Get ready for the FINAL FOUR!!

SPEAKER_03 0:00

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Intro

SPEAKER_03 1:43

There's been no mayhem in my life. It's been very nice. So, but how's it going tonight in Northern Virginia?

SPEAKER_06 1:50

It's going really well. You know, it's getting that spring fever weather. It's really been really, really nice lately. And it's just been a whirlwind as I watch, try to watch every D2 game at the exact same time because that's the way they schedule them. Made it a little bit tough the past couple of weeks. It's impossible. I can't do that. I think it's not I gotta go back and watch them. It's more about seeing um where, you know, kind of just the flow of the game, what's happening? Is someone really uh dominating, or is it a close game? Yeah, yeah. Then I go through. But because of that,

Week in Review

SPEAKER_06 2:24

Danny, we actually, once again, if you go back to our first season when we talked about the conference champions in the NCA, we had to eat crow then, and we have to eat crow this time, especially in the first round, because we didn't talk about the quarterfinals because we didn't know the matchups, but we got three of the four games wrong. Both every lower seed won, both six seeds and five seeds won their games, and neither team from last year's championship are still around.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

Yeah, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_06 3:05

It was, you know, one of those years. And what was even crazier, that first round, every game was just a one-goal game.

SPEAKER_03 3:15

Yeah, it's all all really good games, you know, and that's what you want. And championship lacrosse Kev, they're gonna be close, they're gonna be tight. We said they were gonna be tight, we just picked the wrong winners.

SPEAKER_06 3:26

Yeah, we kept on saying pick them game just to be on the safe side. But they these were these were if you go down the road, and even you see how they some of them ran. It wasn't like it was necessarily back and forth every time, but there wasn't a team that gave up. We'll start in the north region, and that happened in both games, really. Um, if you look at let's start with, you want to start with Bentley Adelphi?

SPEAKER_04 3:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 3:48

So the way I look at this game, it really was a Delphi's through the really the first three quarters. It was 4-1 at half a Delphi. They appear to be controlling the tempo. Bentley finally scores their second goal with less than two minutes left to play in the third to make it seven to two after three. And you kind of feel like, okay, a Delphi's got this game, right? This is the third game that a Delphi had played Bentley, as we talked about. Bentley had beat him twice. A Delphi came in there saying this ain't gonna happen. However, Bentley starts chipping away, and they chip away because they take advantage of every penalty and man-up they have. So it's it was uh it got to be a five, a four-goal lead, nine five. And then, like I've done before a lot of times, here they come. It's nine six with seven seventeen left, nine seven with four fifty-four left, nine eight with one twenty-seven left. Yeah, and the Falcons even had the ball with one thirteen left, but they try to pass in the middle for the shot, it gets turned over, and Alpha runs a Delphi runs out the clock. But so that's how it ends. Adelphi wins nine-eight, but it was a really, really good game.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

You know, St. A's is a gritty team, Kevin. They're gritty. They did. I mean, Bentley, I'm sorry. They're you know, they're a gritty team, they're a tough team, man. And they played a Delphi really well all three games. And you know what? A Delphi just pulled this one out. They they gutted it out.

SPEAKER_06 5:29

They did. I'll tell you what, Falcons had several chances with a couple minutes left, and the score was 9-7, but they kept turning it over. Not that a Delphi scored after that, but that's just time off the clock. Just more time off the clock. But the one other thing I would say that really helped uh uh a Delphi this time is Bentley shut down Joe Dujnowski both games before. This game, he had three goals and one assist. Yeah, he's a good player, man. He's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

He's tough to stop. You can't, you know, you might stop him one game, you're not gonna stop him right forever.

SPEAKER_06 6:09

The guy's just that kind of thing. I think that what was the and like I said, I think the turnovers would kill Bentley. They had 19 turnovers to a Delphi's 13. But like I said, their EMO, they went three for five, and that really fueled them to get within one goal.

SPEAKER_03 6:24

Yeah, they're lethal on their man ups, you know. But a Delphi's a tough squad, man. They're deep, like they're tough to beat. Yeah, you gotta, you know, that's like I said, I didn't put it all together to beat the side, yeah, and I did not see it happen.

SPEAKER_06 6:38

That's why that's the one we got right. We thought a Delphi was gonna win. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. So let's move on to Mercy St. Ansome. This game was so evenly matched. I'm watching it with my son Ronan, and he's like, Dad, this is like watching a tennis game, it's back and forth, back and forth. Exactly. Who's going to have the last serve? That's what I was saying. Who's gonna have it? It was four four after one, eight, eight after half at half, and 11-11 after three.

SPEAKER_03 7:13

What can you say? How even can you be? I mean, it's it's just it was an amazing game. That was a really, really good game to watch.

SPEAKER_06 7:21

It was really like the the first half, it was it was just back and forth. And now in the third, Mercy opened it up and they got to a three-goal lead, 11-8. No panic, no panic in St. A's. No, they methodically came back and tied it at 11. It was 16-16 with 336 left, and the Hawks finally take a 17-16 lead with one at 149. And that's how it ended up. But what really helped them was a few penalties that Mercy had. Justin Goodville got a one-minute unreleasable penalty for cross-check, which once again, St. Ay's wins the draw, and and but Mercy defends well. They did they didn't score. But but Mercy's down one player. And then Kipnas gets called for another cross-check penalty, which I never saw. And I saw him complaining. But that drove them to like 37 seconds left. What was even funny? So you think, okay, Saynes can run run the run the clock out. But Justin Gerville actually causes a turnover with 13 seconds left to get him back. That's how close this game was. Like, they got 13 seconds, they could actually do it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

13 seconds a long time for those guys, though.

SPEAKER_06 8:41

Yeah, they got one shot off uh as time expires, they're just off net, but what a great game. 17-16 St. A's, first ever victory for St. Anselm over Mercy in six tries.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 8:54

Jack Andrews, seven goals.

SPEAKER_03 8:57

Seven goals. Wow. He just he had he got himself a game, man. And I was a he was a handful.

SPEAKER_06 9:02

He was. I wrote a note to check on Ryan Slattery's uh defensive stats for St. A's. He had one ground ball, one cost turnover, but I will tell you, he was everywhere on D, causing havoc. Now you're used to seeing that with guys like Kipness and Gerdville, but Ryan Slattery just had a game. And I thought Tommy Umana was going to be the difference if you remember last week's podcast. But Anthony Kubick had 12 saves that day.

unknown 9:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

You know, it was it was St. A's day, man. You know, it was their day. They just, you know, Mercy's a very good team built on both sides of the ball. You know, they did they have great players offensively, great players defensively, Amano and goal. They got all the ingredients. But St. A is that gritty, you know, they that blue-collar team from the NE10. They're well coached and they have ballers there on both sides. And and they they deserve that win. It was a quality lacrosse game, Kev, if you ask me.

SPEAKER_06 10:12

100%, 100%. Okay, let's move to the South region. The first game, Tampa against Lenore Ryan. 10-9, Lenore Ryan pulls it out. Another one-goal game. That was a good one.

SPEAKER_03 10:29

That was another good game.

SPEAKER_06 10:31

Yeah, if I told you, Danny, that Tampa would double up on face-off wins 16 to 7 and have more than double the ground balls, they had 36 to Lenore Ryan's 13. Wouldn't you think Tampa would have won that game? Yeah, you would think resoundingly, right? Resoundingly. But that's how well on a probably offensive efficiency Lenore Ryan is. And it was kind of a game of runs. Lenore Ryan uh starts with three straight to go up 4-1. It was 4-2 after one. And then Tampa owns the second quarter to score five straight and hold Lenore Ryan to zero goals. And that's when I thought, Danny, I'm like, okay, this is kind of like the last time. They've got it in sync now. Now it was 7-4 at half Tampa, but then LR came out and was hot in the third. They score the first three to tie it. Tampa's still up after three by one, eight-seven, but Lenore Ryan comes out and takes the fourth. They take the fourth and win at 10-9.

SPEAKER_03 11:36

You know what? Um, Lenore Ryan's a really good team, Kev. How many games have we watched by them this year? I know I've seen them play five times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 11:46

I probably should have had that many games, too. I've watched them.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

I saw them in person one time. They're they're a very, very good team. They're really good. Um, they're where they're should be, to be honest with you. Tampa is that team that had their target on their back this year. They're defending champs. Yeah, you know, and they every team was bringing their A game against them. And you know what? And using Tampa as a as a scale for them. How well we play against Tampa just says how good we are. And Lenore Ryan, if you ask me, I think that they wanted it more than Tampa. They took it to them a little bit. I know it was a one-goal game.

SPEAKER_06 12:26

Well, the second half, definitely. Tampa only scored one goal. That whole second half. Yeah, Pennsi Benny. Pennsylbenny had a great game. Great game. And here's some of the other key stats. So uh clears, Lenore Ryan went 20 for 20, where Tampa won 16 for 19. And here you go in the saves. Lenore Ryan 15 to Tampa's 10.

unknown 12:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 12:51

Pennsylvania's just been on fire. And then extra man, Lenore Ryan, two for two. Tampa, oh for four.

