January 17, 2014 will be the first day of the women's lacrosse season at Adelphi University.
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| The Adelphi Panthers in their 2013 season are looking forward to the 2014 season.
Photos c/o aupanthers.com
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Friday, November 29, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
How To: Play Defense
Defense is undoubtedly one of the most important part of the game of lacrosse, even though it doesn't get nearly as much recognition. Your defensive unit can make or break your team. A great defense will stop a rival from getting in range to shoot or score. A bad one can put you out of reach for a win.
Some of the basic rules of defense include:
1. Body first, stick second:
In women's lacrosse, it is especially difficult to get away with using your stick. Swinging your stick can lead to penalty shots, which in turn lead to goals. Because of the safety regulations enforced by referees (including crosscheck, illegal check, and more), it is very much encouraged to use your body. You must train yourself not to approach with the stick, but with your forearm or just sticking with them toe-to-toe. You must break down (knees bent, squared up to opponent, and on your toes) when you play defense and use your stick as a last resort.
2. Always stay between your girl and the goal:
Just having presence alone can deter an opponent from challenging to cage. The most important time to stay between your girl and the goal is during the ride. If your attack turns the ball over, your opponent can fast break down the field (run down with more offensive players than defensive). If you are not hanging back as a defender, you are leaving the opportunity of a fast break with no chance of making body contact.
3. COMMUNICATE!
A huge part of a defensive unit is their communication. There should never be a quiet time on defense. Each defender should be talking to one another, letting each other know where they are and if they need help. This helps keep the unit cohesive with slides (double teaming) or pinching in (making yourself present without committing to a double team).
The Adelphi Panthers have a very strong zone defense. A zone defense is when each player is given a "zone" to cover, and a backer is there for the slide. This is why communication is so important because they have to have help when someone overloads a zone. This is an alternative to man-to-man defense, where each defender has one offensive player.
The reason the Panthers use a zone is because with a backer, the person playing defense is able to run at the opponent and either cause a turnover (get the ball back on offense) or cause the opponent to drop the ball.
None of these things are learned over night, defense is something that takes a lot of time and practice. But if you follow these simple steps, you can help your team be a dominant force.
Photos c/o laxmagazine.com
Defense is undoubtedly one of the most important part of the game of lacrosse, even though it doesn't get nearly as much recognition. Your defensive unit can make or break your team. A great defense will stop a rival from getting in range to shoot or score. A bad one can put you out of reach for a win.
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| Senior Jackie Williams playing defense against the Le Moyne Dolphins |
Some of the basic rules of defense include:
1. Body first, stick second:
In women's lacrosse, it is especially difficult to get away with using your stick. Swinging your stick can lead to penalty shots, which in turn lead to goals. Because of the safety regulations enforced by referees (including crosscheck, illegal check, and more), it is very much encouraged to use your body. You must train yourself not to approach with the stick, but with your forearm or just sticking with them toe-to-toe. You must break down (knees bent, squared up to opponent, and on your toes) when you play defense and use your stick as a last resort.
 |
| Junior Felicia Mills playing textbook body defense (breaking down: knees bent and squared up). |
2. Always stay between your girl and the goal:
Just having presence alone can deter an opponent from challenging to cage. The most important time to stay between your girl and the goal is during the ride. If your attack turns the ball over, your opponent can fast break down the field (run down with more offensive players than defensive). If you are not hanging back as a defender, you are leaving the opportunity of a fast break with no chance of making body contact.
3. COMMUNICATE!
A huge part of a defensive unit is their communication. There should never be a quiet time on defense. Each defender should be talking to one another, letting each other know where they are and if they need help. This helps keep the unit cohesive with slides (double teaming) or pinching in (making yourself present without committing to a double team).
 |
| Juniors Lauren Janelli and Danielle Jaycox double teaming the ball. |
The Adelphi Panthers have a very strong zone defense. A zone defense is when each player is given a "zone" to cover, and a backer is there for the slide. This is why communication is so important because they have to have help when someone overloads a zone. This is an alternative to man-to-man defense, where each defender has one offensive player.
