Lacrosse Now Recap | December 2nd

by Thomas McNeeley Dec 3, 2021

Lax Sports Network’s Tom Eschen and Travis Eldridge discussed a wide array of topics in the latest edition of Lacrosse Now which premiered on LSN on Thursday, December 2nd, and is now available on YouTube and as an audio podcast.

Here is a rundown of the topics covered:

Inside Lacrosse released their NCAA “Top 50 Players for the 2022 Season.” The list includes both the men and the women and is highlighted by Boston College Attacker Charlotte North at #1 and North Carolina Attacker Jamie Ortega at #2. The full list:

1. Charlotte North (Attack, Boston College)
2. Jamie Ortega (Attack, North Carolina)
3. Connor Shellenberger (Attack, Virginia)
4. Chris Gray (Attack, North Carolina)
5. Izzy Scane (Attack, Northwestern)
6. Sam Handley (Midfield, Penn)
7. Taylor Moreno (Goalie, North Carolina)
8. Emma Trenchard (Defender, North Carolina)
9. Emily Hawryschuk (Attack, Syracuse)
10.  Pat Kavanagh (Attack, Notre Dame)

Tom and Travis discuss what it means for the women’s game to have six players in the top ten, including the top two spots. 

As Tom stated “I think right now the storylines and the personalities on the women’s side are bigger than the men… You got North and Scane from non-lacrosse hotbeds and I do like the fact that their stories are so intriguing and fascinating…”

Along with the NCAA, the guys speak on the NLL’s return to play after 20 months off due to the pandemic. Some bold predictions were given by Tom and Travis. 

“The New York Riptide who were in last place in their one and only season in the NLL, they’re going to make the playoffs.” Tune into Lacrosse Now to find out who gave that prediction for one of the newest franchises in the league.

The New York Riptide were one of two expansion franchises to compete in the 2019-20 NLL season that was cut short due to Covid-19. Alongside the Riptide were the new Rochester Knighthawks (the former Knighthawks relocated to Halifax prior to the season’s start). 

New York had a 1-12 record when the season was postponed while Rochester was sitting at 2-10. Both teams look to bounce back during the 2021-22 season that will run from December 3, 2021 - Saturday, April 30, 2022.

This Lacrosse Now episode will also include interviews from Buffalo Bandit’s Forward Dhane Smith and NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. 

“We couldn’t be more excited, it’s been a long 20 months since we last played a lacrosse game and we are just super excited… We didn’t know if it would be two weeks long, two months long, we certainly didn’t think it would be 20 months long.” - Nick Sakiewicz

“It's been a long time coming… You miss those teammates, you miss seeing those guys, playing with those guys.” - Dhane Smith