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Which is surprising from Tampa. It is, you know. It is.

SPEAKER_06 13:04

They usually are like 30%, 40%. Yeah, they're gonna get 30 to 40 percent. So the kind of Toron Eccleston had three goals. Um for Tampa had three goals, but Pensa Benny, 63 save percentage.

SPEAKER_03 13:17

Yeah, he's been on. He's been he's one been one of the hottest goalies in the country in the last 100%. Every time I see him, you know, Coach Paradise is a good coach, man. He makes good adjustments. That team, you know what? They're perennial powerhouse, Kevin. Every year, top three, top four, top five in the in the national hunt every year. It you I thought Tampa at home would have a little bit of the advantage, a little hot down there, you know. Yeah, exactly. You know, that type of thing. I thought they would have the advantage. Lenore Ryan came to play. There, they are buttered up and they got the biscuit butted, and they are ready to rock and roll.

SPEAKER_06 13:56

You know, we talk about it with other teams. We talked about with St. A's in their their first round game, not panicking. We talk about Lemoyne not panicking. I'll tell you what, LR is one of those teams, never panics.

SPEAKER_03 14:10

Yeah, they're good, man. They're tough, they're tough.

SPEAKER_06 14:13

Okay, the last game in the first round, you want to go to Wingate UIndy. What a game, huh? That was a crazy game. U Indy pulls it out 11-10. But if you ask me, it's funny. You sh you sent me the stats, the team stats, and how even they were. Yeah, that's not how they were in my mind. I know. If you look at the way the game started, the Bulldogs had some early penalties, which helped Undie get up four to two after one. And I kind of had that in my mind that they had more penalties. I mean, I think it was like a one penalty difference, if if not even. I think it was even. I think they both teams had three penalties each. And then and then, you know, I think there was a few differences, but Josh Jackson for U Indy on defense played out of his mind, out of his mind. And Undy's D, I think, made a real difference in that game for most of it. I mean, I think they made they made a real difference. I mean, if you look at it, and I think that helped Wingate. Wingate made some risky passes. I thought, you know, after in the third, they were down nine, eight, six, but they made some risky pass because they had some failed clears. Now you indie had the same thing. That's what I'm saying. It was it was even, but those little things stuck in my mind about Wingate. And they go down nine, six, and then it's 11-7 in the fourth with Undy being up. And I thought, that's it, there's no way. Yeah, it was what, like two minutes left? They're down by four, and then all of a sudden, it's like Wingate's offense woke up.

SPEAKER_03 15:56

I don't know what to say. It was like, Where's where was that team? You know, Wingate and in the past has gone on real fast runs, got out to fast starts. Yeah, five six.

SPEAKER_06 16:08

They're the one that goes, they're the one that's done it in one quarter against each of these teams, like uh a limestone, a U Indy, they did it their first game against them. They went on the run.

SPEAKER_03 16:18

And Kevin, the last month or so, I'm gonna say the last four games, Wingate was not getting out to those fast starts. They were getting out to slow starts and playing catch up. And they're not, they weren't used to playing catch up all year, you know. And that that final two minutes, that that offense woke up, like you said. And I said to myself, there's the wingate offense that's been, you know, really fast and furious and really tough to guard when they play like that. And what happened? They scored three goals in what 39 seconds? A minute 13. It was like three goals in a minute 13. So then now it's a one goal game. There's a minute left in the game, and that was a big face-off. And Wingate won that faceoff.

SPEAKER_06 17:07

Right. And actually, Danny Riley got a good look and he had a good shot. It just hit the post.

SPEAKER_03 17:13

Well, they called timeout. Wingate called timeout, yeah. Called timeout, and they ran a play, they ran a set play out of that timeout, and it was a perfect play. It worked to perfection, and they got one of the stingers of all in the United States in Danny Riley with a clean, open look, and he hits pipe. Yep. And that was the game. Undy picked up the ball and ran out the rest of the game.

SPEAKER_06 17:45

Well, it was interesting. If you remember that, you indie gets the ball, they clear it over, and then there's a scrum. And to me, it looked like the Bulldogs actually had the ball. But they gave the timeout, they gave the timeout to Undy. So now he's on the ground. You Indy. I it was funny. I couldn't see that. I didn't know who had it. And I thought maybe Wingate had it, but they they Undy calls a timeout, so they get the timeout, they get the ball, 28 seconds left. They awarded them their timeout. Coach Boyle goes all D to put pressure on it, and they actually, it works, and they get the ball back with 20 seconds left. It's just like Mercy 13 seconds, 20 seconds. Do you have time to get it all the way down the field and score? Not enough time for him. Yeah, they couldn't get that tying goal.

SPEAKER_03 18:34

I think there's some people out there that think Wingate might have just run out of steam at the end of the season, just just for whatever reason. You know what I'm saying? They just they just didn't play the same the last four games as they played in the in in the prior 10. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_06 18:52

With the same intensity. Now they did with the Undy game, their first U Indie game. They played that with intensity, but I agree with you in the conference tournament, and I agree with you in this game that I did not see like when they woke up and scored three goals in a minute 13. My whole thought was, and I'm not a coach, so I don't know. I don't know the X's and O's and Wells. I'll tell you, I think UNE's D wreaked havoc on them to not give them good shots. But how did it all of a sudden flip the last two minutes that they got three goals in there? And that's I'm thinking, why? Where was their urgency earlier in the second half? Earlier in the second quarter.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

That's gotta come from your leaders, too. That's gotta come from your seniors. You know what I'm saying? That's that's good, that's the players like it saying, hey guys, let's go. You know what I mean? Like this is a big game, but hey, it's too little, too late, too, you know. At the end, it's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_06 19:49

And let's not, yeah, and let's not. We got to give a lot of credit to you, Indy.

SPEAKER_03 19:53

What about Carlson in goal? He played great.

SPEAKER_06 19:56

He played great. Kristen Schaefer, four goals. Like I said, Josh Jackson, eight ground balls, four cause turnovers. Kyle Bosch, five ground balls, two cause turnovers. When I talk about and a goal they did on defense, yeah. And KC Carlson had a had a good game. No, he played really well, played very well. Very well, it was it. I think that was a total team win on U Indy. And they were they came back into Wingates onto Wingate's turf, and they're like, not this time.

SPEAKER_03 20:25

Yeah. Hey, one goal game. And like I said, Riley hit pipe on out of a timeout. It could have very easily gone into overtime. I mean, it was that close, but another quality, another quality game, you know. Wingate comes up short, and you indie gets to go on. That's it's NCAA dance, baby. It's survive and continue, you know. So then hey, congratulations to the wingate Bulldogs. They had a great year, man. They really did. Top top five team in the country, for sure.

SPEAKER_06 20:56

Yeah, so let's now let's move on to the quarterfinals, and we'll start in the south this time. And let's just start with what you Windy did. Because you windy, they go to Wingate, they turn around, they fly back Thursday, they take a bus on the weekend down to limestone. Crazy play. And and they go in there, and it was they end up losing 11-10 to Limestone, but it was all UND in that first quarter.

unknown 21:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:30

Saints were a bit sloppy in offense, but UWNY scores the first five goals. I think the face-offs really helped them. I think that in the first they had five face-offs to their four. They were it was five one after one. And then UINY scores the first goal in the second to go up six one, and you're thinking, My God, they're just on a big roll. But then limestone can starts to control that second quarter and they bring it back to six five at half. And then it was really kind of a back and forth game, Danny. And I I'll tell you the things I saw. It was 10-9 after three, you, Wendy. Like I said, it was back and forth that that second half. I think Corey Lyons, Limestone's goalie had some key saves at the end to really help him out.

SPEAKER_03 22:12

I was just gonna say Corey Lyons played really good at the end of that game, and he made some great saves at the end of the game. Hey, limestone came back. You know, they came back at the end of that game. They, you know, it was it was limestone's a good team, man. They're on a roll right now. They're they're a hot team. Yeah. But you know what? I have to say, I felt a little bad for you, Indy. I felt like they've just lost their legs at the end of that game. And even Limestone, they look like like the pace of the game slowed down considerably.

SPEAKER_06 22:45

If you if you look at the first half being 6'5, and you're and the second, you know, you're at 10-9. There are only three goals in the fourth quarter. And it was a lot slower. You you told me that, so I went back and looked at it again because I like I said, I was watching all at the same time, and I caught right. I really caught the last few minutes of that game. I focused in on that game, the last quarter, but I didn't have any reference of really the pace of play until I went back and looked at it, right? Right, right. And you're exactly right. Both teams were were on their, they were on E. It looked like. Yeah, that both of them, they were guests.