The reason the Panthers use a zone is because with a backer, the person playing defense is able to run at the opponent and either cause a turnover (get the ball back on offense) or cause the opponent to drop the ball.
None of these things are learned over night, defense is something that takes a lot of time and practice. But if you follow these simple steps, you can help your team be a dominant force.
Photos c/o laxmagazine.com
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Meet The Coach: Rob Grella
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| Coach Rob Grella |
Adelphi alum Grella ('97) was a three-time First-team All-American during his career as well as the NCAA player of the year in 1996. He also led the team to back-to-back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Championship Games. He also is the #2 single season goals leader in all of Division II (59) to this day, while also appearing on the record books for career goals (140), where he ranks #3.
In his first season as coach ('11-'12), Grella led the Panthers to a 16-3 record overall, and an 11-1 record in the Northeast-10. In that season, the Panthers also went home with their third-consecutive Northeast-10 title with a 13-12 victory over the Le Moyne Dolphins. However, they lost in the outer-bracket game of the NCAA's against the LIU Post Pioneers.
Last season, the Panthers posted an 18-3 record overall, and once again an 11-1 record in the Northeast-10. For the first time in four years, the Panthers lost the Northeast-10 Championship game, to LeMoyne by 8-6. However, just a week later they played Le Moyne once again in the outer-bracket game of the NCAA's where they would come back from an 3-8 deficit to win 9-8. It was then they traveled to Maryland to play the Post Pioneers once again, where they lost 7-6 in the last 90-minutes of play.
I had a chance to sit down with Coach Grella and see what he was looking forward to with the upcoming season and just what it takes to be a Panther.
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| Coach Grella talking to his players during halftime. |
Grella: With the 2014 season, I am looking forward to keeping the team healthy and trying to reach and win a National Championship.
Alexa: What has been your favorite moment while being at Adelphi?
Grella: My favorite moment is returning back to Adelphi every season to coach a great group players!
Alexa: What has been your least favorite moment while being at Adelphi?
Grella: My least favorite moment has been watching seniors graduate and seeing how upset they are when their career is over.
Alexa: What do you think is the best part of lacrosse?
Grella: The best part of lacrosse is being able to compete at the highest level and win!
Alexa: As the mastermind behind the defense, what should people expect to see from this seasons defense?
Grella: I believe that "Defense" is a team believing in their leader and playing together. Fundamentals are extremely important when it comes to the Panthers defense. This season, we will be focusing a lot on communication and trying to limit our checking, while really pushing to cause turnovers through body-defense.
Alexa: In what ways has the organization of the defense changed since you have been here?
Grella: With every game, we adjust our defense on the opponent we are going to play. We also have a rhyme and reason for everything we try and do. Film is key component as well, as it shows us what teams may do before we actually play them!
Alexa: What advice would you give to girls who are interested in playing at a collegiate level?
Photos c/o aupanthers.com
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
2014 Adelphi University
Women's Lacrosse Team Schedule
To kick off the season, the Panthers will be flying to Grand Valley State University in Michigan to play the Division II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics team. GVSU lost to the Adelphi Panthers 5-22 in the 2013 season. However, they finished strong with 11 straight wins, finishing with a 13-5 record for 2013.
Just 8 days later, the Panthers will travel to Missouri to Lindenwood University to play the NCAA newbies. Adelphi also beat Lindenwood in the 2013 season, only losing by six, final score of 12-18. This was one of the Panther's closest games in the 2013 season, and are looking forward to the challenge of playing the Lions again.
After the 2013 season, Merrimack College and Philadelphia ended up ranked 24 and 25 respectively.
March 17th will be the first time the Adelphi Panthers play St. Thomas Aquinas. The #33 ranked team will play the #2 ranked team at the Panthers home field, Motamed Field.
Towards the middle of the season, the Panthers will play against both Stonehill and New Haven, who in the past have been challenging games for them. In the 2012 season, Adelphi only beat Stonehill by 1 in the final minutes of the North-east 10 tournament. Similarly in the 2012 season, the Panthers only beat New Haven by 2. In 2013, Adelphi beat Stonehill and New Haven 12-5 and 14-9 respectively.
