a whiff or a foul.  If you are in good position and your man is getting ready to pass or shoot, the most effective check is a lift check. Get under his bottom elbow with your stick (or glove on your stick) and lift up and toward yourself (to avoid nipping his facemask on the way up).

Never lunge at the offensive player.  As you attempt to make a stick check, you need to keep your feet moving the whole time.  Active feet are essential when you attempt to throw stick checks.  Many defensive players make the mistake of stopping their feet as they throw a check.  Doing so allows an offensive player to run right by the defenseman if they miss the check.  Keeping your feet moving allows you to recover from a missed check and not give up an easy angle to score.  Players should work on developing the ability to time their checks perfectly by going for the stick at the exact moment it may be left open.

After your check is made, it is extremely important to come up with the groundball pickup and keep possession of the ball for your team. If you are going to go for the check, then go for it hard and come up with the ball.

6.  Short stick middies job is basically one of containment - you're not there to take the ball away, thats the long stick's job. As has been said, keep him to the channels, don't get beat inside, don't rely on throwing stick checks, and don't go one-handed to throw a check.  If you do, you're already beat and 90% of the time the best you can hope for is to not draw a flag.   Nothing good ever comes from defending with one hand on your stick.

7.  Never chase after the ball carriers stick to try and take the ball away. Whenever this happens, the defensive midfielder gets beat towards the top side.

It is very important for young midfielders to learn the importance of getting back “in the hole”.  This means that when the other team gets the ball, the midfielder’s first objective should be to get back to the defensive side, within the restraining box and let the offense come to them.  Too many young lacrosse players consistently slide up field. For example, say the Tigers take the ball away from the Bears. A Tiger player has the ball in the defensive end and starts running up field towards the Bears’ goal.  At most beginner levels, the Bears’ midfielders will run at the Tiger player and try to take the ball.  This is called sliding up field and is the biggest mistake that an uneducated lacrosse player makes.   The Bears’ midfielders should just run back to their goal, break down and get ready to defend.  With the way lacrosse is played now, sliding up field rarely gets the ball back from the other team, and usually ends up in transition situations and scoring for the other team.  A great lesson for young middies to learn is as soon as the other team gets the ball, get back on defense.  It will help your team, and it will give your midfielders a good foundation for playing solid defense.

8.   If you're a D-Middie accept your role on the team. You aren't going to score a lot of points, but if you are good at defense you will have a lot of fast break opportunities that offensive middies won't.  Most lacrosse players don't get a lot of PT. You have maybe 40 guys on a team and 18 play a lot. That's just the way it is.

If you're middle of the road in stick skills as a middie, you can get more playing time if you're a good groundballer, hustle, play D-Mid, wing on face-offs and man-down defense.

9.  Communicate!  Communicating with your fellow defensemen is vital to a defense’s success. Creative and effective offenses excel at two things – picking and moving without the ball.  It is important to communicate with other defensemen during a pick play so you know whether to switch players or maintain your match-ups.  If your man is going to set a pick on your fellow defenseman, let them know that a pick is coming and from what direction, and then tell them to either “SWITCH” or “STAY ON MAN”.  YOU CAN NEVER TALK TOO MUCH OR TALK TOO LOUDLY ON THE LACROSSE FIELD.  A loud and talkative defense is an effective one. 

10.  Be the toughest son-of-a-gun you can. Never lose a 50-50 ground ball. Always run as hard as you can when out there. You'll be off soon to rest. Part of your job is to set the tone, pace and volume of the game. You want to instill fear and self-doubt in your opponent. This hurts their confidence and makes them less aggressive, which makes you more effective.

When off the ball:

There are six players on the offense, so your man will only have the ball about 17% of the time.  That means 83% of your defensive game is played when your man doesn't have the ball. So you better be good off-ball because that's most of your D game.

1. Spend most of your time looking at your man and the other players without the ball.

2. Use all your senses: FEEL AROUND, LISTEN AND TALK. Your goalie should be telling you where the ball is and what defense you are in and what formation the offense is in. This way you don't have to take your eyes off your man.

