This was a rematch of last years championship game and bizarrely followed similar lines, Cornell were 7-5 up in the 4th Quarter and Syracuse were putting pressure on the ball all over the field. Eventually Syracuse fought their way back into the game and scored the winner with 0.1 seconds left. Personally I believe the ball crossed the line after time had elapsed but the officials gave the goal, Syracuse wins 8-7.
There is a game recap available (FREE) at http://www.suathletics.com/showcase/#mediaarchive
In the clip they show a crucial turnover caused by Syracuse when the game was 7-7 and Cornell were stalling behind the Cuse goal, there are 4 Cornell players behind the cage and there are 4 Cuse defenders marking them sealing off all available outlet passes for the ball carrier who eventually turns over the possession.
This got me to thinking why don't more English teams play Pressure Defence?
I have watched a number of International games over the years and one common denominator when watching England play lacrosse is that they never cope well when playing against pressure defence. When a team extends it's defence and plays sideline to sideline and sealing off adjacent passes English players look really uncomfortable and lack for ideas how to break it down.
Obviously one main reason for this is that no teams in the Premiership play Pressure Defence but this makes no sense as players struggle to play against it Internationally.... So why is it that nobody wants to play that style?
1) Coaching:
Is it simply because most teams in the Premiership don't have a qualified Coach?
But even if they don't have a coach at all, surely the players who have International experience know how hard it is to play against and could bring it back to their Club team and domestic play?
2) Practice:
Is it because no team practices regularly enough or with all their 1st Team players present that they can't practice it in training and so don't risk it in games.
3) Athleticism:
Is it because no team is athletic enough to play Pressure Defence, the age profile of the Premiership in NEMLA is a lot different to that of NCAA Div I and so are the speed & fitness profiles?
Again though speed and fitness are relative in games in the Premiership, you don't have to be a NCAA Div I athlete as you are not playing against them, you just need to be faster & fitter than your opponent to play Pressure Defence successfully.
4) Risk Averse:
This is the saddest and also most likely answer to why mobody plays Pressure Defence.
Is it because nobody wants to try something different because if it doesn't work they will get shouted at for making mistakes, or even if they do try it for a little while and concede a couple of goals they will give up on it because they believe the System doesn't work rather than just a defender got beat that can happen in any game situation?
This may also be the reason why Teams don't play Zone Defence (6v6) or don't have different styles of offence.
The is an Inertia to change and a comfort in taking the path of least resistance.
IMHO this is why all the teams in the Premiership play the same homogenous style of lacrosse, soft defence and sliding from the crease & motion offence and dodging down the alley on attack.
Rochdale were the possible exception to this under Coach Richard Gartside and looked what happened to them

They got to the Flags Final beating Heaton Mersey (2nd in Prem) at Mersey on the way.
I hope more teams are willing to play different styles of lacrosse and challenge the status quo even if it is only so they have a Plan B when things are going against them
As for the International Game I hope England are practicing vs a Pressure Defence otherwise History will repeat itself, and all the work on offence will get thown out of the window once the actual games start because defences won't just sit back and let you play in Blue Group games.
Good Luck to the boys you've got your work cut out for you

PS: Highlight of Syracuse winning Goal and why you should play hard to the final whistle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqUiBoyr67Q