Competing the Z: Italians and St. Patrick
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne
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| A young Dave Zazzaro and his first St. Patrick's Day dinner. |
With a name like Zazzaro, you know Dave is whipping up a batch
of marinara with meatballs and linguine tonight as the rest of the
world drinks green beer. That’s just the way Z is. He tends
to go against the grain.
Take last week, for example.
While I was picking nearly all the games correctly, Zazzaro –
ever the iconoclast – opted to pick almost all losers.
That’s just the way he is.
That’s okay. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and as a
dual citizen of Ireland and the U.S., I try to enjoy all of the
many cultural additions the Emerald Isle has added to our world. As
such, this preamble will be “short and sweet,” as my
Nana used to say.
I’ll give Z the last word because he’s a little sore
about me halving his lead down to two games. Zazzaro acts like
he’s a couple of games from perfection, but his 1-4 week dips
him below .500 for the season with a 7-8 mark. I posted the 3-2
campaign, but I’m still lagging at 5-10.
“I'm happy for Jac,” said Zazzaro, tomato sauce
dripping from his chin. “He had a nice week and he picked up
a couple of games on me. I like the competition. It also helps with
his credibility writing for Lacrosse Magazine when he wins
in a pick 'em contest. He needs that every now and again to boost
his confidence. But his success will be short-lived.”
On to the games…
No. 7 Denison at No. 14
Haverford, 12
p.m., Saturday
COYNE: Why do I like this game? Because
it’s really the only chance we’ll get prior to May 1 to
see what kind of team Denison is. The Big Red’s schedule is
putrid. And I never thought I’d say that losing Merchant
Marine would kill a schedule, but Denison needed that game to be
played. If Haverford wins, which I think they will, then the Big
Red will have to fall off the table in the polls.
Brief interjection: here’s a little story about Denison and
Michael Caravana I wrote for the mag.
I like Denison and I think they have some great players, especially
Brady Burton, but you can’t start a season against Mount St.
Joseph, Fontbonne and St. Mary’s over the course of a month
and expect to be ready for a grizzled team like the Black
Squirrels. ‘Fords, by four.
ZAZZARO: I really think Denison is a team to watch. They
have Final Four capability – they have tons of firepower and
are strong at each position. Haverford is a team that has big-time
game experience already this season along with some excellent
playmakers at attack. At this point, the game has more (NCAA Pool
C) implications for Haverford, but my feeling is Denison wins this
one, 11-10.
No. 16 Wesleyan at No. 5 Middlebury, 1
p.m., Saturday
COYNE: In some ways, Wesleyan can be at peace
with themselves. They know they have no chance of getting an
at-large bid with a loss to Montclair State and a nearly full
NESCAC slate ahead of them (good for at least two losses). So
they’ve got all their eggs in one basket (Easter reference)
and can now concentrate on fixing what ails them.
Allowing 11 goals to Bowdoin and 10 goals to MSU tells you the
defense is struggling. Coach John Raba will tell you they have to
be in the 6-8 GAA range to be successful, and they’re not
close right now. So after 100 words talking about Wesleyan,
I’m picking the Midd kids, 11-8.
ZAZZARO: It hasn't been since the ‘90s when Wesleyan
had two losses by St. Patrick's Day. Middlebury had a nice win
against Bates, but Midd's new attack will be tested and there will
be a premium on good decision-making and finishing. This game has
turned into quite a rivalry (like Bowdoin and Middlebury from the
‘70-‘80s), but I'm taking the home Panthers in another
classic, 7-6 (ot).
WNEC at No. 13
Nazareth, 7
p.m., Saturday (at
Dallas)
COYNE: This is a pair of teams I’ve had
high hopes for this season. Both programs, despite WNEC’s
tough start, are going to be around in May and, while not title
contenders, will be an annoying out in the tournament.
Both teams took down a good Bowdoin team – Naz relatively
easily, WNEC in extra time – in Dallas, but Nazareth is
clearly the better team right now. The only hole in their game is
at the face-off X, which is obviously important, but they’ve
managed to mitigate that problem so far. I like the Flyers by
three, 9-6.
ZAZZARO: I'm impressed with WNEC's win against Bowdoin,
but Nazareth looks like they may be the team to beat in the Empire
8 (with Stevens a close second). These spring break games are tough
to figure out, sometimes there is just enough wackiness on a trip
to cause an upset. But these teams are virtually even and WNEC has
a big win already in Dallas. So I'm picking WNEC in another
12-11 overtime game.
Coyne's Pick
York (2-5) at Catholic (4-0)
, 2 p.m.
COYNE: I think this is a pair of teams running at
about the same level, but one has been tested a lot more. York has
taken its lumps against No. 8 Roanoke, St. John Fisher, No. 14
Haverford and No. 10 Dickinson, but that kind of trial by fire only
pays dividends, especially against a team that’s biggest win
came against an 0-5 Wesley team.
This game is designed to trick Zazzaro, as he tends to look at the
shiny records when selecting. We’ll see if he takes the bait.
York wins comfortably.
ZAZZARO: I have no idea in this game. Catholic is
undefeated, but they haven't been tested yet. York has gone against
some of country's finest teams and their record reflects that. Last
year, these two teams played to a one-goal thriller. I'm going to
take York on a hunch, 10-8.
COYNE: Son of a…
Zazzaro’s Pick
McDaniel at Washington
College, 1
p.m., Saturday
ZAZZARO: The Centennial League looks to be very
deep and making the conference tournament will be an
accomplishment. This is an important game for both programs if they
hope to extend their seasons in May. I like McDaniel, 9-7.
COYNE: You figure Gettysburg, Haverford and Dickinson are
locks for the four-team Centennial Conference tournament, leaving
six other teams clawing their way to the fourth spot and the
accompanying quick exit, compliments of the Bullets. The Shoremen
and Green Terror are jockeying for that honor.
After a glimmer of hope at the start of the year, WAC has hit the
skids with a three-game losing skein, capped off by a recent
overtime loss to Muhlenberg. McDaniel has won two-straight,
including a road win over Colorado College. I’d like to pick
Washington in this one, but the Terror’s performance against
Salisbury (L, 12-6) has me sold. I like Mickey D’s by
three.
Previous installments of Competing the Z
Weekend of Feb.
27
Weekend of March
6
Weekend of March 13
