Sunday, November 24, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Laker Interviews
Oswego State Men's Lacrosse players Brandon Dzwonkowski, Matt Palmer and Dylan DiFante provide some insight on how the Lakers are preparing for the 2014 season.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
GAA and GFA
Two of the most integral statistics involved in measuring a lacrosse team’s success are that team's Goals Against Average (GAA) and Goals For Average (GFA). As in all team sports, a victory is determined by scoring more goals than the opponent. At the college lacrosse level, a general rule of thumb is that if a team defense has a GAA of less than 10, while the offense maintains a GFA of more than 10, it results in a successful season. Focusing on these two statistics, I’ve analyzed the last 10 seasons of the Oswego State Men’s Lacrosse Team. Below, you can find a chart displaying the compiled data that I've collected. As expected, the numbers accurately represent the recent success that the Lakers have experienced. 2013 marked the only time in the past 10 years that Oswego’s GAA was lower than 10 at 8.6, while their GFA was higher than 10 at 11.
Chart: Oswego State Mens Lacrosse over the past 10 years - https://t.co/kP8avRYWPo via @infogram
— Oswego State Lax (@Lakers_Lacrosse) November 22, 2013Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Alumni Weekend Recap
This past Saturday, October 5th the Oswego State Men's Lacrosse team hosted their 37th annual alumni weekend. The alumni team featured former SUNYAC all- conference players such as Mike Recor '09, Mike Brewster '09, Dan Rogers '09, Eric Zerrahn '11, Eric Miccio '12 Ian O'Brien '12 and Britton Leone '12. Like most alumni games, the ex-Lakers were more focused on celebrating Friday night than preparing for Saturday morning's game. All the same, the alumni had put together a competitive roster that was sure to test the Oswego Lakers on this beautiful October morning. A 6-3 half time lead quickly developed into a 20-6 blowout in favor of the young guns. Stamina proved to be a gigantic factor in the game, as the out of shape alumni failed to keep up with the well conditioned varsity team. Assistant coach Kyle DeRosa was kind enough to sit down with me, and discuss what the coaching staff was looking to get out of this event.
What were your overall thoughts on this year's alumni game?
"I thought we played well, it's always good to see someone else across the ball from us. Obviously the alumni are here to have fun but we take the game very seriously. It's an opportunity for us to get better and I think we did that today."
What was the coaching staff looking to see from the Varsity team in this game? What were you hoping to gain?
"Fundamentals and hustle are what we're looking for at this point. We barely have two weeks of practice under our belt, hard work is all we're looking for right now and that's how we're going to get better. So far we've only implemented a couple basic motion offense's and a couple simple defensive packages. It's still so early in the season we've got a lot of time to work out the details, for now we just want to get the new guys comfortable so we can eventually grow as a team."
Did any particular players stand out?
"I thought Matt Palmer played terrific. We're giving him the added responsibility of taking some face offs for us this year and he's performed great so far both in practice and especially the alumni game. With his athleticism, he's the type of guy you want on the field regardless of where it is. Matt had an outstanding Freshman year in 2011 at midfield, and didn't see as much time this past season. You can tell he's coming into his Junior year with something to prove."
What do you guys need to work on to prepare for the Nazareth scrimmage, and more importantly the Spring?
"Like I said earlier, fundamentals and hustle are what we're focused on for the Fall. We'll work on the X's and O's when we have to, but for now it's hard work that's going to bring these guys together as a team and build their chemistry. Nazareth is a first class program, but we're concerned about ourselves. For the first time a few years, we've got a very experienced team at all positions. These guys have been producing for us since they were Freshman, they know what's expected of them. Everybody's excited about this season, but it's the work we put in during the Fall that's going to get us there."
What were your overall thoughts on this year's alumni game?
"I thought we played well, it's always good to see someone else across the ball from us. Obviously the alumni are here to have fun but we take the game very seriously. It's an opportunity for us to get better and I think we did that today."
What was the coaching staff looking to see from the Varsity team in this game? What were you hoping to gain?
"Fundamentals and hustle are what we're looking for at this point. We barely have two weeks of practice under our belt, hard work is all we're looking for right now and that's how we're going to get better. So far we've only implemented a couple basic motion offense's and a couple simple defensive packages. It's still so early in the season we've got a lot of time to work out the details, for now we just want to get the new guys comfortable so we can eventually grow as a team."
Did any particular players stand out?
"I thought Matt Palmer played terrific. We're giving him the added responsibility of taking some face offs for us this year and he's performed great so far both in practice and especially the alumni game. With his athleticism, he's the type of guy you want on the field regardless of where it is. Matt had an outstanding Freshman year in 2011 at midfield, and didn't see as much time this past season. You can tell he's coming into his Junior year with something to prove."
What do you guys need to work on to prepare for the Nazareth scrimmage, and more importantly the Spring?
"Like I said earlier, fundamentals and hustle are what we're focused on for the Fall. We'll work on the X's and O's when we have to, but for now it's hard work that's going to bring these guys together as a team and build their chemistry. Nazareth is a first class program, but we're concerned about ourselves. For the first time a few years, we've got a very experienced team at all positions. These guys have been producing for us since they were Freshman, they know what's expected of them. Everybody's excited about this season, but it's the work we put in during the Fall that's going to get us there."
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Unfinished Business
Last year the Oswego State Men's Lacrosse team finished with a lackluster 8-7 overall record, and a subpar 2-4 SUNYAC conference record. The Lakers did not qualify for the SUNYAC playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Many look at those numbers, and expect similar results from Oswego in 2014. However, those who are knowledgeable on SUNYAC lacrosse are very aware of this Laker team and what they are capable of come Spring.
There are two huge factors regarding last season that have Oswego players, alumni and fans excited for the upcoming season. First off, last year's 8-7 record could have easily been 12-3. Four of last season's seven losses came by just a single goal, three of which in overtime. Take into consideration the back and forth contest with St. John Fisher in which the Cardinals ended up besting Oswego 9-6, and the Lakers were just a handful of plays away from a 13-2 record. Secondly and more importantly, nearly 80% of Oswego's offensive production is returning from last year and will have the opportunity to avenge those one goal losses this season. The Sophomores and Juniors that produced for Oswego last season are now Juniors and Seniors with a bitter taste in their mouths. The talent of this Oswego roster now equipped with experience makes for a dangerous lacrosse team.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)