Inside Lacrosse Podcasts

February was incredible. What a month of lacrosse action! If each subsequent month of the 2024 season measures up to February, then we’re all in for the most unforgettable season in history. Let’s get it.

March rolls in like a lion with EIGHT matchups with Top 20 teams squaring off. We’ll preview those epic battles, review the big picture from an awesome Week 3 and recap two OT thrillers from the midweek.

Our interview this week is with Princeton goalkeeper, Michael Gianforcaro, who will be playing in two of those big games this weekend. The senior captain, and Dan’s nephew, earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the Ivy League tournament and was an All-American in 2023. They cover a lot of ground, including Princeton’s team fundraiser in support of teammate Chad Palumbo, the ups and downs of Mike’s high school career, waiting for his time at Princeton, NIL, the many new faces for the Tigers, the Culver experience, the big weekend on Tobacco Road, the transfer portal and so much more. This is a special interview, and you don’t want to miss it.

GAME PREVIEWS
Friday, March 1
No. 17 Penn (2-1) at No. 1 Duke (4-0), 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 15 Princeton (2-1) at No. 18 North Carolina (2-1), 8 p.m., ACC Network

Saturday, March 2
No. 22 Ohio State (4-1) at No. 9 Cornell (1-1), noon, ESPN+
No. 13 Michigan (3-1) at No. 19 Delaware (2-1), noon, FloSports
No. 10 Yale (2-0) at No. 12 Penn State (3-1), noon, B1G+
No. 8 Johns Hopkins (4-1) at No. 2 Virginia (3-0), 1 p.m., ACCN

Sunday, March 3
No. 15 Princeton (2-1) at No. 1 Duke (4-0), noon, ACCNX
No. 17 Penn (2-1) at No. 18 North Carolina (2-1), noon, ACCNX
No. 3 Maryland (4-0) at No. 6 Notre Dame (2-1), noon, ESPNU

And finally, in a group meal-inspired Give & Go, the experienced veterans deliver a public service announcement to listeners about the proper way to attack and enjoy a good buffet.

Torrey Pines  coach Jono Zissi joins IL’s Dan Kaplan to discuss the preseason and upcoming game against St. Ignatius (Calif.). He reflects on the turning point in last year's season and the culture change he brought to the Torrey Pines’ program. Zissi also highlights the young talent in the pipeline and the trajectory of former player Mason Kohn, now a face-off specialist at Syracuse.
He shares the inspiring recovery story of Ryland Roach, who underwent brain surgery prior to the 2023 season, then discusses the instrumental players on the team, including Andrew Cook in goal and Matthew Mannarino on offense. He emphasizes the importance of balancing player and life development and shares his expectations for the season.

For the second half of the episode, the Haverford School (Pa.) coach Brendan Dawson joins to discuss the importance of senior leadership and the team's focus on the process of improvement. Dawson also discusses the challenging schedule and the way that some of the 2023 season unfolded. Zooming in on the 2024 Fords, he emphasizes the strength of the midfield group with players like Conner Nolen, Jack Long and William Burfeind, as well the impact that future Navy Midshipman Aydan DiRocco has on the offense.

Timestamps
Jono Zissi
2:20 Introduction and Preseason
04:31 Turning Point in Last Year's Season
06:39 Changing the Culture of Torrey Pines Program
08:31 Upcoming Game Against St. Ignatius
10:37 Young Talent in the Pipeline
12:21 Mason Kohn's Trajectory
13:44 Ryland Roach's Recovery Story
17:58 Instrumental Players in Torrey Pines Team
20:32 Matthew Mannarino’s Role on Offense
21:37 John Pryor's Fit as an Army Midfielder
22:47 Balancing Player and Life Development
24:34 Expectations for the Season

Brendan Dawson
26:10  Introduction and Preseason
27:17 Dawson's Background
32:36 Review of the 2023 Season
33:36 Winning Close Games and Focusing on the Process
36:10 Challenging Schedule and Facing Top Teams
39:50 Face-off-Rich Team and Senior Leadership
47:20 Goalie Room and Competition
49:54 Impact of Aydan DiRocco on Offense
52:03 Junior Class of Defenders
54:56 Uncommitted Players to Watch
56:32 Setting Goals for the Season

Recording while the second half of Notre Dame's eventual overtime loss to Georgetown unfolded, IL's Terry Foy and Nick Ossello start by discussing Denver's dramatic win over Cornell, Penn's dramatic survival vs. Delaware and Harvard's dramatic comeback over Bucknell. From there, they dive into NJIT's one-goal late-game win over Manhattan and welcome in coach Eric Wolf to discuss how he's turned around the Highlander program. They end by talking about Maryland's comfortable win over Princeton that illustrated two teams in different places, then swing through Providence's win over Brown, Hopkins win at Carolina and Rutgers' dispatching of Loyola.

