College Crosse Prospectus: Virginia’s Williams Ready For Move To Attack

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After playing midfield in his first three years, Virginia’s Zed Williams has turned into an attackman in his final year in Charlottesville, pens Patrick Stevens of USLaxMagazine.com.

Williams could fix that as an attackman, rather than as a midfielder. Tiffany and assistant coach Sean Kirwan moved Williams to attack as they installed their up-tempo system that created so much success at Brown the last two seasons.

“He really fits well into that role,” [Lars] Tiffany said. “We were fortunate to have [Dylan] Molloy and [Kylor] Bellistri and [Henry] Blynn, big, strong goal-scoring attackmen who had a shoot-first mentality and never worried about when we shot, whether it was in transition or early in a possession. They were always ready to score, and Zed has the same mentality.”

Williams could prove to be a perfect match for his new coach in more ways than one. Tiffany grew up near the Onondaga Reservation in central New York and admitted he is eager to reconnect with the Iroquois community on the field.

This much also is clear: Virginia was the right fit for Williams — and his family. When major events happened back home, the message from his parents and siblings remained the same: You’re where we want you to be.

WBAL’s Brett Hollander talks to Towson BOSS Shawn “Captain” Nadelen about the upcoming 2017 season.

Speaking of the captain, I love what he does with his iMac for Skype interviews.

Jacksonville BOSS John Galloway talks about Saturday’s season opener against Lehigh (click the link in the tweet)

And if podcasts aren’t your thing (they should be because we have one and you should subscribe to it), Jack Goods of the Marquette Wire previews the Golden Eagles.

Midfield: When Kyle Whitlow went down with a season-ending knee injury in nonconference play, it felt like a back breaker. Marquette fought on, and if you want to find a silver lining from the injury, it prepared the Golden Eagles midfield for his departure.

Senior Andy DeMichiei took over both literally and symbolically. He finished third on the team in scoring, and when the team misplaced his uniform on the trip to Denver for the BIG EAST Tournament, he wore Whitlow’s No. 6 instead. He stuck with it last season after it brought the team luck and will continue to wear it this season.

One of the best signs for the future offense is a pair of underclassmen on the offensive midfield with plenty of potential, Tanner Thomson and John Wagner. Thompson, a junior, scored 19 goals and two assists in 15 games.

Wagner took time to adjust to the college level and moved between attack and midfield a bit last season, but came with high expectations. Ranked as one of the top-200 seniors in his high school class by StudentSports, Wagner was a three-time All-State selection in Michigan and played for Canada this summer at the U-19 World Championship.

Zack Melillo will be vital at the faceoff-X once again. A transfer from NJIT, he won 56 percent of his draws in his first season as a Golden Eagle.

Thank you, lacrosse and football gods (and Michigan athletics).

The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team will host the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Battle at the Big House Saturday, April 15, at 10:30 a.m. at Michigan Stadium. The matchup precedes the U-M spring football game and will be broadcast live via the Big Ten Network.

The Wolverines will host the event for the fourth time and the third time against Ohio State. The 10:30 a.m. start marks the first time in the series history that the men's lacrosse team will take the field prior to the spring football game in Ann Arbor.

Admission to both the lacrosse game as well as the spring practice is free of charge.

Check out all the CAA games that will be on LSN this year.

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#WhyD3 is overlooked in the lacrosse world! Here’s a top 20 preview from Matt Hamilton of USLaxMagazine.com.

1. SALISBURY

The Sea Gulls have more than a handful of returners, including Nate Blondino, Carson Kalama and Andrew Ternahan. There’s no reason Salisbury can’t contend for a second straight national title.

2. ITHACA

Ithaca led the nation in scoring last year and brings back almost all of its starting offense. The Bombers will be stacked and should be even stronger in 2017. Look for Jake Cotton and Jack Shumway to lead the way once again.

3. TUFTS

Tufts lost two of the most important components of its fast-paced offense in 2016: John Uppgren and coach Mike Daly. Casey D’Annolfo takes over a roster that includes two of its top five scorers from 2016. Tufts has a lot of questions heading into this year, but remains a strong team.

4. RIT

RIT returns its top two scorers, but the loss of a couple of defenders and long-stick midfielder Matt Hossack created a void. The quicker it can be filled, the better the chances are for this team that still has potential to win it all.

The latest episode of The Mick pokes fun at, you guessed it, lax bros.

Philly Jawns

Philly lacrosse news! This year’s PIAA Lacrosse Championships will once again be held at West Chester East high school. Last year, the championships were moved to West Chester East instead of its usual location at HersheyPark Stadium because the venue was also booked for a Beyoncé concert.

Happy birthday to the goat basketball venue, The Palestra! It turns 90 this year.

John Kruk is back with the Phillies, this time as a color commentator!

World News

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Tesla’s Model S is now the fastest car in the world.

Video of the Day

It looks like former President Barack Obama is enjoying life outside the White House!

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