SPEAKER_03 23:25

It was talk about survival, you know, and just exactly. And you know, when you're tired like that, that pass doesn't get there, it's a little short. Maybe that that that shot doesn't have the extra sting on it that you might have had in the first and second quarter.

SPEAKER_06 23:40

Or or you saw a lot more slipping on the turf. Yeah, you know, just so your legs give out underneath you a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 23:47

You know, you indie did a lot of travel and had to face two superb squads offensively, you know, like they they they went through a lot and just they just fell a little bit short. And like I said, limestone's on a roll, and Corey Lyons and you know, they're just they're just Zach Terry and Mike McGarry and Nate Senez. They're just yeah, they're balling out. They're they're they're clicking, they're clicking at the right time.

SPEAKER_06 24:14

Now, the only thing I would say is they did have 30 turnovers that game. 30 turnovers. You can't do that. I'm surprised they won with that many turnovers. I don't think they can do that when they play LR in the semis.

SPEAKER_03 24:30

Well, like again, I just felt like both teams had no legs at the end. They just couldn't make the plays that they wanted to make. And that's part of it too. You know, that's that those turnovers when you start getting tired. Like I said, those passes don't get there. They they just say a little bit left. I didn't take your eye off it. The ball goes, you know, off your off your cross. So things like that happen. And and and in a championship game, I find I have found in the past that a lot of times the stats really don't tell a story in championship games because so many different things happen in championship games. You know, one player making some great ground ball and a great pass. You know what I'm saying? Just one, just one thing like that that's not in the stat book that can change, you know. Like I've seen teams win SAC championships and get completely bought destroyed in the stat column.

SPEAKER_06 25:28

Yeah, and we have a couple games like that this past week. This was one of them kind of in the turnovers. We talked about it with Tampa. There's a couple other examples we'll probably get to, but you got hats off to Zach Terry. He had three goals in that game, and and Drew Billick for you, Indy, three goals and two assists. That's how close this game was. I mean, another one goal game that was just it was a lot of fun to watch that game.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

Absolutely, they're all good, they were all great. When they're one good goal games, Kevin. Oh, yeah. You know, that's it's that's what you want, you know. That's what you want in championship game.

SPEAKER_06 26:02

You don't want to see a blowout like, and we had one in the other South Region quarterfinals, uh, Rollins against uh Lenore Ryan. Lenore Ryan wins the game 14 to 8, and it really started off pretty close. I thought Rollins D was playing well to begin with. They were up four to two after one. It was kind of a game of of runs, you know, two here by Tars, two by the Bears. But it was seven four at half by Lenore Ryan because they went on a little bit more of a run. I thought they did really well. Off ball movement, they moved really well to get open. And really, when it was seven four, although it was only three goals, that was it. Because Lenore Ryan came back out. It was a little back and forth in the third, but Lenore Ryan kept on putting on the pressure. It was they were up 12-7 after three. And I really think, Danny, once they got up by those three, four goals, I think the difference was experience. Experience in the NCAA tournament. Not experience, I haven't experienced players, but experience in that moment.

SPEAKER_03 27:19

100%, Kevin. 100%. It showed, it showed in that game that Rollins, although very good squad, that moment was a little big for them. Whereas Lenore Ryan, they're there every year, Kevin. They're in the same mix every year. Yeah, there's a bunch of studs on that team that have been playing for four years, Moffitt, Eccleston, Bryce Reese. These kids have been doing it. They've been there, they've done that. They know what's at stake, they know what it takes. And once that first quarter was pretty good, though. It went back and forth. It was fast-paced. I was like, all right.

SPEAKER_06 28:00

Even the second quarter, even the second quarter, you're like, okay, maybe they can come back in the second half, but it it was all.

SPEAKER_03 28:05

And Rollins looked fast, they looked very athletic, they looked quick, they were making good plays, they were getting open shots, they were getting good looks. And then about midway through that second quarter, maybe towards the latter third of the quarter, Lenore Ryan figured them out. Got two easy ones inside. Two easy ones. Bang bang. Yeah, okay. They figured us out. So what did what did uh Rollins do? They went into his zone, tried to pack that in. Mistake. Mistake. Because now these guys, these guys are experts. I fired them from 10 and 12 yards out. They're experts. Yeah. Exelson and Moffitt and these guys, they they're experts at it. No, you're gonna give us outside shots? Wang, they were just slapping balls in there. Now Rollins didn't know what to do. How do we defend them? Because man to man, we're getting beat. And and in the zone, we're getting beat. And you know, it was they were just Lenore Ryan was a better team than Rollins, Kev.

SPEAKER_06 29:12

They just were that that game definitely. And I would tell you, even on the offensive side, I felt like then Lenore Ryan's defense started clicking, right? And and they weren't getting Rollins was not getting the quality shots that they usually do. You look at goalie saves, Pensa Benny, once again, 15 saves, catch a durian 10. Shahe had zero saves in the fourth quarter. And that goes to what you're saying. I don't, it wasn't all him, it was the defense getting beat, and and then the shots go in. And Pensa Benny, I think he had some great saves once again in that game, but also he was helped a lot with the shot selection he was facing.

SPEAKER_03 29:58

Yeah, yeah. So it's the deep defense was making it hard for Rollins, man. The defense was making it hard for Rollins.

SPEAKER_06 30:06

And then you've got on the offensive side, Evan Voss with two goals and five assists, Danny. Yeah, man. Yeah. And Will Kanada with three goals.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

Kanada's a good player. I like him.

SPEAKER_06 30:17

Yeah, it's funny. I we haven't talked about him that much this year. He has in the past, as we know, right? He almost had Wingate's number in several games. It was Kanada this, canada that, and not the wingate killer, yeah. Yeah, but he he played a great game. It was really kind of nice to see him come out because he we haven't called his name or his number that much. And he had a he had a really good game.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

No, absolutely. I agree with you 100%. And you know what? Grant Hansen, he had himself a good game for Rollins. He had himself a great year for Rollins. You know, he he really did. Logan Myers had two and one, Justin White had two goals. You know, Mikey Berkman, who's been their stud, only had one assist. Yeah. They did they did a good job with him. So, you know, LR took down the number two team in the country, and they looked good doing it.

SPEAKER_06 31:08

Yeah, yeah. Rollins had a great, great season. Lenore Ryan just I just go back to his experience. Hats off to him. Oh they're going into the final four.

SPEAKER_03 31:18

Okay. You know what? I when I first saw Rollins play earlier in the year, the first game, and I remember telling you, Kev, they look good to me, man. They look good to me. Then they beat up Anderson, and I was like, uh-oh, this team's a squad. And then, you know, little by little, they just, you know, the one loss to Colorado Mesa, and I don't think it hurt them that much now in the ratings and the RPIs and all of that kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_06 31:43

And the game against Tampa, God, they played really well. It just they ran into a little bit of a buzzsaw in I think experience once again in this game and couldn't come back. All right, then North Region quarterfinals. The matchup we love to see Lemoyne against a Delphi.

SPEAKER_03 32:01

These two teams, man. These two teams, holy mackerel. Lemoyne wins 11-7. Love watching these two teams go at it. They're to me, to me, Kevin, they're the two best teams in the country. I still think that if a Delphi was in the South, they'd be the number one seed in the South. That's my honest opinion. They're so good, man.

SPEAKER_06 32:27

I would beg to differ a little bit, but they are really good. Uh, really good. And I'll tell you what I think kind of epitomizes when these two teams play. A Delphi's down three to four in the second quarter. And they scored at the buzzer to end the first to tie it up four to four. I mean, there was no give. They they they kept on battling until the buzzer and they got that goal, and you saw how pumped they were when they put that goal in. My only concern was like we've talked about playing even with Lemoyne this year doesn't seem to be a reset recipe for success. No, no, because they just wear you down. If you got them, if you're playing six on six, and I think, and I'd have to talk to Coach Volpe and to Coach Purdy, watching them this year, they're made. They can do it all. They can they can get goals in transition. I think they're very comfortable with with the players they have, both on defense and offense, to go toe-to-toe six on six. I just think Lemoyne's just a little bit better on the on the defensive side, especially.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

Yeah, man. Lemoyne's the better team they are. They just they proved it, you know. But I just love watching these two teams play. 100%. They're just to me, they're the the two most talented teams, I think, depth-wise, but offensively and defensively, the depth that they have in the country. And that's just one man's opinion. You know, it's just one guy's opinion. I just think Adelphi's that good. And I love watching them play. I like the way they do things. They're deep. They run through the attack. They don't, they don't push too much, they kind of work the offense very well. They can get out in transition, they have great goalie play in Dylan Renner. You know, they they have all the ingredients. But you know what, Kev? We talk about Lemoine and how well coached they are, and it's it's no crime to be a great defensive team. But in that game, the offense showed up for Lemoyne in the third quarter. I mean, Ethan Lowne just kind of had himself a third quarter to just separate himself away from everybody. And he has sick, sick goals.

unknown 35:16

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_06 35:18

Yeah, Lemoyne outscored a Delphi seven to three in the second half. And and a lot of that is the offensive prowess that they showed in the in the third quarter. Because they scored four goals in the third quarter, and then three in the in the fourth.