3. See the ball 10 percent of the time, just to get more info. Do this with a quick turn of the head, and then see your man again.

4. KEEP YOUR HIPS TURNED TOWARD YOUR MAN AT ALL TIMES! You won't have time to turn and find him if he is receiving a feed. If you think another opponent is behind you, reach your hand out to try to touch him without taking your eyes of your man. Be big in there, push people around.

5. If you're going to look at the ball as it's being passed around the horn, ALWAYS TURN THROUGH YOUR MAN! This means if you are playing defense against the top left middie and he passes the ball to the leftwing attackman, who throws it to the attackman at X, who throws it to the rightwing attackman, you need to move your body in a certain way. DO NOT TURN YOUR BODY COUNTERCLOCKWISE in this situation and follow the ball. You should see the pass to the leftwing attackman and then LOOK OVER YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER to see the ball at X and the right wing, without turning your feet or hips. Thus you have turned THROUGH YOUR MAN to see the ball.

6. Cover the offensive players, not spots, even when in zone. (i.e. adapt the shape of your zone to their formation).

7. As for playing team defense, when in doubt slide early, help and double often.

Instructional Video of the Week: Middie Defense

New Northern Lacrosse Team in Grand Forks to Open Play in 2012

Another northern lacrosse team will be seeking entry into the MBSLA for the 2012 season.  At the present time, it's unclear yet what level the new Grand Forks area team will be looking to play at next season.

The new team will be called the Grand Cities Predators.  Grand Cities includes the Grand Forks and East Grand Forks areas.  They've set up a Facebook page.  Search for Grand Cities Lacrosse Club on Facebook and friend them.  They've also got a Twitter page @GCPredatorsLAX for updated information.

For the past two years, South Middle School in Grand Forks has been running lacrosse practices for 7/8 graders and they've got about 30 kids participating.  About half of these kids will be in 9th grade next year and are looking to play some games.  Among the 4 middle schools in the Grand Forks area plus the Air Force base and 4 high schools in the area, anticipation is high that the area could likely support a Varsity and JV team next year along with quite possibly a middle school team.

It's exciting to see lacrosse continue to grow in the North.  If interest could be generated in the Bemidji area for a lacrosse team, a solid "Highway 2" conference could be formed that would include Duluth-Superior, Grand Rapids, Bemidji and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks.

With nearly a year to get the team worked out, the Grand Cities Predators are looking to be on the field playing lacrosse at multiple levels next spring!

Fargo Picks Up First Win

Fargo's Tanner Lindstrom

The new Fargo Warriors lacrosse team picked up their first win in school history when they defeated White Bear Lake in an exciting 7-6 game at the Grand Rapids Shootout last Sunday.  Warrior Tanner Lindstrom scored 4 goals in the Fargo victory including the game winner.  Fargo's next game is next Saturday May 21 against Duluth-Superior.

MBSLA Mid-Season Top 10

Now that over half the 2011 MBSLA lacrosse season has played out, how does the present top10 compare to our pre-season predictions?  Looking at this years clear #1 team, it looks like we nailed Delano making a big jump up the standings in 2011.  Although we're not sure we realized just how good they'd be in 2011 after big wins over both last years state champion (St. Louis Park) and runner-up (Orono).  Here's a look at our mid-season top 10 along with MNLaxHub's top 5 and honorable mention.

