Recent North News
The lady laxers of Oakland, MSU, Miami of Ohio and Michigan got together on Sunday for a day of spirited fall action. The games were hotly contested and featured some trash talk, aggressive play and outstanding skill.
I got to the upper fields as Michigan State was getting the better of Miami of Ohio. The Lady Spartans were moving well on offense and their shooting was stellar. The play got a bit chippy as the Spartans extended their lead. A couple of yellow cards were awarded when the play got rough. To the casual fan, women’s lacrosse closely resembles basketball at times - there can be some contact, but not a lot. A set of goggles is the only protection that is worn and when a stick gets close, the whistle is blown. With the concern for concussions prevalent in all sports, the lacrosse community is cooperation with their officials, is trying to keep contact to a player’s head to a minimum – in both the men’s and women’s game. The officials did a good job in keeping the players in check, but there was some chirping going on between the players about some questionable stick work. The game of the day featured MSU against Oakland University. This is developing into quite a rivalry and I think that the players and coaches would agree. The players had an extra conviction about them and the coaches didn’t want to give away any spring secrets. MSU jumped out early, but Oakland came roaring back. MSU got some solid goaltending early, but Oakland’s speed and skill won in the end. The game was not without its share of physical contact. There were some slashes and nobody gave in on the ground balls. It got heated as some of the Oakland players were a bit vocal with the MSU coach. Fortunately, the focus got back to the game on the field, and the Lady Grizzlies beat MSU, 7-4. Towbey Kassa, OU Head Coach was pleased with the results, but he had a different goal. “I just want to play everyone and see what we have. We’ve had a good fall season, but I really don’t care about the scores.” MSU Coach, Greg Normand had a similar view, “I’m running 28 players in and out, subbing like they do in the men’s game. Late in games, it pays off. No other team is doing it like this.”
If the game yesterday is any indication, the spring game between these two teams should be a beauty.