SPEAKER_03 35:35

They're very, very patient in the 6v6, and they they move the ball well and they get looks, and they dodge hard and they dodge. They dodge looking to score, Kev. You know, they're dodging to look to score. You know what I mean? Not just to move a defender, they're looking to put the biscuit in the basket. And if a defender don't move, they're taking a shot. And if the defender moves, they're finding the open man. So they're really well coached. And we always talk about how good the defense is, but you know what Kevin Sheehan and and Ethan Lowne were able to do. And Sam Lamb, you know, we said in the beginning of the season, we don't know these names on offense. Now everybody knows them. Pezamenti, Benedict, Kyle Caves, yeah, Van Epps, Sam Lambert, Ethan Lown, Olin Stannett, you know, Kevin Sheehan. Like we all know them now. No one's beating that team, Kev. No one's beating the Dolphins.

SPEAKER_06 36:29

Uh, this is what I wrote as my last note after watching the game again. It's just precision. And the team looks better and better each game I see them. I love watching them play.

SPEAKER_03 36:42

I really do. They're just a great if you're a lacrosse player in high school, get your hands on some Lemoyne film and just watch what they do. Just watch what the players do. Look at your position. If you're a MIDI, just pick a MIDI and just watch them. Just watch him. If you're an attackman, pick an attackman and just watch him. Don't watch the ball. Just watch what they do without the ball.

SPEAKER_06 37:07

Yeah. It's a thing of beauty. It's a thing of beauty. 100%. Okay. The last game in the quarterfinals that we have to go over is Mercyhurst against St. Anselm. Mercyhurst survives and pulls this off 10-9. This is another back and forth game, Danny. Eight ties, five lead changes.

unknown 37:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 37:32

3-2 after one, St. Anselm was up. It was 4-4-half. Incredibly even. 8-7 after 3, St. A's up again. It was just back and forth throughout. Throughout.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

Great game. Great game to watch.

SPEAKER_06 37:49

So I'm I'm trying to see my notes here. With 44 seconds left, Saint A's has the ball and they're down one. And only Brett only makes a great save, but he can't clear it. So Hawks have it with 10 seconds left. They call a timeout. With 10 seconds, see what they can do. The shot was blocked, not by the goalie, but by the defense.

unknown 38:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 38:16

For the Lakers to survive.

SPEAKER_03 38:19

Yeah. That was a great game.

SPEAKER_06 38:22

I mean, another one goal game, anybody's game. It really was. It really who's going to have it last? Now it didn't turn out that way. Who had it last did not score. It was just one of those games where you're just kind of wondering whoever had the ball, were they going to score, or was the defense going to shut them down? It was so close. Here's some key stats. Miles Hamm, three goals. He had a hat trick. But St. A's had more saves and more face-off wins. Anthony Kubick, 18 saves. He backed up his other game against Mercy with another great game, and they had 13 face-off wins. Quinn Cannon had 12 of them.

SPEAKER_03 39:03

Quinn Gannon went almost 70% at the X against Sean Duran. What a game.

SPEAKER_06 39:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:09

I mean, against an all-American. You know, like here's Sean Durant and Mercieras, the All-American coming in. It's got to be nerve-wracking to go face off against that kid. And the kid Damier went 70%. He went 12 for 18, man, at the X, Gwen Gannon.

SPEAKER_06 39:26

But and Jack Andrews had three goals. That's what it was. You would think, well, maybe you look at stats, like you talked about. You look at stats, you'd think maybe St. A's won that game. Stats don't matter in the end. But the final score and Mercyhurst just gutted it out. Another one where they gutted it out. They got a few more ground balls, they got a few more uh, you know, possessions, one more goal in the back of the net.

SPEAKER_03 39:54

Kubick making 18 saves and coming up with the L, you know. That's tough, man. Yeah, it's crazy, but that's the way these games are sometimes with the stats, they just don't match up the way these games go. But you know what? St. Ace gave Mercy Hurst a game, man. They mercy Mercy Hurst was lucky to get out of there with that win. Exactly. Exactly. But these games were great. You know, uh, you know, even the even the Lenora Ryan game, I liked watching them play because I thought they looked good. You know, I like watching good lacrosse. I like watching good lacrosse.

SPEAKER_06 40:28

Like you said, some of those goals they got on the doorstep, it was because of their off-ball movement and their passing. And then it was a thing of beauty, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:36

It did they made it look real easy too. And you could see Rollins is like, ah, ah, damn it. We can't, we just can't. And once they had that three goal lead, that like that little three-goal cushion, Rollins couldn't really break that cushion. Right, right. They couldn't, and then they started to push at the end and started doing some things, maybe taking a couple of shots early. But you know what? Hats off to all these teams, you know, these one-goal games, it's championship. These kids are laying it all on the line. In the South, it was hot, you know. These guys are sweating in the, you know, in Tampa and stuff like that. So it's just it's a great year. It's been a great year. Yeah, some great teams left.

Coach's Spotlight

SPEAKER_06 41:22

All right. It's time for our coach's spotlight. You know, Danny, we talked about it last week. How great it was that in a couple of conferences, no matter who won the tournament championship, we were going to have a first ever champion. That was really cool. What's even cooler, though, is one of these coaches brought his team to the top of his conference, not only for the tournament, but regular season in their fourth year of existence. Amazing. It is amazing. It's an amazing ride, and we always talk about it in one of our favorite conferences. Uh, we we have a lot of them, but this is definitely near the top, just of the way the fans come out. So let's just welcome him in, Tony Le Poor, head coach of the Lander University Bearcats. Hey, coach.

SPEAKER_03 42:11

How's it going, guys? Hey, it's going really well. Thanks so much for taking the time again to come on the show with us. We really appreciate it. Congratulations on a great season, coach. You guys were phenomenal. It's just a great season. What what do you have to say?

SPEAKER_00 42:28

Uh well, first to just thank you guys and you know for your enthusiastic support, not just of our our new program, but also of our conference, which is also a new conference. But um, you know, just like I mentioned to you before we hopped on, it was just a a really uh special weekend and a and a special season for us to be able to get to do this with our our first ever class. Got to talk about culminating you know your work after four years. It was really just a really cool um week. And um, like I said, I'm I'm incredibly grateful for these guys and for their families.

SPEAKER_06 43:02

Yeah, that's amazing that in the four years, that first freshman class gets to not only top it off with graduation a couple days beforehand and getting their degrees, but a conference tournament championship. That's really cool. Uh uh is the are you still on cloud nine or how are you feeling? I'd be like, I know you gotta move on to almost recruiting again, but that must be uh tough, tough to come down from.

SPEAKER_00 43:28

Um, I mean, we enjoyed it. Like, don't get me wrong, but you know, the the way that this business works, you have to shift gears quickly and um you know start focusing on um our recruiting efforts this summer, um, taking care of all the end of the year stuff that it's you know, all the all the really fun things like you know, counting all the shoulder pads and cleaning everything and um doing all that fun stuff. But uh yeah, obviously, you know, we're we we enjoyed it together. Um obviously disappointed that we didn't make the NCAA tournament, uh, but at the same time. Uh, what a really cool way for our first class to go out with a win, you know, a conference uh championship win on our home field with everyone present. So um it was special. And I'm just like I said, I the word I keep using over and over again is very grateful for this opportunity. So um that's yeah.

SPEAKER_06 44:16

I I have to admit, uh, coach, I would see how cleaning out pads, shoulder pads, and and elbow pads would ground you again and bring you back down to earth pretty quickly. I have to ask this though. The fans went crazy when you won. They stormed the field. It was so cool to see. And Danny talked about it uh after the at last week in our podcast when he said the peach belt fans have really bought into lacrosse. Do you agree with that?

SPEAKER_00 44:50

I do. Um, even regardless of where we play um within the conference, the games are very well attended. Um, and playing at lander, I think one of the really you know, I'm gonna I'm just I gotta give um a huge you know, tip of the cap to our our our game day ops people. Like we have a really nice setup where our stadium is um at the Jeff Main complex. It's a it's a great, it's an intimate game day environment, but um, you know, and it's just the environment that they established are our game ops folks. Uh we have a we have a gentleman, his name is Justin Berger. He's the director of like our our fan engagement and and our game day operations. And like what they do to to really give us an awesome, you know, home uh field. Like I don't know the environment, I don't really know how to describe it. It's really cool. And so yeah, the fans just um, you know, and of course that they they compound that because the fans are incredibly enthusiastic. And I think what's really cool is you know, we had a lot of people there just to attend graduation and uh you know to be a part of that that final weekend. So um, yeah, the fans were they were into it. Uh you know, so that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 45:59

That's what you want, man. You want you want your home crowd, you know. I remember a couple of years ago, the first Peach Belt uh championship, just Kevin and I just we we noticed how many people were there. It was like, wow, it was really cool to see a D2 first year, you know, couple year programs, conference new, just getting started. And and and now it's very evident to me that a lot of the campuses in the Beach Belt have have embraced lacrosse, and it's great to see.