LeMoyne college, considered one of Adelphi's toughest games each season, will most likely be another one. The Panthers lost two out of the three times they played the Dolphins last season. The first two games, the Dolphins won by 2, 13-11 and 8-6. It was not until the outer-bracket game of the NCAA's that the Panthers beat LeMoyne by 1 in the final minute of the game, finishing 9-8.
As aforementioned in previous posts, the Panthers ultimate goal is to first reach the Final 4, and then go home with a National Title. Though there seems to be a lot of time before the clock starts on their first game, the Panthers will train tirelessly in the off-season and preseason to reach their final goal.
Women's Lacrosse Team Schedule
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| The semifinalist trophy the Panthers went home with last season. |
Date Opponent Time
February 21st @Grand Valley State University 7 p.m.
March 1st @Lindenwood University 2 p.m.
March 8th @Philadelphia University 1 p.m.
March 15th @Merrimack College 1 p.m.
March 17th St. Thomas Aquinas 7 p.m.
March 19th Southern Connecticut State University 7 p.m.
March 22nd Franklin Pierce 1 p.m.
March 25th American International College 7 p.m.
March 29th @Stonehill College 1 p.m.
April 2nd Mercy College 7 p.m.
April 5th Southern New Hampshire University 1 p.m.
April 8th @New Haven 7:15 p.m
April 12th @Saint Anselm College 1 p.m.
April 16th Le Moyne 7 p.m.
April 19th St. Michaels 1 p.m.
April 22nd @Assumption College 4 p.m.
April 26th @Bentley University 1 p.m.
*Home Games are in Bold Print
Just 8 days later, the Panthers will travel to Missouri to Lindenwood University to play the NCAA newbies. Adelphi also beat Lindenwood in the 2013 season, only losing by six, final score of 12-18. This was one of the Panther's closest games in the 2013 season, and are looking forward to the challenge of playing the Lions again.
After the 2013 season, Merrimack College and Philadelphia ended up ranked 24 and 25 respectively.
March 17th will be the first time the Adelphi Panthers play St. Thomas Aquinas. The #33 ranked team will play the #2 ranked team at the Panthers home field, Motamed Field.
Towards the middle of the season, the Panthers will play against both Stonehill and New Haven, who in the past have been challenging games for them. In the 2012 season, Adelphi only beat Stonehill by 1 in the final minutes of the North-east 10 tournament. Similarly in the 2012 season, the Panthers only beat New Haven by 2. In 2013, Adelphi beat Stonehill and New Haven 12-5 and 14-9 respectively.
LeMoyne college, considered one of Adelphi's toughest games each season, will most likely be another one. The Panthers lost two out of the three times they played the Dolphins last season. The first two games, the Dolphins won by 2, 13-11 and 8-6. It was not until the outer-bracket game of the NCAA's that the Panthers beat LeMoyne by 1 in the final minute of the game, finishing 9-8.
As aforementioned in previous posts, the Panthers ultimate goal is to first reach the Final 4, and then go home with a National Title. Though there seems to be a lot of time before the clock starts on their first game, the Panthers will train tirelessly in the off-season and preseason to reach their final goal.
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| The Panthers last year at the Final Four in Owings Mills, Maryland |
Friday, November 1, 2013
Post-Season Individuals
Once the Fall Ball season came to an end, coach Rob Grella gives the girls a week off before starting individuals.
For those of you who do not know what individuals are, it is when a coach or assistant coach meet with individual players and focus on things they need to work on for the upcoming season.
For an attacker: this might mean shooting or footwork. For a defender: 1v1 practice and watching game film of what exactly what you should do.
Some of the greatest benefits of individuals are:
1. You are now being focused on: During team practices, coaches are unable to give players the individual attention they may need. With individual sessions, they are able to mold you into the player they need.
2. You are still playing. Even in the off-season: Playing once a week is better than not playing at all. Any time you spend with your stick is time you are bettering your game.
3. Learning new skills: Some of the newest and best things are learned during your time spent during individuals. They give you the time you may not have had to focus on new moves.
