Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal

Saturday, April 1, 2006 later that night

CSU  22 -  D.U. PIOS (that's PIE – OHS) 7

The most intriguing part of this score is that it was 3-1 for D.U. early on in the game, and still 3-2 for the 'bad guys' after one quarter.  This wasn't totally shocking for me, old Nervous Nelly.  It was a little surprising in that we were behind and not really playing horribly bad or anything, and these guys (opponent) are supposedly nobody, so what was up?  As usual, however, it was the "game of the year" for the D.U. (Pioneers) or "PIOS" club team, and there is no doubt that they do have some decent players.  In fact I did something I never do.  While we were shaking hands after the game I said to one of the D.U. players that he ought to transfer up to CSU and play for us.  I don't know, there was just something about him (besides the two 90 mile an hour shots he put in our corner) that I liked.  It seemed that he would fit on our team and in with our shaggy bunch.  He was seemingly one of our kind.

CIRCLE THE WAGONS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER

So anyway, what I liked about this game in general was that we played better and stronger as the game went on, and this happened partly because we wore them down and partly because they lost a little energy after that early Pioneer surge led them to the head of the first quarter scoring trail. 

After that somewhat slow beginning to our fortunes for the day we got on an 8-goal second quarter ride and I guess one could say that goal drive paced our eventual 15-goal margin of victory.

LIKE A ROLLING STONE

It was not a day that came altogether as easy for me as the score might make it sound, however.  This annual it's-not-really-a-game (it is sanctioned by nothing) always makes me a little paranoid because it's such a complete unknown.  Along with Division I team renogades on the team, I know there are lots of good preppy-from-back-east type players running around the D.U. campus, too, and that there is a chance that they will all show up just to play us.  I'm not sure how much they practice as a team, though, and that is the one thing I always feel that we should and usually do have going for us when we play them.  We are in better team condition and we are way deeper. 

MOO

We did not win by such a large margin today because I came up with a new coaching formula when we were down 3-1 in the first quarter.  No, the team cream pretty much always rises to the top and it did today in rather quick fashion once it got producing product. 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN ELVIS, ER I MEAN JOKISCH HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

The day began with us already having some people out, as in nicked up or actually hurt.  We have one player that we've (hopefully only) temporarily lost to the football team because he made it as a walk-on, one of only ten, and now is the height of Spring football drills.  Adam (#34 - D -) is still out. 

Then, our #1 goalie, Pete (#3 – G – 2006) woke up this morning with a crooked neck.  I heard nothing of this until we were already there on the Peter Barton Stadium field. It did not get straight (his neck that is) all day, almost to the point of my amusement, and so we filled in with the other 4 goalies, and they did fine, but this was not what I planned or wanted for our team progression on this day, and it only served to make me a little more nervous when the score became 3-1 for the other guys.

KATIE BAR THE DOOR

When we got things cranked up it soon became all but over by halftime as we took a 10-4 advantage late in the second quarter and never looked back.  The door was pretty much slammed shut for D.U. in that second stanza.  The final 2 quarters became a lot of fun.  Many people played with very little drop off for us.  We moved the ball pretty well all day, and we had tons of good looks at the opposing goal.

WHERE WAS BIG BROTHER?  Oh, yeah, back home

It was chilly out there. Cool water sprinkles rode the breezes and into my face intermitantly. The city of Denver had lightning and thunder going on pretty good at times during the game, too, and it was all around the campus buildings of D.U. for a minute there, but nobody came by the field to stop us from playing. I am bald as can be but I could feel the electricity making my hair stand up anyway.  Keep playing?  Sure, fine with me.  Must be the private school thing. They bought a beautiful lacrosse field rather than a device to tell you when to evacuate the pasture………

THE TYLER DAN BAND MAKING A LITTLE MUSIC

Danny Stevens (#32 – A – 2007) had 3 goals and 5 assists and he is starting to choose his looks inside better than he ever has, and it is my hope that this trend continues while his feeding accuracy improves even a little more.  Tyler Treece (#30 – A – 2008) matched Danny Boy's 8 points with 6 goals and 2 assists of his own.  This Tyler from Ohio has been finding twine with more regularity each week, and he showed up for us basically from nowhere like a Christmas present for second semester.  Thanks, Santa.  Tyler started creating scoring opportunities the minute he stepped on our practice field.  This is the third game in a row with the Treece-plus-Dan pair matching high powered scoring bullets.  Last week in a game they each had seven points for 14 total, and then today they split the sixteen.

YOU DON'T NEED VIDEO TO SCOUT US

Blabbermouth Diary coach will give up the dirt on CSU.

Someone came over to me early in the third quarter to tell me they (other defense) were shutting off these two. That is they were trying to keep the ball away from them, but I couldn't notice any difference in what was going on, so I did nothing.  Basically the Pios were unable to take either one of these attack men out of the action because they just couldn't keep up.   We were in better shape.

HAWKEYE PIERCE OR SPEARCHUCKER JONES?

Pat Bird (#1 – M – 2007) definitely soared and saw like a hawk on this afternoon.  He had 2 goals and 4 assists and all 4 of his feeds demonstrated the quick making of a good passing choice coupled with a keen eye to have found it in the first place.  I personally think 4 assists for any middie in one game is a very good and high number. I know it is on one of my teams.  I want to put this Bird that we have flying around right now in a cage and quiet at all non-lacrosse times and just save him for lacrosse endeavors.  I think I speak for the team when I say we want more of this kind of Bird filling up our air space.

Lots of guys played well and contributed today, not the least of which was our face-off specialist, Joel Tromburg (#37 – M – 2008), who I already declared the game ball winner for the day.  He had, I think 0, that would be zero points. He just gave us the ball all day so the 'fly boys' could get the actual goals.

DEFENSE WINS, WELL, YOU KNOW

Our defense has been one of those deals where we have had 10 games and like 8 different starting defensive trios for one reason or ten others. We started a new set of three today. Meanwhile I desperately seek a soothing consistency, a close comunication and unity within a total team defensive scheme or plan.  The planning and maintaining of the defensive cast of players has not been easy for me this year.

Our defense is coming along in spite of things, but we need to get the original band back together, connected or practiced, and for some to get healthy.  I like it when we pressure the other team constantly when they have the ball as we did for the most part today.  I say this knowing that sometimes it makes us look like we have a major defensive hole here and or there, but I don't care.  We have been doing a lot less watching other teams play catch this year and it is fully my intention to keep up and on that trend. Besides, goalies are supposed to make saves once in a while.

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