SPEAKER_00 46:29

Agree. Yeah, it's it's really cool. And um, you know, I think what's the one of the really interesting things about that too is now it makes the road games that much more challenging. You know, you're going in the you know, so um it's uh yeah, I mean it's it's really cool. And um, I'm you know, I was just really uh very, very uh happy that we were able to, you know, take care of the the regular season championships we have the right to host. Um, because I thought that that was going to be really important, you know, going into the tournament.

SPEAKER_06 46:58

Yeah, sure. So before we look forward, because I know that's where you're starting to go right now, coach. If you reflect back on on this season, what would you say were the main contributors that got you to the top of the peach belt? Is there anything you can point to? Any few things that you would say, yeah, this really helped us this year?

SPEAKER_00 47:19

Sure. Um, you know, the first the first one is um it's it's our the senior class, that that first group of guys and and how bought in they were and their their guidance and their leadership. Uh, and of course, uh the assistant coaches. Like I I have three assistant coaches who are outstanding at what they do in terms of like coaching lacrosse, but they're great people too. And they um they were the the glue that really held this together this year. So that that I would start with that right there. Um then, of course, there were a couple of like important moments during the year too that that helped us um that I we kind of called it like a hard reset. Like you start winning a little bit and you think that you're better than than what you are, uh, because you get some false positives. Um, and so one of those moments was um the obviously the games that we lost, you know. So yeah, we lose at home to Anderson and to limestone. And um both of those games like gave us some really hard lessons in like what we needed to do as a team and as a coaching staff to make sure that we were playing at our very best in the conference tournament. Because one of the things that we were just saying to the guys over and over again was it's really hard to beat a team twice in the same season. Uh it is.

SPEAKER_03 48:36

Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_00 48:36

All the scores go out the window, everything goes out the window because when you get to the conference tournament and you're playing a team for the second time, it's never gonna go the same as it did the first time. So we had to be ready for that.

SPEAKER_06 48:49

That's great. So that kind of almost points you right to points us right to where you want to go. I mean, if you look at those losses and and playing against some top SAC teams, I'd start off with what do you think this season will do to help you propel to that next thing? And what do you think this season means to your program?

SPEAKER_00 49:10

Um, well, I mean, there's the obvious things like you know, you can you're just gonna attract to probably a higher caliber, recruit, and student athlete at this point versus where we were, let's say two or three years ago. Yeah, um, because we're a little bit more proven now. Uh, you know, and having the the conference championship, you know, uh only can help that. Um, you know, and then of course, where where we want to take this is um, yeah, we're we're very, very happy that we accomplished one of our goals for the season, which was to win the conference championship and um not only just the regular season, but the conference tournament as well, because as I'm sure you guys know, there are a lot of lower seeds pulling upsets in their respective conference tournaments. Um all season. Yeah, that was that was really on our minds. Um so now where do we want to take this thing? Well, we we just want to take it a step further. I think our goal now is to continue to be you know very competitive within our conference, but also I think the guys were were very pleased about the conference uh championship, but also feeling like we were playing very good lacrosse at the end of the year, and man, we really wanted to make the NCAA tournament. So um, but at the division two level, right now for men's, it's it's really tough to make the tournament um with only six bids in each region. So now the guys know what they have to do.

SPEAKER_03 50:23

Great. Let me ask you something. What do you think about Flagler doing so well in in just two years? I mean, Coach Duncan has done a remarkable job, would you agree?

SPEAKER_00 50:33

I agree, and I think what's really interesting about Flagler is you got to look at their women's program as well. Uh, also program, and they're um, I think they finished the regular season 14 and one. Uh there, you know, that school is it's I mean, it's it's basically a resort, you know, in St. Augustine, Florida. Um, and they're they're well supported. Like the vast majority of their athletics do very, very well and are extremely competitive within the Peach Belt and regionally, you know, so it just makes sense. Um, you know, Coach Duncan and his staff are recruiting incredibly talented uh players, and you know, frankly, guys, they they terrify me uh because I I know they're gonna be really good every year. Um, and so, but uh on one hand, you know, that's it, you know, it's like, oh man, these guys are gonna be really good every single year. But on the other hand, it just makes our conference better. Um, you know, and again, credit to you know, credit to Montevallo and Huntsville, right? Flagler, especially, for getting some really big out-of-conference wins or earlier in the year to really uh boost our our national profile.

SPEAKER_03 51:35

Yeah, 100%, 100%. I love the beach belt. I love everything about the beach belt. I just like where it's trending, the way the teams are, the way it goes there, the the you know, the fans embracing, you know, the schools embracing lacrosse. It's it's a really just an interesting conference to me. I just think it's a cool. I would love to. If I was a young player, I'd like to play in the beach belt. I'd that you know, that's a cool conference. You're in the south, a lot of palm trees, pretty girl, pretty girls, warm weather, you know. It's uh it's it's uh it's got the whole package, you know.

SPEAKER_00 52:10

Well, one thing that's really cool too is all the member institutions are very supportive of athletics. And you know, what's really interesting to me is how good all of these teams have gotten in a relatively short period of time. So yeah, um, it's just uh it's the direction that we're heading.

SPEAKER_06 52:25

And I think that's gonna help you talk about the NCA tournament, that's going to help your conference and your team when Montevallo, Alabama, Huntsville, you, Flaggler, start winning some quality out of conference and in region games. Yes, because even if you even if you lose by a little bit, but you're you're scheduling those tough teams, and if their schedule is really tough and they do well, that just helps your strength of schedule and your RPI in the end, which is what needs to be done. Forget you know your total wins and losses, it's you know who you played and how you played them.

SPEAKER_00 53:04

Correct. And the other thing, too, it's like um, so um these last couple of years I've had the the privilege to serve on the regional advisory committee for this for the South Region. And you just worded it very, very, very well. There is a there's a real premium that's placed on playing very good teams and winning those games. Um and uh making sure that your non-conference schedule is challenging because that is something that the the committee and uh really takes a hard look at uh at the end of the year. Um the the caliber of your schedule and the quality of your wins.

SPEAKER_06 53:43

Yeah, and the only downside I see to that is like a new program coming in and trying to get quality out of conference games their first few years when other teams are probably like, well, I don't know if I want to play you because that's not gonna help my strength of schedule.

SPEAKER_00 53:57

Yeah, yeah, you're absolutely right. Um, however, it's it kind of cut it's a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways because on one hand, you know, it does maybe diminish your strength of schedule and RPI a little bit, um, but it does help your in-region winning percentage and overall winning percentage. So, because those are those are also factors that are considered by the committee.

SPEAKER_06 54:15

Right. Right. So, man, what's what's your next steps, Coach, over the next few months? Is it just pure recruiting? Where you're going, where are you going? What are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 54:25

So um, well, myself and my staff, we've been meeting about this the last few days. I think what we're gonna be doing is uh we've got our calendar pretty much finalized. Um, I've for the first time in a long time, I don't have to go to Western Canada the first uh week of uh June because Coach Wiedemann um he plays for Nanaimo in the WLA over the summer. Uh he'll be able to get up to BC's best for us uh in early June. So that'll allow me to stay a little bit more regional here. Um, Coach Salter, given that he's a Maryland guy, he likes he can pretty much just go back up home to Maryland and uh couch surf you know in his parents' home and you know hit all the events up there. And then of course, um uh Coach Gifford, he uh he ends up back home in New Jersey to hold a lot of the regional events up there. And then of course, myself, I'm kind of you know, I can I try to be here a little bit to host recruits when they come to town, but I'll be on the road quite a bit, um, you know, making my trips up to Canada and of course upstate New York where I grew up and uh everywhere in between. Um and of course, as the the caliber of lacrosse grows here in the southeast region, uh there's just more and more uh great regional recruiting events that we need to get to.

SPEAKER_06 55:31

Yeah, and some really good players. You've seen them coming out in everywhere in the South, from Georgia to South Carolina to Louisiana. Just some great, great players. So anyway, coach, I just want to say it was great having you on again. Great seeing you again. I mean, the last time I saw you was at a Georgia Swarm game when uh you met you met me in the in the hallway uh while I was trying to get a beer, and you were kind enough to talk to me. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 55:54

No problem. Yeah, we were up there just supporting Coach Wiedemann, and it was cool. Yeah, it was it's nice that he's only you know, the swarm play about two hours uh from lander, so it really makes his his situation work out pretty well.

SPEAKER_06 56:07

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So appreciate you coming on tonight. Uh, and uh we hope to be talking to you soon.

SPEAKER_00 56:14

Guys, thanks again. Really appreciate all that you're doing, and uh just let me know if you're if you're ever in town and want to catch a game. Absolutely. Thanks, coach. We appreciate it. You got it. Take care, guys.