4. Doing the right thing: When your coach is by your side, they will tell you exactly what they expect to be done, and how to do it. You may think you're doing something the right way, but your coach will make it clear on how to improve.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Keesling said, "individuals really give me the chance to perfect things before the spring season. This is a very important time in our off-season because without it, we wouldn't be growing as individual players, which will eventually help the team during our real season."
Once the Fall Ball season came to an end, coach Rob Grella gives the girls a week off before starting individuals.
For those of you who do not know what individuals are, it is when a coach or assistant coach meet with individual players and focus on things they need to work on for the upcoming season.
For an attacker: this might mean shooting or footwork. For a defender: 1v1 practice and watching game film of what exactly what you should do.
Some of the greatest benefits of individuals are:
1. You are now being focused on: During team practices, coaches are unable to give players the individual attention they may need. With individual sessions, they are able to mold you into the player they need.
2. You are still playing. Even in the off-season: Playing once a week is better than not playing at all. Any time you spend with your stick is time you are bettering your game.
3. Learning new skills: Some of the newest and best things are learned during your time spent during individuals. They give you the time you may not have had to focus on new moves.
4. Doing the right thing: When your coach is by your side, they will tell you exactly what they expect to be done, and how to do it. You may think you're doing something the right way, but your coach will make it clear on how to improve.
Sophomore midfielder Emily Keesling said, "individuals really give me the chance to perfect things before the spring season. This is a very important time in our off-season because without it, we wouldn't be growing as individual players, which will eventually help the team during our real season."
Saturday, October 26, 2013
How To: Play Attack
An attacker in lacrosse has many roles, but the most important: get the ball in the back of the net.
There are so many drills that are designed for attackers: shooting, agilities, and ground balls are some of them. These drills may seem tedious at times, but they are very important when it comes to improving your skills. These skills can and are used in practices and more importantly games.
Three drills for attack players that stood the test of time are as follows:
1. A Warm-up: Ladders. Although ladders seem insipid, they are the best way to work on your footwork. If you don't want to do it with anyone, do it yourself! Even if you do not have a ladder, you can use tape to draw one out and use tape!
Some ways to go through the boxes are as follows:
-One foot in
-Two in
-Two-in, One-out
-Two-in, Two-out
-Single-leg bunny hops
-Both legs bunny hop
Below is a video of what the footwork should look like:
If you really want to challenge yourself, time yourself the first time you do it, and then try to beat your record EVERY TIME!
2. One-on-One Drills: For the best results, you need a defender to go up against you. Charging to the cage alone will do nothing for you, but when you have someone that is supposed to be pushing you one way, your brain will adjust and figure out how to beat them. Whether it is with speed, or with shiftiness, practice makes perfect.
3. Accuracy: To work on your shooting accuracy, place cones in the top, middle, and bottom sections of the net. Standing in between the crease and the eight-meter line, get a teammate or friend to feed you the ball, turn, and shoot. To challenge yourself, let the feeder call out a number, and shoot where they tell you!
Here is an example of where the spots are when you're shooting. You can even add a 7 and 8 spot in-between 1 and 4 and 3 and 6 respectively.
All drills and hard work make you become that better of a player, so do not slack! Push yourself to the fullest and the results will come.
An attacker in lacrosse has many roles, but the most important: get the ball in the back of the net.
It takes a lot of dedication and practice to fine-tune your attacking skills. And as late-Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."
There are so many drills that are designed for attackers: shooting, agilities, and ground balls are some of them. These drills may seem tedious at times, but they are very important when it comes to improving your skills. These skills can and are used in practices and more importantly games.
Three drills for attack players that stood the test of time are as follows:
1. A Warm-up: Ladders. Although ladders seem insipid, they are the best way to work on your footwork. If you don't want to do it with anyone, do it yourself! Even if you do not have a ladder, you can use tape to draw one out and use tape!
Some ways to go through the boxes are as follows:
-One foot in
-Two in
-Two-in, One-out
-Two-in, Two-out
-Single-leg bunny hops
-Both legs bunny hop
Below is a video of what the footwork should look like:
If you really want to challenge yourself, time yourself the first time you do it, and then try to beat your record EVERY TIME!
