No Going Back: White Cements Role as Top LSM
by Paul Krome | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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Joel White's omnipresence Monday included a timely strip of Matt Moyer that ultimately set up Kenny Nims' game-tying goal with 4.5 seconds remaining. Syracuse went on to defeat Cornell in overtime, 10-9, for its second straight national championship. © Bryce Vickmark |
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Two years ago, Syracuse men's lacrosse coach John Desko gave a former high school scoring machine a defenseman's stick. After an improbable national championship, Desko could only chuckle in relief.
If there were any lingering doubts about sophomore Joel White's position change, he put those to rest with his performance in the Orange's 10-9 win over Cornell in Monday's NCAA title game -- most emphatically so by starting the contest's defining play.
Trailing 9-8 with seconds to play in regulation, White stripped Cornell's Matt Moyer of the ball amidst a congested clear attempt that, if successful, would've delivered the Big Red its first national championship since 1977 and one of the most monumental upsets in NCAA tournament history.
Instead, he caused the loose ball that teammate Stephen Keogh scooped up and miraculously passed to Matt Abbott, for what we now know as the game-tying assist to Kenny Nims with 4.5 seconds left.
"I went over [Moyer's] head and was lucky enough to get the check and put the ball on the ground," said White, Syracuse's top long-stick midfielder. "That's what Syracuse is -- unsettled offense, trying to transition all the time. It worked for us twice. That's how we scored our last two goals."
White's theft represented his third takeaway of the game, to go along with a team-high six ground balls. The former three-sport standout at Cortland (N.Y.) High made his presence known at both ends of the field, including in an impressive defensive effort against Cornell midfielder and USILA Player of the Year Max Seibald.
White limited Seibald to two goals on 10 shot attempts.
At 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, White had the body type and inclination to match up against Seibald's physical style.
"Yeah, he likes to get his shoulder into you, then step off, and he's got a cannon for a shot. I knew he was trying to do that, so I was trying to push back at the same time," said White, who limited Seibald to one goal and one assist in the Orange's 15-10 regular-season win on April 7. "He got me a couple times where he got some space [to shoot], but I was lucky that he didn't put it in the net. For me to cover him was an honor."
With Syracuse's offense struggling for much of the day and Cornell's John Glynn having his way, White had to play well to keep Seibald from heating up. He tied up Seibald and forced him into a bad shot late in the first quarter, and midway through the second he pushed Seibald out toward the restraining line, causing another wide attempt. He also harassed Christopher Ritchie into a turnover early in the third on a switch, and he combined with Matt Tierney on another theft late in the stanza.
"He's made big plays for us all year, and he was all over the field today," said Desko, who nodded with immediate recognition when given the opportunity to comment on White. "On defense, picking the ball up on loose balls and bringing it to our offensive end. He almost had a situation where he could've scored. He was wide open on the crease one time."
That one time was his steal late in the third. He got the ball
into the attack zone, passed off to Nims and pretended to head off
the field. When the Cornell midfielder bit and substituted, White
backtracked to open space, but Nims wouldn't feed him despite his
five goals on the season.
"A lot of midfielders try to get off the field, then I can come
back. Just to try to get the ball and maybe get six-on-five for a
minute," said White, who then said of Nims' discretion, "It was a
good decision."
White's best decision yet may have been his acceptance of a position change when he stepped onto campus two years ago. He played four years of varsity lacrosse at Cortland and graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer, the latter a feat he repeated in soccer. In basketball, he left Cortland as its career leader in steals. He's scooped 63 ground balls in each of his two seasons, a feat that ranked second on the Orange this year.
"Joel, even from last year, picked up the long stick so quickly. He's really a natural at it," said Desko.
"It seems like he can run all day," said Seibald. "And with that stick, he can cover a lot of ground. He seemed to just do a good job at not losing me."
White also knows his role as a wing player on faceoffs, where some of his ground balls contributed to Jake Moulton equaling a career best with 10 victories, as he did in Saturday's semifinal win over Duke.
"I enjoy it because we need the possession to get the ball down on offense to help our guys get a goal," said White. "For [Abbott] to be on that side and me on the other, there's really no worries."
Fellow defenseman John Lade, like White a member of the 2008 U.S. Under-19 team that won the ILF gold medal, didn't worry about his transfer from Villanova to Syracuse, in part because of his relationship with White and fellow U-19er Josh Amidon (1g, 2a today).
"[Joel's] the catalyst to our midfield on defense. He talks to everyone and keeps everyone talking," said Lade.
Now much of the lacrosse world is talking about the play White started with a takeaway.