FInal Four

SPEAKER_06 56:25

All right, Danny. One of our last games to watch this week's segment, and we're down to two games. The final four. We gotta watch both. They're both at the same time again. 1 p.m. It's not four games at once, thank God. That's right. That's right. So we we got Lemoy and Mercyhurst in the north, and then Limestone Lenore Rhine down south. So you want to talk about the North game first a little bit? Sure, sure. What do you think in this matchup? Mercy Hurst against Lemoine.

SPEAKER_03 57:02

Well, Lemoyne's this week that they are making the jump to Division I. So this is their last swan song at the Division II level. I'll ask you, what do you think is gonna happen?

SPEAKER_06 57:17

I have to give the nod to Le Moyne. I love Mercy Hurst, I love I I think they've got so many great players. You talk about face-off, you talk about goalie play, you talk about offense, you talk about defense. They're so well-rounded. I just see Lemoyne as a juggernaut right now. You know, when we talked about them at the beginning of the season, we said I couldn't take them out of my top ten because they're Lemoyne and they're a Dan Sheehan team. And they've just proven themselves over and over of what they're made of, and really that they're ready for the division one level in a lot of ways.

SPEAKER_03 57:56

Yeah, good luck to anybody playing them. I'm sorry, I don't see anybody beating Lemoyne. The way they are, the way how patient they are on offense and defense. You can get you can get up three or four goals on them. So it doesn't phase them a bit because they're gonna lock down your best guy, force you to do things that they don't want you that they want you to do. That's how good their defense is. And then they have seven, eight players on offense that can can get that can light the light the net up. You know, it every week it's a different guy that steps up. One week it's Sheehan, one week it's Caves, one week it's Ethan Low. And you've always got Pesimente. Pezamenti, man, he's really good. I mean he he's he's he's phenomenal. And you know what? Just good luck. That's all I can say. You know what? And Lemoyne is gonna be a pretty it's not gonna take them long to be a good Division I team either.

SPEAKER_06 58:55

I'd agree with you. I'd agree with you. I would tell you, I think the word you said that always resonates with me, and then I'll add a couple others, is patient. They are patient and then they're methodical and they're disciplined. There are a lot of teams that are disciplined. I'm not I'll give that to a lot of them. But patient and methodical, they don't care. They're gonna they're gonna lull you into their rhythm, not your rhythm.

SPEAKER_03 59:20

So I just think right now they're they're 17 and oh, and I just think that now that the announcement has come, these players are gonna leave it all on the on the they're gonna leave it like this is why we're going, because nobody can beat us here.

SPEAKER_06 59:35

Yeah, it's funny. Uh, there was a quote by Coach Sheehan uh after the the last game where he said, hats off to my players, because it was, you know, that's a lot of noise to deal with. They had just announced division one before they played, a couple days before they played, and and they came with a purpose. The purpose is we're still here right now, and we're we've got we're locked in, and we're gonna win. Yeah, I agree. Okay, so let's let's move to the uh other final four games. South region. South region, the South Region Championship, limestone against Lenore Ryan.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:14

An all SAC, South Regional. Yep. So that says a lot for the SAC. It's a bitch of a conference. If you're gonna if you're gonna roll through the SAC, you better battle, you know, bring strap yourself in and put your seatbelt on because it's gonna be a dog fight. The SAC is no joke, Kevin. No joke. And these two teams right here are a big reason why they're no joke. And they both belong. They both belong. Yeah, they both belong in this game. Yep. Limestone's been on a great run the past three, four weeks. And and and Lenore Ryan just took down the number two team in the country in their house rather handily. And this is gonna be one hell of a game. Limestone beat them the last time. Lenore Ryan beat them in the missseason in overtime.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:09

Between the bricks, but they're playing at limestone.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:12

This is the rubber match. It is, and the winner goes to the national championship. And I don't know what to say about this game.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:24

I I it's this this we say it before. To me, this is a real pick'em game. I I'd be shocked if it wasn't a one-goal game at the end, or maybe going to overtime again. Limestone took care of business in the sack championships against Lenore Ryan. They had a good run, and they just they put the they kept the pressure on them. I don't see that exactly happening again. I think this is gonna be a really, really close game. I think when you talk about uh limestone and you Indy looking like they didn't have fresh legs in the fourth, who's gonna be fresher in the fourth quarter? That's what it's gonna come down to.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:02

Well, this is gonna be one of those games where every every single possession means something. Yeah. So both teams want to stay out of the box. You know, both teams do not want to be in the box, they do not want to be in the sin bin because that that could be lethal for either team. And yeah, and could be the difference. You know what? Both teams have good goalie play and you know it it could come down to something as simple as, you know uh one shot. It could be I don't even know who to pick, Kevin. I don't I don't know who to pick. But my heart is saying that Limestone's on the run. Like they're the hot team. You know, my my head is my head is saying Lenore Ryan's very coached and they're deep and they have two solid mini lines and a great attack unit, and they got Pennsylvania and goal there, you know. So it's it's uh it's I'm torn.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:04

I you know, it's funny, maybe we've been doing this too long together, but I'm exactly in the same place, heart and head. Like logically, I say Lenore Ryan, but what limestone's been able to do throughout the year continue just to improve, improve, improve, and they've got a good goalie in Corey Lyons. Yeah, yeah. I I'm trying to see where the matchup difference would be that gives someone the edge. I I just I you know I don't think I can pick it either. I'm I'm just I'm I'm at that point. I mean, I think if if you I don't know, I think if you if I want to say it logically, I'm gonna say I'd give the nod to Lenore Ryan, but I don't know which way to go.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:49

I think I'm gonna go with Limestone. I think I'm gonna go with the hot the hot hand right now. I just think they're playing with a boatload of confidence right now. And you know, and Lenore Ryan, they have to say, hey guys, we lost last time against them. You know, it's gotta be in their head a little bit. You know, limestone beat them up pretty good. They did. You know, it wasn't just a one-goal game, but I I think I like limestone in this game.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:18

Okay, I'm gonna go opposite way, and maybe it's just so that whenever whoever wins and we get them on the show, they'll like one of us. But uh I I think I think it's one of these things where and I'm maybe I'm playing mind games, you know, limestone lost in overtime, Lenore Ryan took it, limestone took him to him in the sack, now it's Lenore Ryan's turn. That's kind of how I'm I'm thinking it it could be. Uh so that's why I would pick LR. And I just think, like you said, that I don't see if you just watch that last game against Rollins versus Limestone and you Wendy, if they continue on those trends, I I just see Lenore Ryan winning it out.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:59

You know, I think Coach Paradine's really good at making in-game adjustments. He's good at that. And he finds he's fine, he just finds ways to win. You know, he's another one that they they're lethal on offense, but they can gut out one goal wins if they have to gut it out. And they're they're that type of team. I mean, it's tough to pick against Lenore Ryan because they've been so good all year, really all year. But limestone's been on this roll lately. I mean, so that's that's that's where I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go with the Saints. I like it. I like it. It's uh improbable and an improbable run, but well, they can do it. Hey, the limestone, you know what? The Saints, if they do it, they're gonna remember this team for a while because this team just came back from you know being maybe like you know, eighth, ninth, tenth in the country, eleventh. Not used to seeing limestone.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:55

Remember when we started the conference previews and we talked about the loss of some of the players. Players on both sides of the field, offense and defense. Yeah. And they have gelled together, great chemistry. They got a bunch of players on offense that can just kill it. They've got great D middies, they've got great poles. Corey Lyons has been playing great all year. I mean, they're just they can't.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:21

I think LR might be a little deeper on offense, might just have the depth advantage a little bit. Yeah, yeah. You know, they're they're they would start on most teams, the second line midi. You know what I mean? So Kev, that's gonna be a barn burner of a weekend. I like Lemoine. They're gonna be, you know, they're Lemoine. And uh, I'm gonna go with Limestone, you're gonna go with L.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:49

The two L's. The two L's. I've got two L's too. It's just Lenore Ryan on the second one.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:54

So the Limestone people will be happy with me. The LR people won't.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:58

That's right.

