Great Start For Women's Team with Rout of Marquette
by dillon77 (2020-02-10 10:02:06)

That win, 18-3, was actually somewhat expected.

But what was interesting for me was to see how ND's two top freshman, middie Kasey Choma from Long Island, and attacker Madison Ahern, from outside Boston, would fit in with ND's other returning high scorers: Maddie Howe, Sam Lynch, Andie Aldave, etc.

Choma, the #1 recruit in the country according to Inside Lacrosse, and Ahern, the #2, both started and produced: Ahern had 3 goals and 2 assists, while Choma had 2 goals and spelled Aldave at faceoffs.

Over on McGraw's Bench, many folks are set on landing top 10 recruits. Well, in this case, Coach Halfpenny landed the top 2. (And, yes, they knew each other from AAU and National Team duty). Halfpenny also landed the NJ player of the year, Jackie Wolak, from Ridgewood HS, who I've seen play. She also scored yesterday and will be a force when Lynch and Buchanan graduate.

Coach Halfpenny has moved up the match with Northwestern to this Friday (at Evanston). Good way to see where everyone stands, including the frosh.

Stay tuned....this could be interesting (in a good way).




any success will be in spite of Halfpenny
by Melanzana  (2020-02-13 21:45:35)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

She is a terrible coach with a postseason record to match: 7-14 in eight seasons, including a 4-7 record in the NCAA tournament, with one of those four paltry wins against High Point.

Fewer than 0.5 NCAA wins per season in eight years against teams that aren't High Point. Pathetic.

Another "great" Swarbrick hire.


Outside of the NCAA Record...
by dillon77  (2020-02-15 07:18:38)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

..which isn't the best, I'll agree with you, what leads to the "terrible" label you've given her?

She's been here nine years (wow, that's gone fast), accumulated 97 wins and a win percentage of .625 (or a tinge higher).

Tha percentage could probably be higher but she plays a challenging schedule. Maybe not quite as hard as Corrigan on the mem's side, but tough. And the ACC is every bit as demanding on the women's side as the men's: North Carolina, Syracuse , Boston College, UVA, Duke. All top notch.

She's instituted a fun, fast-paced pass and cut offense which is augmented by a high-press ride to keep pressure on opponents.

If there's any criticism to make (outside of the NCAA record), it's that her early reruiting years were either very hit (Fortunato, Sullivan) or miss, whereas she's now bringing in overall quality athletes that are both top-ranked (Aldive, Buchanan) or somewhat under the radar (Howe, Lynch, Roe).

And this year, she's got pay dirt, with Ahearn, Choma or Jackie Wolak. They're players that would normally be headed to Maryland, Northwestern or North Carolina.

In other words, she's got the horses, up and own the field.

Now, would just like to see them peak at the right time....the NCAA's.

In all fairness, all her wins are not against the High Points of the world (incidentally, High Point is now rated). She's also beaten Ohio State and Northwestern in the playoffs. But the next step is getting further...

As for Swarbrick haters, this hire if not fuel for the fire....


Outside of the NCAA record?
by Melanzana  (2020-02-18 19:12:48)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Outside of that "scuffle" with Booth, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?


This team has enough offense to reach the Final Four.
by MPG  (2020-02-11 10:32:16)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Defense and goaltending will define how good this team will be. Friday's game vs Northwestern will give us an early read on how this team will need to improve before ACC play begins.


Good Article on Kasey Choma from Inside Lacrosse...
by dillon77  (2020-02-12 10:15:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

..after they named her Player of the Year in 2019. As can happen in smaller schools, she played varsity for 5 years. Ooops, make that 5 1/2. Same HS as recently graduated All American goalie, Sam G.

As article infers, has a lot of the same skill sets that Andie Aldave does. Not a bad thing, indeed.


Agree Completely...
by dillon77  (2020-02-11 11:23:45)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

..I don't think Halfpenny's high press will affect Northwestern nearly -- if at all -- as much. Always savvy players on the Wildcats.

Still, a good barometer to see where this year's model is. And early enough that adjustments can quickly be made.