- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,245,923
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
After watching his team score a club-low five goals against the Utah Archers last Friday, New York Atlas coach Mike Pressler let his frustration be known in the postgame press conference.
“The players have got to do a much better job listening to the coaches,” Pressler said. “That’s something we’re not doing as well as we could or should. Guys are kind of doing their own thing, and that has to come to an end.”
The comments stemmed from what Pressler harped on after the loss — an offense that drifted away from its identity and tried to play hero ball. It was a complete flip from his team’s previous outing, when New York looked like the defending champions by scoring 16 goals in a two-goal victory over the Maryland Whipsnakes.
Days later, Pressler elaborated on the postgame remarks.
“We got caught not listening and doing our own thing,” Pressler said. “There are times for individual play in our sport, especially at the pro level, and you want your players to have the freedom to do that. But there’s a bottom line where we’ve got to follow the structure in what we’re trying to do. We got away from that, especially at the offensive end of the field.”
Pressler said the turning point came after the Atlas fell behind 4-0 in the opening quarter against Utah. Unlike their comebacks against Boston and Maryland, the Atlas did not recover, and things got worse. The Archers rolled to a 16-5 win.
“When we got down, I think it reared its ugly head,” Pressler said. “We went down 4-0, called a timeout and we just chased them from behind. I think guys pushed the panic button a little bit and tried to do it all themselves. When you do that in our sport, it backfires.”
Atlas assistant coach Scott Urick, who runs the offense, echoed that assessment and noted the problem wasn’t selfishness.
“It wasn’t selfish play. That’s not what it was,” Urick said. “Coach’s assessment was correct. It’s guys who are very athletic and very good lacrosse players trying to make plays. It was a frustrating evening for all of us because the execution wasn’t what we’re capable of.”
“When falling behind happens, it’s a challenge to stay the course and stick to what makes you successful,” Urick continued. “The temptation is to try to do more, do more, do more. If you’re not careful, that can devolve your offense.”
Instead of abandoning structure, Urick said New York’s offense is at its best when it trusts its system. When the Atlas offense is flowing like it did during their 2-0 Homecoming Weekend at Hofstra, great things happen. The unit was playing with confidence — until the loss to Utah.
“When we’re playing well, it’s because of our spacing, our timing and how well we move the ball,” Urick said. “The challenge at this level is everybody is capable of making that play, but it has to come within the flow of an offense and within the framework of an offense.”
Despite New York being held to single digits in three of its seven games, the Atlas know they can score. On Homecoming Weekend, Connor Shellenbergerdisplayed his mamba mentality. He totaled 10 points in those two games and credited the little things around him that allowed the offense to succeed.
“We had outlets. We had really good spacing. The ball was moving. We shot really well. We set really good picks,” Shellenberger said. “It was kind of a combination of everything. Those little things allowed for that 16-goal explosion.”
Against the Archers, however, Shellenberger admitted the group didn’t show up. The offense looked stagnant, resulting in the 11-goal defeat.
“We just weren’t as sharp,” Shellenberger said. “The urgency wasn’t there. We weren’t playing as fast as a unit. And when we were getting beat like that, we kind of rolled over a little bit. I think we all owe ourselves a higher standard than that as competitors.”
Now the Atlas (3-4) head into Sunday’s matchup against the Boston Cannons (3-4), a game that carries major playoff implications as New York looks to climb out of last place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The return of faceoff specialist Trevor Baptisteshould provide a boost. He leads the league with a 60.8% faceoff win percentage, and having the captain back on the field will be a major plus for a team seeking stability.
“We’ve spoken to a lot of guys individually,” Pressler said. “We’ve addressed this as a group, and now we get ready for the Cannons. There’s a lot riding on this game in particular.”
Continue reading...
