Weekender: Georgia on Their Mind
Opinion
| Arizona
| Arizona State
| BYU
| Cal Poly
| California
| Central Michigan
| Chapman
| Coastal Carolina
| Florida
| FGCU
| Georgia Tech
| Kennesaw State
| Montana
| NDSU
| NNU
| Oregon
| St. Johns
| Utah
| Utah Valley
| Virginia Tech
| Wake Forest
by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us
LA CROSSE, Wis. – It’s the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back. Isn’t that how it goes?
It’s an old coaching maxim stressing the importance of team over the individual. The player is putting in the effort for the collective, not personal glory.
There is certainly a little bit of that when the Kennesaw State student-athletes don their jerseys, even if the school’s name is on the back, as well. But the Owls like to show out for something a little larger.
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They play for the Peach State.
That’s because every single domestic player and coach on the Kennesaw roster went to high school in Georgia.
“We are home grown,” proudly stated Kennesaw State coach Ben Greenough. “We’re trying to represent the state to the best of our abilities.”
Having a lot of local kids is not a terribly big surprise at a large state institution. That’s kind of the whole basis of the state school system – keep your best and brightest within the borders via a comprehensive and affordable educational option.
For a lacrosse team – and a highly successful one, at that – to be strictly homegrown is certainly an anomaly. Georgia certainly produces its fair share of quality college lacrosse players, but it would not be considered a ‘hot bed,’ in the sports’ parlance.
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It’s working this season for the Owls, however. They are currently 6-2 (5-1 against D-II competition) and ranked No. 10 in the country. They’d be ranked even higher if not for a stumble two weeks ago.
In a surprise at the time, Coastal Carolina stung Kennesaw, 12-11, blunting the Owls momentum. It was an eye-opener.
“Credit to Coastal,” said Greenough. “They are a heck of a team.”
More daunting was the fact that KSU had to face Wake Forest the following day. The Demon Deacons had just shocked defending national champion Dayton 24 hours earlier and hadn’t allowed double digits to any team – including UNC-Charlotte – all season.
Kennesaw pummeled Wake, 20-9.
“We had to sit back and reflect,” admitted Greenough. “What I saw the next day was that our guys came together as a team. I learned that it's less about strategy and more about people. Just continuing to build trust with each other every day is something we can use going forward.”
Greenough singles out 6-foot-5 middie Jack Guiney (Milton, Ga.) and attackman Andrew Barner (Marrietta, Ga.) – both senior captains – for the team’s success, citing the duo’s ability to keep things light and energetic.
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This is a necessity with Kennesaw in the middle of a three-week hiatus between games. The break comes as a respite after being on the road for five-straight weekends.
“All that traveling kind of takes its toll, especially with them having to juggle classes and their lives outside of lacrosse,” Greenough said.
Having a long, midseason intermission has its drawbacks, as well.
“Things can kind of get stale,” Greenough admitted. “You feel like you're making progress only to basically start over with a break like this.”
With No. 4 Charlotte up next, Kennesaw can’t afford any regression. They’ll have to be at their sharpest. Fortunately, they are playing for more than themselves.
They are repping a state.
GAMES I’M FOLLOWING
No. 18 Arizona State at No. 8 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m. – Friday
After strong starts to the seasons, these two have run into a wall of late. The Sun Devils are riding a three-game losing streak while the former No. 1 Yellow Jackets got jumped for a pair of setbacks last weekend. I covered the perils of cross-country travel earlier, so the odds are stacked against ASU. Alas, there’s something missing from Tech’s approach recently. We’ll see if they can regain top form.
No. 16 North Dakota State at St. John’s, 7:45 p.m. - Friday
A top seed in the UMLC D-II tournament is the difference between a two-game run to a championship and a three-game skein, so these subdivisional matchups have meaning. The Bison are clear favorites, but a win could change the entire arc of the Johnnies season.
