May 1, 2006

By Paul Carcaterra

Special to CSTV.com

E-mail here!	PAUL CARCATERRA An analyst for CSTV, Paul was All-American on Syracuse's '95 title team. He is president of No Limit Lacrosse Camps, and developer for Maverik Lacrosse.

        ---   Column Archive   ---   MEN'S LACROSSE 6/4: Singing a Different Tune 5/24: Don't Forget the Blue Jays 5/16: Underdogs Closing In On Baltimore 5/7: Rabil Coming on Strong For Hopkins 5/7: Big Snub For Big Red 4/30: DiNola, Daratsos Keep Navy In Stride 4/23: McMonagle Anchors Big Red Defense 4/16: Duke's Midfield the Difference 4/11: Back To Business 4/9: A Terp and Blue Devil Garner High Praise 3/26: Big Red Hits the Big Time 3/19: Bocklet Has Been The Answer For Fairfield 3/12: Yale's Washabaugh Shows Dominance At First Four 3/5: Blue Devils Still In The Spotlight 2/26: Upsets From Great Coaching 2/19: On the Wall - Early Thoughts 2/13: The Race Is On 2/12: Syracuse's Midfield Trio Looks To Be Dominant In '07   2006 5/23: On the Wall - Down To Four 5/15: On the Wall - Tournament Edition 5/08: On the Wall - Bracket Breakdown 5/01: On the Wall - Making Their Mark 4/24: On the Wall - Another Good One 4/17: On the Wall - Hen Pecked 4/10: Turning Points 4/02: Duke Scandal and More 3/26: Duke is Talk of Lacrosse World 3/20: Parity Joins the Party 3/13: Movin' On Up 3/6: Two Extremes and Much More 2/27: Early Season Thoughts 2/13: Preseason Top Ten 2/10: Preseason All-Americans 2/10: Preseason Notables  

In one of this weeks surprisingly huge games, Penn faces off against Maryland this Saturday (CSTV, 1pm). This contest should really shake up the rankings if Penn wins. Penn could argue to be a top 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with only two losses, and a win over Cornell. If the Quakers lose, both teams will still get in to the tournament.

On a team that is focused mostly on stalwart defense, a star has risen in Philly. The Quakers' top playmaker this year has been D.J. Andrzewski.  Consistently drawing the opposition's top defensive player, the senior attackman has delivered.  Look for Andrzewski to land a spot on an All-American team, as he will reach the 40-point plateau (he is currently at 39).

Another senior who has been making noise for the Quakers is James Riordan. With a lacrosse pedigree second to none, Riordan (brother Terry was the National Player of the Year for Johns Hopkins in 1995 and is the school's all-time leading goal scorer) has saved his best season for last. With Riordan's multiple game-winning goals this year, Penn has their face on the map. Penn has won ten games for the first time since 1988, when they took one of the greatest teams ever assembled down to the final six seconds, but ran into a Paul Gait miraculous finish.

Golden Whistle

What do Dave Pietramala, John Danowski and Brian Voelker all have in common? Well, all three will be taking their respective teams to the playoffs this year.  But they also have another bond; they all were head assistants to Tony Seaman.

John Haus, Stan Ross, and Jim Stagnitta are also coaching Division I squads, and were protégés in Tony Seaman's system. It's hard to find a coach out there with such an amazing legacy. He is a Hall of Famer in his own right - a three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, the only coach to take three teams to the Final Four, and one of two coaches ever to make the playoffs in seventeen seasons. As he finishes his 25th year on the sidelines at Towson, one must sit back and appreciate his impact on the modern era. 

Not Folding Up the Tent

After a 1-4 start, Syracuse was heading somewhere it hadn't traveled in 27 years.  Not participating in the NCAA tournament was a legitimate concern for Orange fans.  Not so fast.  After reeling off six straight wins, three of which came against Top 10 teams (Princeton, Cornell, UMass), the Orange are primed for another run during the month of May. The bad news for the rest of the tournament field is the Orange will be sliding in at a seed between five and eight.  This means John Desko's boys will play the role of nightmare for a higher-seeded squad that is being rewarded with a potential quarterfinal game with one of the hottest teams in the country. Look for the NCAA to possibly match the Orange up with Hofstra.  This game on Long Island would be a huge draw and create what the NCAA likes...money.

Credit Coach Desko and his staff, especially Roy Simmons III, who turned around a defense that had serious problems. The biggest adjustment that was made was moving Stephen Panerelli from close defense to long stick midfield, which allows him to play on the perimeter and ignite the Orange transition game. Sticking with redshirt freshman goalie Peter Coluccini is paying dividends, as Coluccini has been super during the win streak.

First Impression

After watching Princeton's Alex Hewit on film a few times, I was thoroughly impressed. Watching him play live made me even more of a believer.  Hewit is a sensational netminder, and on Saturday against Dartmouth, the Big Green had an 11-3 shot advantage at one point in the first quarter.  The score was 4-3 Princeton at that point.  The reason - Alex Hewit.  Hewit never gave Dartmouth an opportunity to gain momentum.  He plays his angles masterfully, and his hands are the quickest I have seen this season.  Hewit has been his best against the stiffest competition. Princeton goaltenders are not often asked to take over games. Hewit has, and might be on his way to claiming First Team All-American. 

Nuts and Bolts

After winning the ACC Championship, the Virginia Cavaliers have their eyes on the big prize - the NCAA Title. So much is said about Matt Ward, Ben Rubeor and Kyle Dixon, and deservingly so.  Sprinkle in dynamite freshmen Danny Glading and Garrett Billings and the combination of youth and experience reigns supreme.

However, two midfielders who do not get the attention are Matt Poskay and Drew Thompson.  All Poskay has done over the past two seasons is record back-to-back 29 goal seasons.  He is a tremendous finisher inside and a sharp shooter from 10 yards.  Thompson is the most well-rounded midfielder in the game.  He has 14 goals and 15 assists and also faces off at a rate of 57%.  The junior from Northport, N.Y. was one of the top recruits in the nation a few years back, and is playing like it after blowing his knee out during his freshman season.  UVA's first midfield of Dixon, Ward, and Poskay should all land spots on All-American teams, with Thompson a serious contender for the First Team.