Taylor's 10: Recognizing Teams Doing the Little Things

Taylor Cummings is a three-time Tewaaraton Award winner, a two-time gold medalist with the U.S. women’s national team, the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse champion and the head coach at McDonogh (Md.). “Taylor’s 10” is presented by Gait Lacrosse. Be legendary.

The little things are often what make the biggest differences in the outcomes of women’s lacrosse games.

Winning ground balls. Securing draws. Maintaining a high shooting percentage. Valuing the ball on the clear. Riding hard. Chasing shots to the endline. Forcing and sticking 8-meter opportunities. Limiting opportunities for opposing offenses. Getting sticks in passing lanes. Defending cutters well.

Some of these little things will end up on the stat sheet, while others will not, but their importance — especially when coupled together — is often the catalyst to victory for teams. This week’s focus wasn’t necessarily about outcomes or standout individual performances, but about the small parts of the game that teams are doing very well right now.

If these teams can continue to dominate in these areas as the season progresses, they will be incredibly dangerous come tournament time.

1. Towson’s ride

Towson struggled in its loss against Loyola in multiple areas, but the ride was exceptional at times. The Tigers’ attackers were hunting in packs, shifting their zone back and forth across the field and communicating through bumps and slides at a very fast pace. Their work helped take a ton of time off Loyola’s shot clock consistently and gave their defense a little bit more time to get organized.

2. Marquette’s feeding ability

Marquette was able to put up 14 goals against powerhouse Northwestern thanks to its vision on the offensive end and the willingness to share the ball. In particular, Mary Schumar’s feed-first mentality helped her dissect the Wildcat zone and tally eight assists. If Marquette can continue to share the ball well, it will find success against all different defensive schemes this season.

3. Xavier’s “ground balls win games” mentality

Although Xavier lost the overall ground ball battle 25-21 to Radford, the timing of some of their ground ball victories was crucial. In the second half, the Musketeers were able to secure more loose balls than Radford, as they went on to win their first-ever game as a program. In tightly matched contests such as this one, winning the possession time battle is critical, especially at the end of the game. Defender Sydney Saba was the difference maker in this statistical category, as she collected five of her own ground balls.

4. North Carolina’s circle play

UNC utilizes its speed and athleticism on the draw circle better than most teams in the country. The Tar Heels always have talented centers, but more often than not, it’s their play on the circle that trips opponents up. Emily Nalls and Co. are smart, aggressive, gritty and have a knack for finding the ball in the air and off the turf, which makes them so tough to game plan for. The Tar Heels also value the important concept that the three players on the draw are a team within the team and that communication and trust between the group is vital.

5. Penn State’s ball security

Penn State’s ability to earn possession off the draw or on the ground and then use those opportunities to generate solid offensive possessions was simply impressive. Ball security is not limited solely to the clearing game, and Penn State showcased that it valued the ball all over the field both with its shot selection and decision making on the offensive end. In a low-scoring victory against Arizona State, the Nittany Lions were not only able to outshoot their opponent by a 17-shot margin, but had nine fewer turnovers in the process.

6. Clemson’s lockdown defense

The Tigers kept their contest against Notre Dame close thanks to their lockdown defense and superb play from goalie Emily Lamparter. The part of their defensive game that stood out most was how they consistently limited the Irish to one opportunity on their offensive possessions. As soon as there was a dropped pass, ground ball or save, the Tigers capitalized on the mistake and swarmed until they won possession.

7. Ohio State’s clearing consistency

Despite the loss to Denver this weekend, Ohio State has something to be proud of with its clearing game. Against one of the top teams in the country, the Buckeyes were 100 percent with their clears, a sign that they valued the ball and took their time getting it into their offensive end. Not having careless turnovers is a huge sign of maturity in this Buckeye’s team and will help them as the season progresses.

8. Albany’s defensive communication

Albany plays a shifting zone in which defensive players constantly pass off cutters to one another. This type of zone is only successful if there is endless and clear communication among every player on the field and if everyone is on the same page each defensive set. The Great Danes were seen directing one another and working as a tight knit unit on each possession, which helped them seal their close victory over Brown on Saturday.

9. Maryland’s free position accuracy

Florida’s defense fouled 27 times in Saturday’s contest and earned four yellow cards in the process, resulting in multiple player-up opportunities and free position shots for the Terps. Maryland was able to convert on 5 of 6 attempts from the 8-meter arc, resulting in one-goal win.  This was an area that the Terps struggled with in their game against Syracuse, but they were able to put these opportunities away consistently this weekend.

10. Georgetown’s defensive composure

Harvard had three opportunities in the last minute of regulation to tie the score, but Georgetown’s defense was able to withstand the pressure. The Hoyas forced low-angle shots, made the necessary saves and were able to collect the ball off the turf after the third attempt to secure the win. Some teams fold under that type of pressure, but the Hoyas were able to hang on and earn their first victory of the season.