2/23 D-Fly & Dixie with Corrigan Sports’ Andy Bilello

Week 3 brings triple the thrills with a schedule that features five matchups featuring Top 20 teams in this week’s Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Coming off an incredible weekend of lacrosse action, we’ll keep the momentum going and get you ready for another scorching slate of games. 

To start, the guys recount their concert experience and then get right to talking about the fantastic games last weekend. Of course they recap the Maryland vs. Syracuse classic and celebrate the collective viewing experience lacrosse fans got to bond together over on Saturday night. Imagine if we could enjoy that every weekend. 

Have you ever wondered how these neutral-site college events get put together? Well, we sit down with an old friend, Andy Bilello, who’s been behind some of lacrosse’s most well-attended and biggest events over the last 20 years. Andy, the Vice President of Events for Corrigan Sports Enterprises, comes in to talk about the three-event College Lacrosse Live series scheduled this spring. They talk about the history of these college lacrosse events, how these events are created, the biggest hurdles in setting them up and the three event weekends on tap this spring. They also chat about changes to the Corrigan Sports’ All-America event, get perspective on the evolution of the Michigan lacrosse program and close with giving Andy a chance to apply for the ‘Czar of College Lacrosse’ job.

WEEK 3 MARQUEE GAMES
Saturday, February 24
No. 9 Johns Hopkins (3-1) at No. 15 North Carolina (2-0), noon, ESPN+
No. 17 Rutgers (2-1) at Loyola (1-2), 1 p.m.
No. 8 Cornell (1-0) at No. 5 Denver (3-0), 2 p.m.
No. 11 Princeton (2-0) at No. 4 Maryland (3-0), 2 p.m., B1G+

Sunday, February 25
No. 18 Ohio State (4-0) at No. 3 Virginia (3-0), 1 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19 Georgetown (1-2) at No. 1 Notre Dame (2-0), 2 p.m., ESPNU

And finally, in a Water Cooler-inspired Give & Go, the guys draft their personal favorites for the best sitcoms in the history of television. Thanks to Simplicity Group, and enjoy the games.

IL's Terry Foy and Nick Ossello are back to talk about the one thing every lacrosse fans wants to discuss: the dive and whether Syracuse's Michael Leo was pushed into the goalmouth! Of course, that's in reference to the most controversial call of the season, which waved off Leo's apparent game-winner, immediately leading to George Stamos giving No. 4 Maryland the 13-12 OT victory over No. 5 Syracuse in front 7,500 fans on Saturday night.

After spending 30 minutes dissecting that game, they discuss Virginia attackman Payton Cormier's record-setting day in a tight game vs. Richmond, Hopkins' ugly rivalry win over Loyola, Yale's injury riddled debut win vs. Villanova and much more.

The 2024 college lacrosse season continues to pick up momentum as we enter our third weekend in February. With the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day behind us, we finally get to see the full assortment of Division I teams in action. Welcome to the party, Ivy League.

To begin the guys catch up on what’s transpired in the past week, including impressive showings by Virginia and Maryland. In recapping some midweek blowouts, they speculate on why Tuesday is no longer for the hunter. Dan also proposes a “new rule” for COVID era statistics.

The guest this week is Maryland defenseman, Ajax Zappitello. The senior from Portland, Oregon is a first-team pre-season All-American and one of the top cover guys in all of college lacrosse. They discuss bouncing back from a below-standard season for the Terps, the honor of wearing the No. 1 jersey in College Park, representing Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, how tight his defensive unit is on and off the field, the pending showdown with Syracuse and much, much more.

This weekend offers some genuine beauties, including four legitimate Top 20 matchups. Highlighting the weekend is a prime time Top 5 non-conference battle in the Dome.

Georgetown (0-2) at No. 19 Penn (0-0), noon, ESPN+

No. 3 Virginia (1-0) at No. 17 Richmond (1-1), 1 p.m., ESPN+

No. 7 Army (1-0) at No. 11 Rutgers (2-0), 1 p.m., B1G+

No. 20 Loyola (1-1) at No. 9 Johns Hopkins (2-1), 1 p.m., ESPN+

No. 4 Maryland (2-0) at No. 5 Syracuse (3-0), 6 p.m., ESPNU


And finally, in a Valentine and Journey-inspired Give & Go, the guys select their personal favorites for the best 1980’s-era power ballads.

