The women's game has progressed with improved stick technology. The new sticks allow pretty hard shots. NU shot a couple of "frees" without advancing. . Women's sticks do not have deep pockets, so they are checked after each shot to insure that the pockets remain legal. My son would always have his stick checked before a game, which made it less likely to be randomly checked during the game. Men's sticks have much deeper pockets , which helps maintain ball possession and improves passing/shooting accuracy. It was not uncommon for men to use cheat strings that could be pulled to make an illegal pocket "legal"
The fieldhouse looked great on TV. I saw some primitive seating behind one goal but what is the capacity. Are there balcony seats? I have only been in Ryan once and do not remember where spectators sit.
NU played great defense today, certainly more physical than used to be allowed. It was an entertaining game to watch
Definitely one of the most entertaining in a long time. The team this year appears to have all the pieces to make a strong run at the title - as this game clearly demonstrated. Izzy as a scoring machine, a deep attack unit with Izzy as an assist machine when doubled, tenacious D, shorthanded goal scoring, inspired goal keeping, senior leadership, etc. I thought the D played really soundly - especially when man down. Physical - yes, aggressive but also disciplined. A strong win over BC and NC, and a nail biter loss to begin the season against syracure and things are looking promising this season!
The only thing i worry about is draw control. Seemed like we had no response when NC ran off a run of 7-10 draw wins - some hustle loose ball scrambles by the NC middies, but also several technical problems as the draw play was blown dead and possession was repeatedly awarded to NC. At one point, i got despondent about our ability to win a draw but Laliberty came up with another amazing save and initiated a possession that ended with a fabulous score by Skane or Amonte. NC momentum stopped cold. Phew.
Go Cats!