MBSLA Mid-Season Top 10:

1.  Delano (6-0) - Big wins over St. Louis Park and Orono and the Grand Rapids Tournament title

2.  Orono (6-1) - Solid wins over Hastings and St. Paul

3.  St. Louis Park (8-2) - Close loss to Delano, should see how good they are in upcoming games against Orono and MontiQuois

4.  MontiQuois (3-2) - Solid win against St. Paul, puzzling loss to Mankato

5.  St. Paul (3-3) - Losses to three good teams - Delano, Orono and MontiQuois

6.  Duluth (4-2) - Tough OT loss to St. Cloud North followed by solid 7-0 win over the Knights at the grand Rapids tourney

7.  St. Cloud North (3-2) - Big overtime conference win over Duluth may put the Knights in the North drivers seat

8.  Hastings (4-2) - Best win an 8-4 victory over Shakopee

9.  Brainerd (3-3) -  Brainerd's win over White Bear Lake gives them the edge over Tartan

10. Shattuck-St. Mary's (2-0) - They can't participate in the playoffs, but they did beat last years state champion

Honorable Mention:  Tartan (3-2) and Hudson (4-3)

MN Lax Hub Rankings:

Rank	Team	Record
1	Delano	6-0
2	St. Louis Park	8-2
3	Orono	6-1
4	MontiQuois	4-0
5	St. Paul	3-3

 Honorable Mention

	St. Cloud North	4-2
	Duluth	3-2
	Hastings	4-2
	Tartan	3-2

Last Week in the MBSLA

It was another big week in the MBSLA including the big lax shootout in Grand Rapids, MN.  Several of the best teams in the MBSLA were in Grand Rapids to duke it out including Delano and St. Louis Park as well as all of the MBSLA North teams.

In the MBSLA, Delano is proving that they're the team to beat in 2011.  Last Monday, Delano pasted last years state runner-up Orono 13-6 and remain unbeaten on the season after winning this weekends tournament in Grand Rapids.

There was a lot of action in the MBSLA North starting with games played last Sunday May 1 in Sartell, MN.  In the game of the day in the MBSLA North, St. Cloud North knocked off Duluth in a close 5-4 game that went into overtime.  With this win, St. Cloud North may be the favorite in the North.  Also Sunday, Fargo lost to St. Louis Park and Hudson.

On Tuesday, Duluth took out a little bit of their frustration following their close loss to St. Cloud North by beating Grand Rapids 16-4.

Over the weekend several of the state's top MBSLA teams and three Canadian teams converged on Grand Rapids to compete in what might be the premier spring lacrosse tournament in the state.  The well organized tournament saw Delano come out on top among the Varsity teams.  All of the MBSLA North teams were present and several good games ensued.  Among the most watched games between MBSLA North teams, was the rematch between Duluth and St. Cloud North.  In this game, Duluth enacted a measure of revenge and came out on top 7-0.  With Duluth, St. Cloud North and Brainerd all in the mix, the MBSLA North tournament should be interesting.

In the middle school tournament, the Duluth-Superior middle school team finished the tournament 4-1 including an exciting 11-10 come from behind victory over ACYLA.

Bulldogs Open Against Colorado State in Denver; Receive Honors

Rookie of the Year - Kyle Mork

The UMD Bulldogs lacrosse team received the 15th seed in the 16 team MCLA National Championship Tournament in Denver and will open play against #2 seeded Colorado State on May 17.  UMD will have their hands full with a very good Colorado State team that finished the season 13-2, with their only losses to #1 ranked University of Michigan and #3 ranked BYU.  The Rams however avenged their regular season loss to BYU by defeating them in the RMLC Tournament title game.  Beating the #2 ranked Rams will be a stern test for the Bulldogs, who earned their spot in the championship tournament by virtue of their 14th UMLL conference title with their win over the University of Minnesota in the championship game.

In UMLL news, 12 Bulldogs were recognized with all-conference honors including rookie and defensive players of the year.  With the individual honors, the Bulldogs cap another successful year.

