Archive: May 18, 2008 - May 24, 2008
Maryland's Disallowed Goal
BOSTON--Warren Kimber, the head of selection referees for the NCAA tournament, without hesitation said it was a correct call to disallow a goal by Maryland early in the fourth quarter against Virginia in the quarterfinals last week. "A Maryland player clearly was in the crease," Kimber said on Friday. Maryland...
By Christian Swezey | May 24, 2008; 8:32 AM ET | Comments (0)
Rhino Bar Event
For those who did not come to Foxborough/Foxboro, please don't forget about the fundraiser that Jon Halperin is running at Rhino Bar in Georgetown. A $10 cover is being charged; 80% will go to breast cancer research, the other 20% to the Tewaaraton Award scholarship fund. The cover charge entitles...
By Christian Swezey | May 24, 2008; 8:09 AM ET | Comments (0)
Thoughts from the Final Four
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan...
By Christian Swezey | May 24, 2008; 7:54 AM ET | Comments (0)
From Foxborough
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.--Arrived at Gillette Stadium a little while ago. There were signs all over Logan Airport in Boston welcoming fans for the 2008 Lacrosse Championships. And fwiw, the sign as one enters town reads "Foxborough," even though the maps read "Foxboro." Frankly, this argument is as tired as the Duke...
By Christian Swezey | May 23, 2008; 9:59 AM ET | Comments (0)
Games Within the Game, Hopkins-Duke
A few things to maybe keep an eye on for the Hopkins-Duke semifinal... 1. Duke MF Ned Crotty vs. Johns Hopkins LSM Matt Drenan. Crotty won the matchup in the regular season: He scored three goals in the first half, all on roughly the same move. He went behind the...
By Christian Swezey | May 22, 2008; 10:49 AM ET | Comments (9)
Keeping It Hot, 5/22
*The weather forecasts for the Boston area: Saturday, 66 degrees and cloudy; Monday, 74 and cloudy. *Earlier, I referenced why Maryland and Navy reminded me of a quote from a high school football coach in Valdosta. Ga. The late Valdosta coach Nick Hyder went 249-36-2 and won seven state titles...
By Christian Swezey | May 22, 2008; 9:38 AM ET | Comments (0)
Champions League Final, Lacrosse Angle
No, you haven't stumbled onto former WaPo lacrosse beat writer Steve Goff's Soccer Insider by mistake. Today marks one of the great moments in the sporting calendar, the Champions League final. The game pits two English teams, Manchester United (cheers!) against Chelsea (who are ya?). But I'm not the only...
By Christian Swezey | May 21, 2008; 2:23 PM ET | Comments (1)
How to Beat a Zone Defense
This post is in case Virginia uses its zone defense again this weekend. I'd be surprised if it opened in a zone; but if Syracuse's midfielders prove too much for Virginia's shortstick defenders, then a zone may be the answer. *Take Outside Shots. In this regard, attacking the zone is...
By Christian Swezey | May 21, 2008; 9:47 AM ET | Comments (0)
Tuesday's Times of London
A daily ritual of mine is to buy the same-day Times of London at a convenience store down the street from my house in DC. (The Times is owned by Rupert Murdoch and is printed and distributed on the East Coast via the NY Post printing presses. Murdoch owns that...
By Christian Swezey | May 21, 2008; 6:15 AM ET | Comments (3)
Duke's Shooting in NCAA Quarterfinal History
Duke made 21 of 50 shots (42 percent) in its quarterfinal win over Ohio State yesterday. That shooting percentage was one of the best in quarterfinals history. 1977 Navy 14 for 20 (.700) vs. Penn 1971 Army 19 for 30 (.630) vs. Hofstra 1985 North Carolina 16 for 31 (.526)...
By Christian Swezey | May 19, 2008; 12:19 PM ET | Comments (1)
The Weekend That Was (Updated)
The semifinals are set for Saturday. No. 3 Syracuse vs. No. 2 Virginia, noon No. 5 Johns Hopkins vs. No. 1 Duke, 2:30 Here's a look at some of the games over the weekend. *Did Notre Dame Have Prom on Saturday Night? In the first half of its quarterfinal against...
By Christian Swezey | May 19, 2008; 10:01 AM ET | Comments (12)
Today's Plan
The second round of quarterfinal games are being played today in Ithaca, N.Y. Both games are on ESPNU. Top-seeded Duke plays Ohio State at noon. The second game pits No 6 Notre Dame and No. 3 Syracuse, at 3 p.m. If you're like me and don't have ESPNU, there's a...
By Christian Swezey | May 18, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
One-Stop Sunday Shopping
The Baltimore Sun focused on Maryland's game plan in its 8-7 overtime loss to Virginia. From Hopkins-Navy, it thought the crucial play was the save and subsequent goal just before halftime. The Washington Post's story on Hopkins-Navy agreed with the Sun story about the crucial play. And The Washington Times...
By Christian Swezey | May 18, 2008; 10:15 AM ET | Comments (0)
