As part of the Syracuse Men’s Lacrosse team, losing to Johns Hopkins two Sundays ago did not go well with anyone on the team. We all had high expectations of making Championship Weekend in Philadelphia and even winning the school’s 12th (if you’re a stickler, 11) NCAA Championship in the sport.
But while most of my brothers and coaches headed back home this weekend, I also went back home to the Philadelphia suburbs, where I was able to still attend Championship Weekend, only covering the weekend’s festivities. It was an eye-opening experience for myself, being inside a press box and a professional work experience for the first time that many journalists have been in for many years. It was also a great weekend for the sport in general; as the Denver Pioneers, a team west of the Mississippi River, won their first ever NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
Here are some of my takeaways from the four-day weekend down at the Linc:
Best Team
I think without a question the best overall team was Denver. They defeated Notre Dame Saturday after losing a four-goal lead to the Fighting Irish and sending the game into overtime, where Wesley Berg gave Denver the game-winner. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player then scored five goals in a 10-5 victory over Maryland in the National Championship. LSM Mike Riis had a very dominant performance during the weekend, including a goal against Notre Dame on Saturday. And Ryan LaPlante had a great game to end his career in the National Championship. The Fort Collins, Colorado native made 13 stops for a save percentage of .722 on the day.
Best Team To Watch
It’s a shame that the Division II and III Championships are held on the day in-between the semifinals and the final for Division I. Because many people missed out on the explosive show that was Tufts. They’re notoriously known for their very quick offense, something that former offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan implemented this year at Brown. And after a very slow start, with Lynchburg scoring the game’s first four goals and taking the first 14 shots, the Jumbos got the following five goals and 12 shots and eventually went on a 13-2 run during the game. The Jumbos won 19-11 in an energized game after a snooze fest with the Division II Championship the game before. Two impressive goals were from CJ Higgins and Division III Most Outstanding Player John Uppgren. Higgins was on the doorstep of the Lynchburg crease when he could not catch an incoming pass. The ball fell in front of him, where he then putted the ball in-between Hornet goalie Chris Hawley’s legs. The other goal came from John Uppgren, who had four goals and four assists in the Championship game. Uppgren was losing balance and used his momentum to score from over his shoulder, a similar goal to what Wesley Berg did against Notre Dame the day before.
Best Comeback
This one is tough. As much as Division II Limestone came back in the 4th quarter from a 6-5 deficit against Le Moyne was good to watch, Sergio Perkovic single handedly helped Notre Dame force their semifinal game against Notre Dame into overtime. The “Motor City Hitman” scored five goals in the fourth quarter to help cap an amazing comeback for the Fighting Irish, who never stopped fighting. Although the comeback fell just short, he was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team after Monday’s National Championship. Honorable mention has to be given to Johns Hopkins midfielder John Crawley, who went on the first midfield unit in the second half and scored four goals in the half, three in the third quarter, as he also provided help in a Blue Jay comeback against Maryland. Crawley’s efforts also helped him get a nod onto the NCAA All-Tournament team.
Player I’m Most Sad Seeing His Career End
It’s probably Wesley Berg. The British Columbia native played a vital part in the development of the Denver lacrosse program, as well as the scouting of other non-traditional lacrosse places. Matt Brown and the rest of the Denver scouting staff have done a great job recruiting places such as the three C’s (Colorado, California, and Canada), as well as places where lacrosse is just getting popular, like Texas, Florida, Oregon, and Minnesota.
Player I’m Excited Seeing His Career Continue
I would say Sergio Perkovic if he wasn’t in last year’s National Championship game against Duke. So with him out of the picture, I’ll go with Blue Jay John Crawley. The sophomore played on the second midfield unit for most of the season and was bumped up to the first unit by Head Coach Dave Pietramala in the 2nd half of their semifinal loss to Maryland, where he scored four goals. He finished the season fifth on the team in points with 32 points and will be a big part of the midfield next year, when the entire top six returns in 2016.
Most Swaged Out Team
Had to include this somewhere, but it was Tufts. Take a look at their helmets from Sunday’s Division III Championship game and you will know why I included this section. It was Tufts with a large side of America on their helmets. And even the players that didn’t dress made a fashion statement, with all of them wearing bucket hats. Take notes, all other NCAA teams in all divisions.
Best Thing About This Weekend That Doesn’t Involve The Games
The fact that the game is growing with Denver’s National Championship. I think with the profile of where all of Denver’s players are coming from being exposed some more, I think more teams will take a deeper look at players from all regions, not only Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania, but also Nevada, Tennessee, and Washington, and even add some box lacrosse influence from Canada. And as a very small school that doesn’t have a football team, this weekend might persuade Presidents and AD’s to add men’s (and hopefully women’s) lacrosse to their schools to help compete. And it will trickle down to the high school kids, where the game is rapidly growing. More teams participating equals more players committing which makes the game grown.
Worst Thing About This Weekend That Doesn’t Involve The Games
Attendance was a huge concern coming into this weekend, and it remains maybe even a bigger one after this weekend. Last year’s weekend attendance in Baltimore was around 78,000. This year’s attendance dropped nearly 6,000 spectators for the weekend to around 72,000. There maybe some reasons why, such as the travel distance for Denver and Notre Dame, but both of those teams were in last year’s event. I’m not totally sure what this means for the future of Championship Weekend, whether it means moving the dates or moving to soccer stadiums or back to colleges, but I think after next year’s event, which is back at Lincoln Financial Field, there has to be some changes made.