Player's Spotlight

SPEAKER_06 1:07:00

Okay, it is time to move on to the player spotlight.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:05

My favorite part, Kev.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:06

My favorite part. This player was the top goal scorer on his team this year, which is not a surprise because it seems to have a knack at finding the back of the net, if you know what I'm talking about. But what is what is probably more impressive, at least to me, is what he did during this year's NCA tournament run for his team. He scored seven goals against Mercy, and then he followed that up with a hat trick against Mercy Hurst.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:39

My man Jack, he he he balled out the last couple of games for sure.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:44

Yeah, he certainly did. So let's just welcome him in, MIDI for the St. Answer Hawks, uh, Jack Andrews.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:49

Hey Jack, how's it going, guys? Hey, Jack Andrews. So thankful for you to come on the show tonight. Hey, listen, I love watching St. A's play. We like uh we had Coach Shimana on the show a year or so ago. Really liked him. I actually went to see St. A's at Delphi last year at a Delphi in the rain, in the rain, and uh just you know what, became a fan of St. A's, liked your brand of ball, like coaches. I like the way Coach has you guys balling out. And boy, you had some season this year. Tell us about your season this year at St. A's.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:27

Yeah, so obviously I'm very thankful to have this opportunity to come on and talk with you guys. Um, this season in particular, we we talked about it as a team, and we thought ultimately we didn't get the goals we wanted to get. We want to win our conference championship and we want to win a national championship. We feel like that's the type of team we are, and we have that ability. Um ultimately fell short, but we still think we had a very successful season. We pulled off some really big wins. Um, and then playoff time came and everyone had their heads screwed straight on, and everyone was down to get gritty and start to be a man on the field. So it was really cool seeing everything come together, I think, for the playoffs. Um, and I just I feel like defensively and offensively, we really clicked the season, and it was it was just I'm happy to have been a part of it. And I think that this team in particular moving forward is going to be an awesome, awesome team to watch and be a part of.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:32

Well, let's talk about that for a second. You said obviously there's some disappointments, uh, didn't end the way you wanted if you set those high goals, and I can definitely see St. Anselm setting those goals. That's where your team is at. You play in a very, very tough conference with some just some buzz sauce of some teams or Lemoyne and Adelphi and they're count in Bentley and Pace. Yeah, you know, that you've got to play all the time. But you look at what you guys did, I think, in the NCAA tournament up through the quarterfinals. You lost that game by one goal, but you look at how you played Mercy, never beat Mercy before. They had some runs on you, you guys did not whatsoever panic. And that game was such a great game to watch. And to see how you guys pulled it out. I think, in my impression, based on what you just said, when you said you guys all your had your heads dialed in straight, that game kind of showed it. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:31

Yeah, I think um defensively we had let up a couple, but offensively, we talk about playing complimentary lacrosse all the time. Um, we trust our defense on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense also trusts us to get it done too. Um, I think that game, our offense stepped up from where we had been to help out the defense. And I still think our defense did a great job. Mercy's a very talented team. They have they have really good players, and we were able to shut down some of their the best opponents we face, I think. And um I think especially that game in particular was it was awesome to be in the moment there because you saw how bad everyone wanted that win. And we knew it was going to be tough. We knew it was gonna be head head against head game, and I think everyone just kind of really put their minds to it and showed how hard they've worked over the past several years, whether you're a junior or senior. And I think it was it was just really cool to be a part of that and be in the moment there because you saw how bad every single guy wanted it.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:40

Yeah, it was a great game. And Mercy's a tough team, man. They got they got ballers on both sides of the ball, uh, offensively and defensively. You know, Tommy Amano in goal is he's a beast in goal. And yeah, you guys just you were on top of your game that day. I could just see there was a sharpness in St. A's. You there was a grit there. And uh, I always liked those gritty teams. Would you say that St. A's is gritty?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:05

Yeah, we we talk about it all the time. Um, we have a blue-collar mentality, we we go to work, we have tough practices, we get on each other, we have we have really high standards, and I'd say definitely we're a gritty team.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:21

100%. I agree with that. It's the grit shows when you guys play for sure. 100.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:27

But let's turn to you a little bit. You know, one stat we did not mention yet, and is probably the best at, and really shows your consistency throughout your playing career because we can talk about those couple games where you score seven goals or a hat trick, that's all great, but you you stack that up. You have over a hundred goals in your career. I think it's 119 total, which is just unbelievable. It's amazing. What do you attribute that consistent success on offense to?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:57

Personally, um, my coach and my teammates. I have I have a couple younger guys on the field, the Larson twins. Um we well, we've been watching them grow up. It's like, yeah, I feel like I've been watching them since they're like kids, I swear to God. I I attribute a lot of my success to them, they've made me a lot better. They kind of, as an older guy, it was a little weird for them to show up their freshman year and see how hard they worked, but it definitely motivated me. Um it helped me dial in my shots. I get shots with them all the time. We have a couple goalies who are also consistently asking me and some of the other guys to take shots before after practice. So I think teammates and then coach, I've I've had some games where I have a lot of shots, and sometimes you don't hit the net the way you want to. But uh everyone having my back has been what's helped me still be successful.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:54

Yeah, it's funny you say that. I've watched a few games where you know it looks like um there's not a shot you don't like, Jack. But I think coach gives you, I think when you talk about your coaches, they give you the confidence to do that. That's your game.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:08

Yeah, I have shooters gotta shoot. Yeah, exactly. Um, no, they they know I like a lot of shots that some guys might not like.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:19

Um, but I also get a lot of the eloquently, so eloquently put, Jack. That's funny. He's smiling everybody out there in podcast land. He's got a big smile on his face.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:33

No, I I I attribute a lot of my success to them and helping me stay confident and in games, and even when I'm not having the best game, telling me to dial it in. We have a goalie coach who does awesome with the scout for other teams' goalies. Um, so I talk to him all week about what types of shots I want to take. And when you listen to him and when you do the right things, things tend to go in your favor. So I I attribute all that success to everyone that's on the field with me.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:04

That's uh that's a great way to be to uh and I'm always amazed by the players that come on here and give most of the credit to their team because you've got to put in a lot of work too. And it's great to hear, and I'm not surprised that everyone on your team elevates the other players, which is which is the way you've got to be. But tell us a little bit about your lacrosse journey and how you ended up at St. A's.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:30

Okay, yeah. So uh I've been playing lacrosse for as long as I can remember. Um, started playing club lacrosse in I think seventh grade, probably right around that time. Didn't really see the playing time I wanted. Um it was it was better lacrosse for me to be playing because I'm from Rhode Island and at the time there wasn't a lot of great lacrosse here. So I played for Warrior Elite at the time. Um, and the guys I were playing with were beyond my level. I was playing with guys like uh Brendan Tully, who plays at PC. We had a kid that was committed to Merrimack, we had a Cornell commit, we had a UVM commit, and they were all all of them helped me step up my level. Um, and kind of it was interesting going from Rhode Island lacrosse to playing for a team from Massachusetts where the talent was a lot higher. Uh, and then I got to high school and it was kind of the same thing. We started off in division two, and Rhode Island divisions are very small, it's obviously not a big state, so there's only a handful of teams in each division. Um, we won our division two state championship my freshman year, and then got bumped up to division one, where we started playing teams like LaSalle and Moses Brown, and we had good games against all the uh all the public schools, but those private schools kind of handed it right back to us. Um that was that was an interesting aspect of my personal across career. But I kept with uh Warrior Elite during the summers and it ended up changing into Central Mass Kings. Um, and that's where I started to get recruited. I was getting recruited for football at the time too, and it was it was relatively a last-minute decision on which one I was gonna pursue in college, football or lacrosse. Wow. Uh but coach Samana ended up seeing me at a tournament in Annapolis, and he reached out to me. I went on my visit there, and I fell in love with the school. I fell in love with what he had to offer for me in terms of the program, and things just took off from there. That's great. That's awesome. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:54

So, what's it like to play for Coach Shimana? I love it. Did everything he promised you come true? That's what I really want to know. It did.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:03

He he told me, he told me that we were the program was on its way to competing for national championships, and that's ultimately what he wanted to do. And the past three years is oh, yeah, the first time we've made it to the NCAA tournament in school history, and it just shows that not only his vision of what he wanted the culture to be like, but also the guys that he recruited, the guys in my class, the guys ahead of us. Um, everyone was on the same page.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:33

He does a great job with recruiting, and he he gets he gets good players. I mean, last year we had CJ Hart on the on the show with us, and I mean ever player in the player spotlight. That's right, that's correct. And he was a great kid, man. Smart, just well spoken. Yeah, just a really great kid. And you know what? I think St. Anslums not only gets really good lacrosse players, but I think they get really good character students, good character kind of people. Would you agree with that?

