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High Lacrosse IQ: Albany’s Thompson Attack

Main Photo Credit: Rich Barnes

At this point, you have to be well aware that Albany knocked off #13 Syracuse 16-15 in the 2nd OT period on Sunday in the Carrier Dome. It was a historic win for Albany in many ways, and it was a coming out party for both the Danes, and some younger members of the Thompson family.

Lyle, Miles, and Ty Thompson all play attack for Albany. Lyle and Miles are brothers, and their older brother, Jeremy, played at Syracuse before joining the ranks of the NLL and MLL. When the Thompsons chose Albany over Cuse, the lacrosse world was shocked, and now it looks like that recruiting coup is really paying off. Jerome Thompson is the fourth brother, and he played at OCC. Ty is the cousin of Lyle and Miles.

The connection these three share is ridiculous. Ty had 5 goals, and three of them were assisted by Lyle. Miles Thompson had three goals, and two of them were assisted by Lyle. Lyle had six assists, and five of them went to Lyle and Miles. Will Fuller also worked well with the trio as he had two goals and an assist, and one of his goals was assisted by Miles, and his assist was on a goal by Ty.

While there was a TON of crisp passing, there was also some incredible one man work put in, and no short clip demonstrates this better than the below goal by Miles:

He flips the ball right to the keeper, then waits for a split second, and snags a lazy pass out of midair and then puts it away. So crafty.

I don’t know that Albany is ready to be a Top 10 team this year, but I do know they’re going to be one of the most enjoyable teams to watch all year. They play fast and hard, have good speed in the midfield, and the most electric team oriented attack in the country. It’s not exactly a traditional offense, but it works, and is amazing to watch. ANY TIME Albany is on TV, you’ll want to check them out. And then you’ll want to hit the wall so you can try half the things the Thompsons can do.

Albany’s defense is pretty athletic, and they showed some improvement with face offs as well. Their athletic midfielders move the ball through the box well, and they are built nicely to support their adventurous and creative attackers. If Albany can continue to create unsettled situations, ride hard, and give their offense enough chances, I think they can hang with almost anyone. Fast lacrosse helped the Danes win on Sunday, and I for one hope they keep that style of play up all year long.