Syracuse, Army, Maryland Takeaways from the Bronx Lacrosse Classic

The schedule featured two scrimmages, one women’s game and one men’s game, followed by a clinic for youth players that including coaching from some of the college athletes and coaching staffs. Food trucks and merch were on site as well, with all proceeds benefitting Bronx Lacrosse, an organization whose mission is “to improve educational opportunities and life outcomes for underserved middle school and high school students in the Bronx, using lacrosse to build community, invest students in school, and improve academics.”

With a large crowd on site, it was a win all around for lacrosse fans.

The first action of the day featured the Syracuse women against the Army women. While they don’t give out championships in October, it was hard to ignore just how one sided the scrimmage became. When all was said and done, Syracuse was on top with an unofficial score of 21-5.

The Orange were dominant on ground balls and played with a ton of speed to find transition chances. Syracuse scored 13 first-half goals, with 10 of them in transition, on early offense, or from an unsettled set.

Several players took draws for the Orange, and all of them were largely successful. Joely Caramelli was excellent, keeping the ball with the Orange and even taking one for a scoop and score in the early portion of the game. She finished with two goals. Natalie Daniels also had draw success and two goals.

Peyton Rothfuss, a highly touted first-year player, ran with the first unit on offense and played well. Unofficially, she had two assists and a goal. The helpers came in transition, as she was able to quickly make smart decisions and move the ball ahead for easy scoring opportunities. Casey Cummings, another first year, won some draws with the first unit and added a goal at the attack spot late.

Ten players scored for the Orange, and half of those players had multiple scores. Along with the above, the Orange got goals from Bri Peters, Ella Peers, Alexa Vogelman, Annie Parker, Allison Hankins, Molly Guzik, and Mileena Cotter. It’s a long list of weapons contributing to the scoresheet.

In settled sets, the Orange moved the ball rapidly to create space on the interior. The Orange look ready to play some track meets this spring.

Army is going to adjust to a new-look offense. Brigid Duffy, Allison Reilly, and Lily Valentini all graduated, taking 310 points of offense with them. Tthe top six scorers overall will need to be replaced this season. So far, not surprisingly for October 10, things still look like a bit of a work in progress. 

Army’s offensive struggles were exacerbated by struggles on the draw. With Syracuse dominating the circle and balls off the ground, the field was severely tilted. The Army offense barely had the ball for the entire third quarter, not to mention large chunks of time in the first half. 

The possession disparity put Army in an early hole. It was 4-0 by the time fans were in their seats. Midfield captain Kate Gallagher scored Army’s first goal, running through the Syracuse defense. Fellow Army captain Ryan Remaly added another from a free position. 

In a few ways, the story for Army was playing well in spurts but not being able to find a rhythm. In settled sets on defense, Army looked solid. The Black Knights just had trouble limiting transition opportunities and led to the big deficit. With numbers on offense, Army had some solid scoring opportunities. But again, a lack of success in the middle of the field limited those opportunities. 

Thais Jackson was a bright spot for Army. She got free on the left side to feed the interior. She had several feeds in front that likely get caught and finished in the spring, but the timing was just not quite where it needed to be yet. One of her feeds actually took a deflection and bounced into the goal. Expect to see her as a key part of the offense going forward. 

The day’s second game was between the Maryland men and Army and ended in a much closer score — quite literally the closest a score can be. The teams played five periods, the first four being standard quarters and then an additional 10-minute running time period, and the unofficial final score was 11-11. 

Maryland started Spencer Ford on attack along with a pair of transfers in Garrett Haas (Ohio State) and Ryan Demato (UMBC). Haas did the bulk of the scoring, notching four goals. All four were unassisted, with three coming on dodges from behind the goal. He looked very much like the offensive party starter for the Terps, although it is worth noting that Elijah Stobaugh did not play. 

Army’s standouts were Hill Plunkett and Brayden Fountain. As a dodger, Plunkett looked like he was in midseason form. In the second quarter, a shoulder fake and split dodge sent his defender to the ground, letting Plunkett step in for a goal on a highlight reel play. 

Fountain showed off serious shooting ability, putting in three goals — some from long range. Army’s offense continues to be shaped by its ability to switch matchups for primary dodgers and attack short sticks. They were effective doing this to Maryland in the earlier stages, allowing them to build a lead. 

Midfielder Aidan Weisenborn had the game’s first goal, scoring as a downhill dodger through contact, showing off another element of what Army can do. Weisenborn’s size was an asset, as some of Maryland’s rope unit didn’t look ready to handle his 6-3, 200-pound frame. 

Army’s physicality and size was most evident on the defensive side of the ball. Long-stick midfielder Drew Miller is 6-3, 220 pounds. Top short stick Grant Masterson is 6-3, 205 pounds. Down low, Jimmy Manley is 6-3 and 210 pounds, Tommy Stines is easily north of 200 pounds. 

In one sequence, a Maryland dodger attacking from X tried to push above goal line extended, and the Army defender shoved him into the crease in a way that looked like he picked up the dodger and threw him to the ground. 

The defense has long been the heart and identity of Army and expect to see the Black Knights setting the tone throughout the season yet again. Tade Wynn got the start in net, and he figures to be charged with replacing graduated All-American Sean Byrne. He made routine saves and was effective in the clearing game, including a pair of clean saves that started transition.