SPEAKER_06 1:19:06

Yeah, a hundred percent. So speaking of that, don't you have a brother on the team? I do, yep. How's that? How is that like playing with your brother in the on the I assume you played in high school together, but it's a little bit different in college.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:21

Yeah, definitely. Um it it was uh getting him to say N's was a bit of a hassle. He didn't know he didn't know if he wanted to play lacrosse, um, but I knew he had the skill, and he was he was recruited too, and he was recruited pretty heavily, and he ended up committing to assumption. So I would heckle him a lot. Um, and this is after Coach Shimana had offered him, and it was it was almost tough seeing him not want to be at St. A's because I didn't really understand it at the time. Uh and then I I let him be with it, I let him be with his decision, and then we played Assumption, we rolled them, and then from there, um I kept trying to tell him, I was like, You need to you need to look at Saint A's. Like, I think you're gonna like what the program has to offer you. And then he ended up uh committing to Saint A's instead, and playing with him has been awesome. He was hurt a little bit last year, so not too much on the field with him. Um, but we're super close and we always have him. We're best friends, but now, especially this year, he's stepped up and he's stepped into a bigger role for the team in general. Um, so seeing him have the success I want him to have, but also being able to share that with him is really cool. So that's amazing, Danny.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:48

You have to go on the on the roster on the website. You don't have to look at names, don't even look at names, just look at the pictures, and you will see two brothers you know are brothers. You know it. It is really cool. I was like, ah, I that was that's awesome. Uh but now we got to switch it up a little bit. You know, you we've been having a nice little discussion, but now we got to put you on a little pressure. I don't know. You've watched the you listen to the show a little bit, you may know what's coming, but it's now time for you to enter the firing round with Danny Moran.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:22

Sounds good. Uh yeah, here we are on the fire round. Jack Andrews, Cumberland, Rhode Island. Um, playing at St. A's, had a really good career. Let me ask you, Jack. I I wanted to ask you before we go into the firing round. Do you have a year of eligibility left? Yeah, yes, I do. Have you made a decision yet?

SPEAKER_01 1:21:48

Uh I have. I made it a couple weeks ago. Um, it was last minute, but I've been talking to Coach, and we've been going back and forth. And I'm I am gonna come back to St. A's for a fifth year. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:03

Damn good question, Danny. Because I I thought about that today and I didn't ask it. That's a damn good question.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:09

You know, I just by reading Jack, just by seeing him and reading him, I was like, I think I can ask him. I think he he would be you know honest and and eloquent with his answer. And hey, well, that's great news, and great news for Hawks Nation. And uh so now I feel bad putting him in the firing round because he's been such a good good guest. But what puts you in the fire round anyway? Jack Andrews St. Andrew St. Anselms. Here we go in the firing round. Question number one mom's best meal. Oh, it's gotta be your meatloaf.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:45

Oh, that's that's a good one. I like that answer.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:48

Meatloaf and potatoes and gravy, right? And gravy, gotta have the gravy. All right, that's awesome. Morning bird or night owl? Uh definitely night owl. Night owl. So what's your favorite midnight snack?

SPEAKER_01 1:23:05

Uh honestly, I'm not not that much of a eater at midnight. I'm more of a lay in bed, end up turning on Netflix and just stay up until I fall asleep.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:19

Okay. Favorite pro lacrosse player.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:24

Uh I'm gonna go Sergio Perkovic.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:30

Why?

SPEAKER_01 1:23:31

I like his shot.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:32

There we go. That's a Jack Andrews answer right there.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:36

About 240 miles an hour from 20 yards deep. Like basically the boy can play, that's for sure. Favorite football team, pro for college. Okay, Patriots. All right, my son would love you. He was a big Patriot fan. And our dog, our dog's name is Brady, I swear to God. Oh, really? I swear to God. Yeah, he likes deflated balls too. He likes when you we have to take the air out of the balls, but that's another story.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:07

That's that only happens when the temperature goes down, Danny. I don't want to explain the physics to you. We're in the firing ground right now, but I can do that later for you.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:14

That's funny. So, who's your favorite football player?

SPEAKER_01 1:24:19

Uh Randy Moss back in the day. Great call, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:25

He was amazing. He was unreal. He was unreal. He really was. He really was. He was like a man amongst boys in the NFL. That's like he was that's like sick. Xbox or PlayStation? PlayStation, all the way. Favorite TV show. Uh, right now, breaking bad. Okay. Give us something that's on Jack Andrews' bucket list.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:52

Uh try and hike in all fifty, all I forget how many it is right now. I think it's like 54, but the national parks.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:00

Wow, that's crazy. I just had a friend of mine, 50, 58 years old, retired fireman, just hiked the Appalachian Trail. Yeah, that's the whole trail from north to south. That's also on there.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:15

I don't know if I could do it all in one trip.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:17

I'd have to break it up. He lost like 750,000 pounds. It was like nothing left of him when he came up, but just an amazing type of thing. So that's kind of cool. Um give us one thing about you that most people do not know.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:36

Oh, that's a tough one. Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm a I'm a pretty open guy. If anyone has any questions, I just straight up go.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:49

Okay, that's cool. Funniest guy on the team. Who's the funniest guy on the team?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:56

Oh I might honestly I might go with Liam McCarthy.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:04

Liam McCarthy, what makes him so funny?

SPEAKER_01 1:26:07

He's just he's got a sense of sarcasm, and that's my type of humor, and I love it.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:13

All right, Liam gets a shout out. Liam McCarthy. I like the the name, little Irish guy. Sounds good to me. Oh, yeah, yeah. Who's the most athletic on the team? That guy that can just like do everything, you know what I mean? He's just like one of those guys that everything he does, he does well.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:30

I'd say I'd say the Larsons, and both of them combined because they bring a an aspect of competition amongst themselves.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:40

That's pretty interesting. Ancer Who's the one guy on the team you would never let date your sister? That's great. That's hysterical. Oh my lord, that's so funny.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:59

So you're I think your parents would agree with that one, too.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:02

Yeah, exactly. Oh, that's crazy. So, who do you get your athleticism from, mom or dad?

SPEAKER_01 1:27:09

Uh, my dad, but my dad was a big basketball guy, which is the one sport I shied away from.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:16

Okay, great. Okay, last question. Give us your best impression of Coach Shimana.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:25

Oh, if I were to give a good impression of him, I'd need something to throw to get everyone juiced up before a game.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:34

Oh, he's a thrower, huh? Okay. Oh, yeah. That's cool. Well, Jack, we really appreciate you coming on tonight. It was great having you on. Hope you had fun. Had a great season. St. A's a really great team. I I really enjoy watching them play. You guys ball out, you belonged, you belonged. You know, and that's one thing about Division II. It's like really hard to get there, you know, but with all the algorithms and RPI. And yeah, everything that's involved with all of that. So to get there is an amazing feat. It's a dog fight. It's a dog fight all the way through. And and St. Anslems is one of those teams in this country that's right there. You're right there, man. Is with amongst the best teams in the country. So yeah, again, continued good luck. It's going to be great to see you back on the field next year. I think Coach Shimana's going to like that too.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:27

And I don't know about your brother liking that, but hopefully he does. Well, thanks so much for coming on, Jack. You've been a great guest and uh continued success, young man. We really appreciate it. And congratulations on graduation, young man. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:45

This was a

Shout outs

SPEAKER_01 1:28:46

blast.

SPEAKER_06 1:28:47

Well, Danny, you know, it was it was so gracious, and Jack was such a great player to have on, you know, coming off that loss to Mercyhurst and spending some time with us. He's a really good kid. And I'm so glad he's coming back. It'll be so much fun to watch him next year.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:02

Yeah, he was a good kid. I really enjoyed him. He seemed very, you know, just the you know, the seniors of just something about the seniors. They're a little bit more uh polished, I guess you could say, you know, a little bit more comfortable around a microphone, maybe. But Jack was great. He's a great player on a great team. They had a great season, went to the NCAA's, they did some great things, and he's gonna be back. And I'm so I'm sure Coach Shimon is very happy about that. Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:33

Okay, so now move to any shout-outs. I've got one, and that is a shout out to Concordia Irvine. As you remember, they're coming into the RMAC next year and playing D2, NCAA D2. Right now, they're in Division I with the MCLA, the club teams. They won the Division I championship against Virginia Tech this year.

unknown 1:29:59

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:59

Not only that, but they used to be in MCLA Division II, and they've won that championship. So look out, RMAC. Here comes a team with championship pedigree coming right into the RMAC.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:12

Good that's awesome. Hopefully, we can get another team to come into the RMAC, get them six teams, and then we can go to all amount of qualifiers. I would love it. I would love it. Hey, so good congratulations to Concordia Irvine. They're gonna be coming in the California team, huh? Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun. It'll be a lot of fun. They're gonna have to come out east to play some of these teams, huh? Wow, that's a woman. That's gonna be a long trip for some of those guys, but it should be interesting to have uh some new some new blood into division two.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:46

We have a lot of new blood next year. We'll certainly get into that in coming episodes. But uh before we go, just want to say thanks to our sponsor again, Scorebreak, for sponsoring us, uh talking us up, and we try to talk them up because, like we talked about a long time ago when they started doing this, we made that conscious decision to go with sponsors that we believed in their product. And this is one that I think can really be a lot of help for any team out there, a game changer in a way. Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:19

Great, great tool for any coach out there looking to improve his team and and include his team. And it's just a great product. Coaches out there, go go on scorebreak.io, set up a meeting, set up a demo, a demonstration, and mention in the crease. You'll get 10% off. And um, it's a really great tool. There's a lot of division one, division two, and division three coaches in all the major sports using scorebreak right now. So give it a check it out.

SPEAKER_06 1:31:55

And that, Danny, as we head into the final four, is a wrap. The final four, Kev.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:02

Here we are. That's a wrap.