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Blessed start to Summer 2017!
@CFJastrzembski #WhitneyInOT pic.twitter.com/SzizzriTz7
— College Crosse (@SexyTimeLax) June 1, 2017
Most of the non-insane lacrosse goals that you commonly see on TV or social media come in overtime. Sudden death lacrosse can produce some of the best Sportscenter highlights, as each shot is a potential game-winner and momentum swings with each possession.
There were 37 total overtime goals in 2017, and this year, we did a special tribute to all of them. Since we love the late Whitney Houston, we put in her most prolific song “I Will Always Love You” with each goal and added slow motion to the celebrations. We called it #WhitneyInOT on Twitter.* The Boston University Terriers and the Syracuse Orange led the way with three overtime winners in three total overtime games.
Shout out to the Providence Friars for including some Whitney in their postgame montage video of their OT winner over the Drexel Dragons.
And a Whitney curse does indeed exist if you don’t appreciate her on Twitter.
If your team's Twitter account does not appreciate #WhitneyInOT, it will haunt you in the long run. pic.twitter.com/WPABdCVDDK
— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) May 8, 2017
To commemorate the fun season we had, Safe and I put together a list of our Top 10 #WhitneyInOT Goals from 2017. I not only look at the goal scored, but also the celebration that followed afterward. Safe is a big fan of celebration but he also likes the longer videos that play out the entire ending. Let us know what were some of your favorites in the comments section below.
Without further delay, here's our Top 10 2017 #WhitneyInOT moments.
Honorable Mentions
Chris: I really liked Binghamton’s Joe Licata’s top cheddar against Stony Brook, Ohio State’s Johnny Pearson against Maryland, Sacred Heart’s Brian Masi’s epic face-dodge against St. Joe’s, and Villanova’s Danny Seibel’s winner against Maryland.
Safe: My honorable mentions go to Villanova’s Danny Seibel’s tally versus Maryland and Binghamton’s Joe Licata’s goal versus Stony Brook, as I always love a solid GET OFF ME dash after a big OT winner and both of those two delivered in a big way.
10.
Chris: Out of the goals with the best overall skill and lackluster celebration, Maryland’s Connor Kelly takes the cake. He embarrassed Rutgers midfielder Mark Christiano and made him set a pick against his own defenseman. But the Terps played in their third game in eight days and just finished a triple overtime thriller, so that might be why the celebration wasn’t that good.
Safe: Brendan Bomberry’s goal over Johns Hopkins. Mr. Big Shot broke my heart with this OT winner against the Jays.
9.
Chris: I’m putting Bomberry’s corner stinger here. “Lefty” shot with right hand and stung a corner coming right up the middle for the win. And Nick Mariano doesn’t have anyone to celebrate with.
Safe: I always appreciate a nice OT Celly and James Burr’s arrow shot after his OT goal versus Loyola was a pretty quality one for BU.
8.
Chris: Playing in three overtimes is tough. But four is brutal. Yale’s Joseph Sessa did that and wanted the cameras to get that he was the one who just ended Penn’s season. That was also the only Whitney that occurred in a tournament game.
Safe: We’re suckers for the Mercer Bears, so you knew they would be on one our lists. Shout out to Matt Quinn for this winner against the High Point Panthers.
7.
Chris: Simple and sweet. And it got BU to their first ever Patriot League Tournament with their first ever win over the Loyola Greyhounds. James Burr sealed the deal and then went Robin Hood with the bow-and-arrow celebration, similar to what some hockey players do.
Safe: A good mic drop celly will always get my attention, especially one in OT. Monmouth’s Bryce Wasserman hit us with a nice drop after his OT goal against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
6.
Chris: Simpler and sweeter. Monmouth’s Bryce Wasserman, against an unsettled Quinnipiac defense, gets a bounce shot past the Bobcat goaltender for the win. And all he needed to do was to drop the mic. BANG!
Safe: I was 97% sure the 2017 Hopkins squad was the best in program history after Joel Tinney’s cheeky fake OT goal versus Loyola.
5.
Chris: Army West Point’s David Symmes went Marshawn Lynch “Beast Mode” on Notre Dame’s Robert Collins and steamrolled him over en route for a Black Knights win over the Fighting Irish in their season finale. The fans then storm onto the field.
Safe: Syracuse’s Jamie Trimboli’s goal versus Duke in the Dome was pretty great, but he got extra points for surviving the subsequent body-slam after the goal.
4.
Chris: In their season finale, Rutgers’ Kieran Mullins beat Ohio State’s Tom Carey down low, and then started to run around. He tosses his stick and gloves and just ran across the field to the sideline, where he was finally mobbed by his teammates. Sadly, Rutgers never made the tournament. If their social media team respected Whitney, they might have made it.
Safe: Notre Dame’s Ryder Garnsey took over Lacrosse Twitter for a good 3-4 days after this inventive postgame celly after beating Virginia.
3.
Chris: Big ups for a freshman in his first career start getting the game-winner. That was Jamie Trimboli of Syracuse. Taking what was a pass intended for Mariano and stinging that top left corner for the win against the Duke Blue Devils in the Carrier Dome. Watch Mariano again run around in pure delight, but also watch for #19 and #38 hugging each other and then rolling around on the turf.
Safe: Army West Point’s David Symmes demonstrated that brute strength has its perks in lacrosse with this MAN DODGE winner over Notre Dame.
2.
Chris: Joel Tinney showing Loyola fake love to them STRAIGHT UP TO THEIR FACES! In his second fake to start the season, the junior came straight out of the box and showed a fake pass to teammate Patrick Fraser, got four Greyhound defenders to look at Fraser, and was all alone with Loyola goaltender Jacob Stover and found the back of the net. The Blue Jays looked like surefire contenders for the national championship, but then other things happened, like losing to unranked Princeton on the road, 18-7.
Safe: I have a tie here. The 2nd-best team in the Big Ten got my vote for the #2 Whitney In OT Goal of 2017 with their big win over Maryland courtesy of Johnny Pearson. Boss Myers was beaming at the end of this clip.
Safe: Rutgers’ Kieran Mullins with a PERFECTLY executed GET OFF ME dash after his OT winner over Ohio State is my co-#2. (Ed Note: #GawdConference gets two #2s.)
1.
Chris: Ryder Garnsey for the win! The goal was sick, and the celebration was even better! No argument over this one, the ACC wins in something!
Safe: OF COURSE Maryland’s Connor Kelly’s Triple-Whitney OT winner over Rutgers gets the top spot on my list. It’s too on-brand for it not to be.
*WhitneyInOT trivia: The first OT tribute we made was in October of 2016 when we used the Canadian GOAT, Celine Dion, to honor the Syracuse 2009 National Championship winner over Cornell. Celine is a monster and we love her as well, but Whitney is the Queen, so thus we started #WhitneyInOT shortly thereafter.
I hope you're not using a Galaxy Note 7 @4OneTwoLax, because this video is ON FIRE!
— Chris Jastrzembski (@CFJastrzembski) October 14, 2016
CC: @SexyTimeLax pic.twitter.com/92GvMrGalk
Also, shout out to Pittsburgh area icon Coach Perella, who made the first OT tribute of 2017, using Celine for Vermont’s early season winner over Furman and to Dan Aburn of Inside Lacrosse for his Titanic music tributes throughout the season. We love all the grinding!