No. 10 California at No. 23 Cal Poly, 12 p.m. – Saturday
There are 13 spots in the poll between these two, but it won’t feel like it on Saturday. This will be a dogfight as both have designs on grabbing the top seed in the WCLL tournament. The Bears have the confidence gained from knocking off Georgia Tech, but they also might be a little gun-shy after ceding a 19-burger to Texas. The Mustangs are 0-3 against ranked teams so far this season, so they’ll be trying to snap that skid at home.
No. 1 Chapman at No. 22 Arizona, 2 p.m. - Saturday
Arizona is on a three-game losing streak, but they could be the benefactors of some dodgy scheduling from the Panthers. Chapman got stung by No. 5 Utah Valley on Thursday evening and now have to turn around and take a seven-hour trek to Tucson for a key conference tilt. The Wildcats watched UVU stifle the Chapman offense, and if they can keep it close late, they could see some Panther bus legs.
No. 9 Coastal Carolina at No. 18 Florida Gulf Coast, 6 p.m. – Saturday
The Chanticleers have been the darlings of Division II in 2024 and they would go along way in shoring up at least an at-large bid with a road victory against the Eagles. A Coastal win and they are in pretty good shape to run the rest of the regular season schedule. Conversely, an upset here and FGCU would grab a signature win that could reset its season. Expect the Eagles to come out gunning.
No. 7 Montana at No. 15 Northwest Nazarene, 7:30 p.m. – Saturday
This just might be a mid-March sneak peek at the PNCLL title game. Unlike last year when Montana was nine games deep into the season, this is the fourth contest for the Grizzlies. Could that impact sharpness against a Nighthawks outfit looking to usurp Montana’s conference crown? NNU has a nice road win at UC San Diego and a near-miss against San Marcos that is helping them up the charts, but this could vault the relatively new program into rarefied air.
No. 2 Brigham Young vs. No. 14 Florida, 8 p.m. – Saturday
It was noted a couple of weeks ago that BYU is starting its season unusually late this spring. Not highlighted is the fact that the Cougars’ non-conference schedule is softer than it has been in years past. Teams fluctuate from year-to-year, so it’s nothing BYU did on purpose, it’s just kind of how it shook out to this point. BYU rallied to beat Liberty on Thursday, and Florida will get their chance against the Flames tonight, potentially setting up a big one.
Utah at No. 17 Oregon, 2 p.m. – Sunday
The Ducks have the look of a dangerous team, but the 4-0 start to the campaign is lacking any Top 25 competition. Utah isn’t ranked either, but they’ll be another good test for Oregon. As we know, comparative scores mean nothing, but if one were to travel that route, the two programs share an opponent – Washington. The Huskies beat the Utes at the Pac-12 Shootout before getting mauled by the Ducks in Seattle. If Oregon can pull out the win, they’ll be undefeated heading to No. 3 Texas.
SLIDES & RIDES
- The first time was stunning. The second time was quirky. Another No. 1 losing last night is just plain silly. If you’re keeping track, we’ve now had three different No. 1 ranked teams in Division I in the last three polls and they’ve all lost within the last 10 days after Utah Valley shut down Chapman, 6-5. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech lost after cross-country flights; the Panthers lost at home.
Assuming BYU defeats Florida on Saturday, the pollsters will have quite a decision on their hands. Both No. 2 Brigham Young and No. 5 Utah Valley will be 6-0 and each owning a reasonable claim to the top spot. In addition, Texas is 9-0 with a win over a former No. 1, as well. The question is: does anyone want to be No. 1?
- After going quiet in 2023, Central Michigan returns to the MCLA this spring. The Chippewas have reclassified and now play in Division II of the UMLC and they open their season this weekend. And Central is jumping in with both feet. The Chips head to Minnesota to face No. 2 St. Thomas, No. 16 North Dakota State and No. 21 Minn.-Duluth in a three-day span – arguably one of the toughest trifectas for any program.
- When evaluating games this weekend, keep in mind potential candidates for Player and Goalie of the Week. Head coaches, submit nominations by noon on Monday.