Some knowledge: In Lacrosse, there’s an 18′ diameter circle around the goal called the crease. Nobody with possession (outside of the goalie) can be inside this area. Basically, anyone who shoots the ball needs to do so from outside the crease. In College & the Pros, they can do “crease dives” (exactly as it sounds) – as long as the ball crosses the threshold of the goal before the player lands in the crease, they can dive-in to get a closer shot…but (and this is important) – they MUST NOT touch or be in the crease when they initiate this dive.
This weekend, Penn State (5) played Duke (1) in a Final Four game. The Winner would go to play in the National Championship. Much to everyone’s surprise, PSU held tough, tying the score at 15. Overtime started, Duke got possession and snuck around behind the goal, executed a crease dive shot and scored. The official closest to the action waited for another official to have a chat, then both signaled goal…THEN both sprinted off the field.
Upon review, the Duke players right foot was so clearly touching the crease line, it was painfully obvious…however, in College Lacrosse, a crease violation is not a reviewable call. Duke “won”.
To put this in perspective, imagine two NFL teams fighting for the chance to get in the Super Bowl, the winning drive ends with a touchdown after the running back clearly stepped out of bounds…but the call stands. Just imagine the fallout. That’s on par with what we watched. It was the most shameful ending to one of the hardest fought, most exciting Lacrosse games ever. Hopefully, the NCAA will make changes for next year…but that does nothing for the PSU players now.
That said, we already bought tickets for the National Championship tomorrow…so, with assistance from Tracey’s Cricut expertise, I felt it prudent to create a shirt – which I’ll be wearing – on Duke’s side of the field.
It’s the small things in life 🙂