of the best title games ever, didn’t come out of nowhere like Delaware did in ‘07. (The Blue Hens were 6-5 in April and in serious danger of missing their conference tournament before embarking on a seven-game winning streak.) But Navy made its first appearance in the NCAA championship game in 29 years — and hasn’t been to a final four since. That team had a host of scorers led by senior Joe Bossi, the second-ranked faceoff man in the nation in junior Chris Pieczonka and the hottest goalie in Division I in sophomore Matt Russell. The same mix of ingredients applied to Denver last year, when head coach Bill Tierney led the Pioneers to their first-ever final four by engineering a 14-9 takedown of No. 3-seeded Johns Hopkins in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Pioneers, with faceoff ace Chase Carraro, freshman goalie Jamie Faus and an array of finishers led by attackmen Mark Matthews and Alex Demopoulos, caught Hopkins with its striking speed in the first meeting ever between the two schools.
Jake Deane, Jack Reid and Sean Morris (UMass 2006)
“Even though we were 14-2 going into the tournament, we were still kind of under the radar. For one, we’re 2,000 miles from the game’s epicenter,” said Tierney, who thinks Denver exploited its unfamiliarity against the Blue Jays. “We had so many first-time events last year — first ECAC tournament, first NCAA tournament game [a 13-10 win over Villanova] at home. We got used to doing things we weren’t used to, and [Hopkins] had never played us.” “I knew we were in trouble going out there,” recalled Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala, whose Blue Jays had crushed Hofstra — a familiar opponent — in what had been billed as a precarious NCAA tournament first- round game. “So many people were telling my guys to just get past Hofstra, and then you get to beat Denver.” In some of the recent Cinderella surprises, an incredible event on par with Delaware’s Shot Heard Round the Lacrosse World has transpired. In 2006, it was UMass staging an amazing comeback in the quarterfinals against third-seeded Hofstra. Down by
FORMULA FOR
Cinderella
Towson in 2001, Navy in 2004, Massachusetts in 2006, Delaware in 2007, Notre Dame in 2010 and Denver in 2011 all made unlikely runs to the NCAA final four. Here are five key ingredients these thrill- catchers shared.
scoring opportunities, but allow you to control tempo and disrupt a better opponent’s rhythm. Examples: Justin Berry (Towson), Chris Pieczonka (Navy), Jake Deane (UMass), Alex Smith (Delaware) and Chase Carraro (Denver).
1 2
3
Scott Rodgers (Notre Dame 2010)
4 5
A Publication of US Lacrosse Great Goalkeeping Confidence that your goalie
will make all the saves he should and a few he should not will allow your defense to extend and create transition. Examples: Matt Russell (Navy), Doc Schneider (UMass), Tommy Scherr (Delaware), Scott Rodgers (Notre Dame) and Jamie Faus (Denver).
Hot Shooters
It helps to have a resident Canadian, but homegrown
snipers work just as well if they hit their stride at the right time. Examples: Kyle Campbell (Towson), Sean Morris (UMass), Curtis Dickson (Delaware), Zach Brenneman (Notre Dame) and Jeremy Noble (Denver).
Senior Leadership Chemistry, hunger and
a sense of urgency after playing four years together make for great Cinderella stuff. Examples: Navy, UMass, Delaware and Notre Dame.
Momentum
Gotta have a turf troll. Possessions not only lead to
Faceoff Ace
Must-win games either in your conference tournament
or at the end of the regular season propel you into the NCAA tournament with an appreciation for preparedness. Examples: Towson, Navy, Delaware and Denver.
May 2012 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 57
©JOHN STROHSACKER (ALL)
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