| Each week, we will look back at the games that were to see which players had the largest individual performances. I say largest because the contributions that we can measure (from play by play) tend to be things that are easy to count. This includes, goals, shots, assists, turnovers, penalties, etc. We can’t measure a defender who shuts down an opposing player so completely that he doesn’t even touch the ball. Still, it is interesting to be able to identify the players that really filled it up each weekend and give them a shout out here. And since this week featured only 9 games, we’ve cut down the number of highlighted performances from 20 to 10. Want to make sure we only get the cream of the crop. On the other hand, since there are no bad teams playing any more, all of the performances below came against strong opposition, which makes this list all the more impressive. |
| For a bit of background, in order to rank single game performances, we needed a way to condense box score stats into a single number for each player. In order to do this, we relied on our expected goal values methodology, which assigns a goal value to each type of play depending on how often it leads to a goal in the next 60 seconds. By adding up all the expected goals added for each player, we can get to that single number and these rankings. |
| As of this week, we have also tagged each performance with the opponent’s ELO rating. The higher the number, the stronger the opponent. This should help to give some context for each performance. Did the player feast on the dregs of D1 or did they put up these numbers against a quality opponent? |
Top Single Game Scores of the week
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#1 – Matt Rambo (Maryland) – 6.57 goals added
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| May 14 vs Bryant Opp ELO: 1627 |
| Rambo paced the team with 8 total points (2 goals; 6 assists) against Bryant, in a game that Maryland won 13 – 10. He also threw in 3 ground balls for good measure. Statistically, Maryland had the second easiest game of the first round, but that didn’t stop Bryant from making fans in College Park a bit nervous. Rambo quelled many of those fears with his performance against the Bulldogs. Six assists show that he was happy to be a facilitator in this one, despite also tallying two goals of his own. You can be sure that he’ll be highlighted in Albany defensive meetings this week, so don’t be surprised to see another balanced effort next week. This is not a guy that is overly focused on getting his own shots. And that will be crucial for the Terps if they want to make another trip to championship weekend. |
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#2 – Justin Guterding (Duke) – 5.88 goals added
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| May 13 vs Johns Hopkins Opp ELO: 1589 |
| On the day, he tallied 4 goals and 6 assists against Johns Hopkins, in a game that Duke won 19 – 6. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 1 ground ball. Guterding’s absence on the final Tewaaraton watch list was a constant source of discussion during the broadcast on Saturday. We will never really know how much that played into his mindset against the Jays, but what we do know is that he was the engine that made this offense click. Some of the thread-the-needle assists that he dished out should probably be awarded more than .5 expected goals. But of course, we don’t let subjectivity into this rankings, so he’s stuck on 5.88 goals added. Still, it was an impressive performance, and one that the Buckeyes are going to be hoping to avoid next weekend. Guterding and the Blue Devils have the first game of the weekend, so he’ll be center stage Saturday afternoon on ESPNU. |
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#3 – Ben Reeves (Yale) – 5.70 goals added
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| May 14 vs Syracuse Opp ELO: 1698 |
| In this one, he scored 4 goals and added 2 assists in a game that Yale lost 11 – 10 to Syracuse. Add in 2 ground balls and you’ve got a pretty full stat sheet. No trillion-club here. Plus, when you factor in that Syracuse was the #3 strongest opponent on this list, these stats look even better. Reeves performance was the highest rated to come in a loss this weekend. He wrapped up a stellar season by nearly toppling the Cuse at home. If they’d pulled it out, his game-tying goal with 6 minutes left would be getting more attention this morning. But as it is, he finishes this season with yet another appearance on our list of top individual performances. And rest assured, with another year left at Yale, we’ll get to see lots more of him in the future. |
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#4 – Trevor Baptiste (Denver) – 5.16 goals added
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| May 13 vs Air Force Opp ELO: 1690 |
| I’m sure he’s very generous most days, but on this day, he tallied 2 goals without an assist against Air Force, in a game that Denver won 17 – 10. Add in 18 ground balls and 23 faceoff wins and you’ve got a pretty full stat sheet. No trillion-club here. And zero turnovers! Coach has to love that. The most amazing stat from his performance though is that Denver held the ball for 42 of the game’s 60 minutes. That is a 70% possession rate. And what’s more, Air Force came into this game as the team who’d led all of D1 in possession rate. That is mind-boggling. You aren’t going to lose many games in which your offense holds the ball for 42 minutes. |
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4 (3) |
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23 |