Bulldog UMLL All Conference Nominations

Defensive Player of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year - Mike Becken

Mike Becken – Junior – Bloomington Jefferson High School, MN

Rookie of the Year

Kyle Mork –Freshman Defenseman – Totino Grace High School, MN

1^st Team

Brandon Nispel – Senior Midfielder – Wayzata High School, MN

Kyle Mork – Freshman Defensemen– Totino Grace High School, MN

Joe Slattery – Junior Goalie – Wayzata High School, MN

Andrew Straus – Junior LSM – Bloomington Jefferson High School, MN

Ian McHale – Junior Defensive Midfielder – Coon Rapids High School, MN

Andrew Madsen – Junior Faceoff – Mounds View High School, MN

2^nd Team

Alex Mcnamara – Junior Attack – Holy Angels Academy, MN

Max Thomas Olson – Senior Midfielder – Minneapolis High School, MN

Matt Madden – Junior Midfielder – Rochester High School, MN

Kevin Soderholm – Sophmore Defensemen – Eagan High School, MN

Honorable Mention

Ben Blaeser – Junior Midfielder – Champlin Park High School, MN

Video Tribute to the Goalies

A few weeks ago we addressed the importance of goalies and provided some goalie tips. Here's a video tribute to the goalies.

Instructional Video of the Week: Stephen Peyser Shooting on the Run

Another great on-the-run shooter Stephen Peyser

In Woodbury, MN they're tackling that question head on.  An interesting article from the Woodbury Bulletin.

Baseball or lacrosse?

When the sport of lacrosse became sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League back in 2006, many feared it would spell the end of high school baseball as they knew it. However, five years later, the two sports seem to be getting along amicably. By: Patrick Johnson, Staff Writer, Woodbury Bulletin

In the past, when growing up in Minnesota, almost all of a school’s best athletes would likely play one of two sports in the spring — baseball or track and field, with a few deciding to play golf.

However, when the Minnesota State High School League sanctioned lacrosse back in 2006, many feared it would be the end of high school baseball as it was known.

But, five years later, the two sports seem to be getting along amicably.

“We haven’t seen the effects of it yet,” Woodbury head coach Kevin McDermott said. “The kids that are playing lacrosse right now are seniors that had already kind of had their path set — they either weren’t enjoying baseball or weren’t going to be an elite baseball player, so they chose a different route. But, where I think it’ll effect us will be the next five years where you have young kids that didn’t start playing baseball and they have to choose one or the other and they pick lacrosse instead of baseball.”

But, that doesn’t mean McDermott is overjoyed about the new spring sport.

“I hate it,” McDermott said. “But, I’m also fine with it. Whatever floats your boat. You’re going to get baseball kids to come out who love to play baseball. In one way, it makes my job easier, because I hate cutting kids and we’ve always had to do that in the past. But, if you lose some of your best athletes to another sport — and we really haven’t seen that yet — it’s tough.”

Read the remainder of the article HERE

Lacrosse Remains America's Fastest Growing Sport

SGMA Survey says more lacrosse players than hockey players in US if trend continues
4/28/2011

According to the 2011 Sporting Goods Manufacturer Association Participation Report, Lacrosse is America's fastest growing sport with a 33% growth among frequent participants and 37.7% growth among all participants.

Should the sport maintain the same growth rate, lacrosse will pass ice hockey at the participation level over the course of the next year.

Last year, the SGMA named lacrosse as the "hottest growth sport", with national sales of lacrosse equipment increasing in 2009, during a year in which sales of sporting goods for all sports was down more than four percent (4%) nationwide.  In a survey of SGMA members, a whopping 50 percent of them chose lacrosse as the sport most likely to have growth in retail sales of equipment.  Football came in a distant second
at 25 percent.

"Lacrosse continues to outpace all other sports in growth rate," said National Lacrosse League Commissioner George Daniel. "We are proud to have been a part of the surge by creating thousands of fans to the sport over the course of league's history."

Earlier this month, the St. Paul Pioneer Press attributed the dramatic increase in Minnesota's lacrosse participants to the arrival of the Minnesota Swarm in 2005.

"We look forward to continuing to create new fans and players by bringing are thrilling brand of lacrosse in the coming years," said Daniel.

UMD Wins UMLL Championship

UMD got the ultimate redemption over the University of Minnesota, beating them in the UMLL championship game 11-6.  With the win in the championship game, the Bulldogs earn the automatic bid to the MCLA national championship tournament in Denver, CO as the UMLL representative.