2. One-on-One Drills: For the best results, you need a defender to go up against you. Charging to the cage alone will do nothing for you, but when you have someone that is supposed to be pushing you one way, your brain will adjust and figure out how to beat them. Whether it is with speed, or with shiftiness, practice makes perfect.
3. Accuracy: To work on your shooting accuracy, place cones in the top, middle, and bottom sections of the net. Standing in between the crease and the eight-meter line, get a teammate or friend to feed you the ball, turn, and shoot. To challenge yourself, let the feeder call out a number, and shoot where they tell you!
Here is an example of where the spots are when you're shooting. You can even add a 7 and 8 spot in-between 1 and 4 and 3 and 6 respectively.
All drills and hard work make you become that better of a player, so do not slack! Push yourself to the fullest and the results will come.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
"Practice does not make perfect.
Only perfect practice makes perfect."
As Fall Ball is winding down, Coach Grella has been pushing the girls into making every practice a game-changing one. Each drill must be completed to the best of their ability, because how they practice is how they will eventually play.
"Practice is essential to building a dominant team. Not only does it improve skills necessary to perform at the highest levels during games, but it allows a chemistry and comradery to develop between teammates, which is essential to success," said grad-assistant Meg Brown.
Focusing on increasing stamina and perfecting stick-work, the Panthers push themselves to the limit during their 2.5 hour practices.
"When we push ourselves in practice, it makes us play that much better in real games because there is never a let up. If we run to our fullest potential, we are helping ourselves get into game shape," said senior defender Stefani Jackson.
In preparation for their tournament against some top-tier Division I teams, including Fairfield and Lafayette, the girls have been working hard on their defense. In 3v2 drills, 3 attack players go up against 2 defenders. The defenders must adjust to where the ball is being thrown and who is a bigger threat. This makes it much harder than just locking off 2 girls and letting 1 go right to the cage.
The Panthers practicing 3v2s:
Other drills that are done during practice are the Box Drill, which is essentially a full-field scrimmage where midfielders are cleared the ball (passed from the goalie) and run back and forth on both offense and defense.
There is also the 3v2 Continuous drill, where 3 attackers once again go up against 2 defenders and tries to score. Whether they do or don't, the ball is cleared to a girl in line and the two low defenders run up the field and join the outlet pass against 2 other defenders that had went in.
Look at the video below of the women's lacrosse team performing the 3v2 continuous drill during practice to get a better idea of what it is all about:
Only perfect practice makes perfect."
"Practice is essential to building a dominant team. Not only does it improve skills necessary to perform at the highest levels during games, but it allows a chemistry and comradery to develop between teammates, which is essential to success," said grad-assistant Meg Brown.
Focusing on increasing stamina and perfecting stick-work, the Panthers push themselves to the limit during their 2.5 hour practices.
"When we push ourselves in practice, it makes us play that much better in real games because there is never a let up. If we run to our fullest potential, we are helping ourselves get into game shape," said senior defender Stefani Jackson.
In preparation for their tournament against some top-tier Division I teams, including Fairfield and Lafayette, the girls have been working hard on their defense. In 3v2 drills, 3 attack players go up against 2 defenders. The defenders must adjust to where the ball is being thrown and who is a bigger threat. This makes it much harder than just locking off 2 girls and letting 1 go right to the cage.
The Panthers practicing 3v2s:
Other drills that are done during practice are the Box Drill, which is essentially a full-field scrimmage where midfielders are cleared the ball (passed from the goalie) and run back and forth on both offense and defense.
There is also the 3v2 Continuous drill, where 3 attackers once again go up against 2 defenders and tries to score. Whether they do or don't, the ball is cleared to a girl in line and the two low defenders run up the field and join the outlet pass against 2 other defenders that had went in.
Look at the video below of the women's lacrosse team performing the 3v2 continuous drill during practice to get a better idea of what it is all about:
The progress the girls have made and will continue to make is all in preparation for a stellar 2014 season.
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