85% |
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#5 – Brendan Gleason (Notre Dame) – 4.73 goals added
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| May 14 vs Marquette Opp ELO: 1553 |
| On the day, he tallied 5 goals and 1 assist against Marquette, in a game that Notre Dame won 15 – 9. Scoring is how you win the game, so despite the lack of other contributions, here we are. With all the fuss about Notre Dame’s injuries to Garnsey and Perkovic, Brendan Gleason may had done more than anyone to assure the “experts” that Notre Dame remains a force to be reckoned with in this tournament. The Irish have leaned on their stars perhaps more than any team left in the final 8. So it’s critical for them to have the other guys step up like Gleason did against Marquette. If he continues to bring it like this, look out for the Irish. |
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#6 – Adam Osika (Albany) – 4.70 goals added
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| May 13 vs North Carolina Opp ELO: 1569 |
| Pacing the team with 5 total points (3 goals; 2 assists) against North Carolina, in a game that Albany won 15 – 12. He also threw in 4 ground balls for good measure. It’s a bit rate that Albany shows up on this list in the form of someone other than Connor Fields. But with the Heels keying on the Great Dane star, that left an opening for a guy like Osika to make some noise. And he did. In a game that required some serious mental fortitude, I wanted to call out the four ground balls. This game was built on runs, and nothing contributes to runs like a team picking up more than their fair share of ground balls. Can’t wait to see the rematch between Osika’s Danes and the Terrapins with a trip to championship weekend on the line. |
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#7 – Tucker James (Bryant) – 4.69 goals added
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| May 14 vs Maryland Opp ELO: 1790 |
| If the defense doesn’t stop you, just keep shooting, right? He gladly obliged, racking up 4 goals in a game that Bryant lost 13 – 10 to Maryland. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 2 ground balls. Plus, when you factor in that Maryland was the #2 strongest opponent on this list, these stats look even better. Our second losing player to show up on this list, he was really driving the offense against the Terps. He had 14 of the team’s 30 shots and 4 of their 10 goals. You can argue that a more balanced approach may have been more effective. At the same time, do you really want to go out having had someone other than your best player take the majority of your chances. Kudos to Bryant for a great season and one more tournament win than Hopkins, Penn State, Loyola, Air Force, Monmouth, North Carolina, Yale, or Marquette are able to claim. |
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#8 – Joe Seider (Towson) – 4.54 goals added
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| May 13 vs Penn State Opp ELO: 1692 |
| “Sieider-house” rules as we heard many times from the broadcast team. In this one, he scored 4 goals and added 2 assists against Penn State in a game that Towson won 12 – 8. Add in 2 ground balls and you’ve got a pretty full stat sheet. No trillion-club here. Throw in Penn State’s ELO rating of 1692, and these stats take on whole new meaning. |
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#9 – Chris Cloutier (North Carolina) – 4.47 goals added
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| May 13 vs Albany Opp ELO: 1885 |
| In this one, he scored 5 goals and added 1 assist against Albany, in a game that North Carolina lost 15 – 12. He also threw in 1 ground ball for good measure. Throw in Albany’s ELO rating of 1885, and these stats take on whole new meaning. The lacrosse world lost a source of great entertainment with the Heels exiting the tournament after their loss to the Great Danes. Whether it’s baseball, basketball, football, or lacrosse, there is something magical about a player who creates his own offense. Even more so when there is really no offense to be had. Steph Curry’s 35 foot bombs, Bo Jackson in Techmo Bowl, any great home run hitter, and Chris Cloutier. I’ll always appreciate the way that he appears in the front of the net, either because of a stealthy cut or because he just decided to go through the entire defense to get there. And the one-handed shots of course. This tournament lost a little bit when Chris Cloutier played his last minute in Albany. |
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#10 – Connor Cannizzaro (Denver) – 4.19 goals added
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| May 13 vs Air Force Opp ELO: 1690 |
| Pacing the team with 4 total points (3 goals; 1 assist) against Air Force in a game that Denver won 17 – 10. He also threw in 2 ground balls for good measure. When Duke put up 19 goals against the Jays, I expected this list to be littered with Blue Devils. But that speaks to the difficulty of having two guys on one team put up really big offensive numbers. It’s just hard to stand out when someone else on your team is equally effective. (Part of the reason that Guterding didn’t make the Tewaaraton list is that Jack Bruckner also had 61 points for Duke.) But it was Denver, with Cannizaro and Baptiste, as the only team with multiple guys on this list. Since Baptiste is on the field for only a few minutes per game someone was going to be the offensive player who took advantage of the 42 minutes of possession the Pioneers enjoyed. Turns out that it was Cannizzaro. |
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