Week 1 is in the books. On tap for Week 2 is Lynchburg coach Steve Koudelka and Gettysburg's Peter Toner ahead of their matchup. A breakdown of the games from Kap and Caleb and much more.

This weekend should provide a scintillating slate of action. We’ll get to see at long last the much-awaited 2024 debuts for many of our favorite teams. Additionally, last week’s surprising results set up critical games for a few teams with high aspirations in 2024. The D-Fly and Dixie Podcast, presented by Simplicity Group, is here to get you ready to enjoy it all. Let’s get it!

The guys start by commenting on Hopkins bounce back win over Towson, on which Mark teamed with fellow Blue Jay Quint Kessenich on the broadcast. They recap last week's stunners, including Loyola’s easy win over Georgetown and the pre-game tailgate delicacies. Dix also gives his remarks on Denver’s theft on Homewood, as well as an appreciation for the success of the newly-adopted use of instant replays in college lacrosse.

For a deep dive into Name, Image and Likeness this week, D-Fly and Dixie interview Mark Koesterer, the author of NIL for ALL: A 30-Minute Guide to NIL and the founder of The Players NIL. It’s a fascinating conversation. They discuss the legislation and timeline that led to today’s current NIL landscape, who’s benefiting, who’s paying, collectives, the lack of governance and guidance, how coaches and administrators are dealing with it and so much more. Bottom line – there is significant opportunity available for college lacrosse players.

THIS WEEK's BEST GAMES
No. 5 Johns Hopkins (1-1) at No. 12 Georgetown (0-1), noon
Loyola (1-0) at No. 6 Maryland (1-0), noon
No. 11 Michigan at No. 3 Virginia, noon
Villanova at No. 4 Penn State (0-1), noon
No. 8 Army vs. UMass, Atlanta, Ga., 12:30 p.m.
In a “The Greatest Night in Pop”-inspired Give & Go, the guys draft their choices for the Top 3 musical artists they would call if they were in charge of creating a modern day version of “We are the World.” Dixie’s choices are….. It’s not gold; it’s platinum.


About the D-Fly & Dixie Podcast
Featuring long-time friends Dan Flynn and Mark Dixon, the D-Fly & Dixie Podcast is a weekly show mostly about NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. Attracting the biggest names and covering the biggest games, the podcast previews the upcoming weekend of action and drops every Friday morning during the college lacrosse season. But the show also weaves interviews with top-named guests in the sport, pop culture references, food and drink critiques, other sports talk and discussion of their lives as two old friends into every unique episode. The show is distributed through Inside Lacrosse, the premiere media company in the sport for the past 25 years.

About Dan and Mark
The two met as student-athletes at Johns Hopkins. Mark played attack and midfield for the Blue Jays, and has been a well-recognized voice in the sport for decades - most recently as the premiere TV analyst for the Big Ten Network. Mark’s knowledge and experience as a former player, coach, broadcaster, college-level official and father of two current Division I players allows him to bring an educated and well-rounded perspective as the featured personality on the show.

Despite growing up in a lacrosse “desert,” Dan is a highly-engaged, knowledgeable fan of lacrosse. Learning the sport on the hallowed Homewood grounds, he worked in college athletics for 15 years (all at lacrosse-priority schools) before moving on to a decade-long tenure at Inside Lacrosse as the director of business development and events. Dan’s insider knowledge of the sport’s culture and people, combined with his history with Mark and his love of the game as a pure fan, make him the perfect host and set-up man for Mark’s analysis. Dan also produces and edits the show.

The DIII Lax Pod is back in a triumphant debut for the 2024 season. IL’s Dan Kaplan and co-host Caleb “Big Dog” Abney take a look at players, teams, and storylines to watch for DIII lacrosse fans.  Joining the pod are head coaches Scott Hackett Dalgleish of RPI and Brandon Childs of York ahead of their Top 20 bout.

The first in-season Tailgate features IL's Terry Foy and Nick Ossello diving into the Denver Pioneers' comeback, buzzerbeater, overtime and upset win over Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. From there, they discuss Colgate's upset of No. 4 Penn State, then move to Richmond, where the Spiders fell to Maryland in double overtime. Up next, Foy and Ossello examine Loyola's dominant win over Georgetown that featured a 24-goal turnaround from 2023 to ’24. Finally, they look at Syracuse's impressive performance vs. Vermont and whip around the world of college lacrosse.