Taylor Cummings is a three-time Tewaaraton winner, a member of Team USA and the head coach at McDonogh (Md.) . "Taylor's Takes" is presented by Gait Lacrosse. Be legendary.
The farther we get into the regular season, the more confident I am in my preseason thought that the conference tournaments in late April and early May are going to be some of the best we have ever seen.
Take the gauntlet that is the ACC. North Carolina barely scraped by Notre Dame last week but handily beat Boston College a few games earlier. One would assume that Notre Dame would’ve then done the same to BC in this week’s matchup, especially given that tight game against the Heels — and it was just the opposite. Boston College had its foot on the gas pedal from the opening whistle of the first game and dominated the Irish in every facet en route to two top-five victories.
The same thing is happening in the Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, Patriot League and every other conference around the country. No game is a guaranteed win; no game is even guaranteed at all! Every single opportunity to play is met with an urgency and excitement to compete, and on any given day, either team can be victorious.
Winning a conference tournament is not only a guaranteed ticket into the NCAA tournament but a matter of pride for all programs. These games will feature a competition level we have not yet seen and more upsets than ever before. If you are a lacrosse fan, you are in for an entertaining few weeks of conference play as we dive into some of the best tournaments ever!
Taylor’s Top Players
Olivia Dirks, Penn State
Olivia Dirks is a woman on a mission this season. She goes hard all over the field and is a key contributor in every area for the Nittany Lions as they look to make another deep run in NCAAs.
In a heartbreaking loss on Thursday, Dirks had five goals, four assists, two ground balls, one caused turnover and 10 draw controls. To put it simply, she was unstoppable. I love watching her play because she is a true competitor and never takes a play off.
Rachel Hall, Boston College
On a team in which the offense gets a lot of the attention and praise, Hall is the quiet backbone of BC’s very gritty defense and is a key reason why they’ve been so successful this year.
In a top-10 ACC battle under the lights, Hall had 11 saves and frustrated the Irish shooters at every turn. She held her pipes well, was quick to drop to the ground or explode up for a high shot and produced instant offense for the Eagles thanks to her spot-on clears. Hall has impressed me all year long and showed she’s one of the best in the ACC (and the entire country) on Thursday.