The Cinderella stories that have spiced up the NCAA tournament in recent years — such as unseeded Notre Dame riding senior goalie and tournament MOP Scott Rodgers to within a goal of winning it all against heavy favorite Duke in 2010 — have produced some common threads.


What makes a potential dark horse shine under the glare of May and its postseason pressure? Coaches


usually point to the ability to control possessions, make big saves and finish plays with high-quality shooters. Other factors that help to fuel Cinderella rides include veteran leadership, controlling tempo, and feeding off late-season momentum and the confidence it brings. “You’ve got to have great players spread around the field, and it really helps if they are some of your best leaders,” said Massachusetts coach Greg Cannella, whose unseeded Minutemen knocked off favored Maryland in the 2006 semifinals before losing


Irish, who each burst into the final four in 2001 largely on the strength of stout goalies, clutch faceoff men, dangerous shooters and leaders on a roll. Think of Notre Dame senior goalie Kirk Howell and Towson senior attackman and top scorer Kyle Campbell performing at exceptional levels down the stretch. Think of the Minutemen in 2006, when senior faceoff specialist Jake Deane stole countless possessions during their


playoff tear, and senior All-Americans such as attackman Sean Morris and close


to undefeated


Virginia in the final. “UMass is the kind of program where your juniors and seniors have to be good or great for you to do something special.” Think of the Towson Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting


defenseman Jack Reid helped carry UMass all the way to the NCAA title game, following a methodical, 8-5 upset over Maryland in the semifinals. Think of the Midshipmen of Navy, who came together early in 2004 with a superb collection of speed, smarts, skill and toughness, young and old. The Mids, who finished a 15-3 season with a 14-13 loss to Syracuse in one


Alex Smith (Delaware 2007)


56 LACROSSE MAGAZINE May 2012>>


A Publication of US Lacrosse


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