Morning Everyone -

We are down in Florida for the IMLCA coach convention this week. We love learning and connecting with the great coaches here. It’s great professional development for us, as well as a nice way to network and connect with many friends. A bonus this year is getting to see our coaches, Coach Tillman and Coach Danowski, get inducted into the IMLCA Hall of Fame tonight.

In other news at FCL, we’ve been bouncing between trainings, podcasts, event coverage and trying to wrap up the year on a strong note.

The best part of this stretch is the conversations we get to have with coaches. We sat down with Cornell’s Connor Buczek this week and walked away with one of those simple lines that sticks with you: “Teach the point, not the outcome.” Thought it was worth passing along today.

Let’s get into it. Happy Friday ☕️,
Matt & Deemer

We’re excited to share a fully immersive defensive experience built specifically for men’s defenders: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 ✅

This two-day, college-level environment led by Matt Dunn & Jesse Bernhardt is designed for players who want a deeper understanding of the defensive position at every level: individual, small-part, and full-team.

This is a defenders-only event built to give players clarity, context, and exposure to how elite college defenses are taught. We have an outstanding coaching group locked in, and we hope you can be a part of it!

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This past week, we sat down with Cornell Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Connor Buczek on the FCL Podcast. One of the most interesting moments came when Deemer asked how he encourages creativity (shovel passes, BTBs, one-handed finishes, etc.), without drifting away from the fundamentals that win games.

Coach Buczek gave a simple, but elegant answer:

Lacrosse is full of unscripted interactions and split-second decisions. As Coach Buczek points out, “sometimes you do everything right and the goalie still makes a save.” It’s easy to let the result of a play dictate how we feel, but the outcome of one play doesn’t always tell the truth.

When you zoom out, something more important than the result of one rep emerges: the process. What ultimately matters when developing players is the quality of the decision behind the play:

When players know they are being coached on their decision-making, not judged on the outcome of a single rep, they play with clarity and confidence. They trust their instincts, learn faster, and their execution improves because their understanding improves.

As Coach Buczek puts it:

Coach Class and Coach Dunn

Last weekend, we hosted our Best in Class Women's Committed event at Chase Fieldhouse.

In our most competitive event yet, Team 1 took home the title in OT on a Layla Nick (Boston College) OT winner.

There was no shortage of future college lacrosse stars on the field, but nine rose above the rest to receive awards and MVP honors:

Our staff broke down the award winners, as well as other who stood out overall at Best in Class Committed 2025. Take a look below at some players that turned this weekend and read the full standout blog here.

Check out our @fclbestinclass Instagram page for the best highlights and coverage of BIC Women’s Committed from last weekend in Wilmington, DE!

We are pumped to announce the addition of Maryland senior defender Will Schaller and Michigan graduate student midfielder Ava Class as FCL Athletes! Stay tuned for drills, tips and advice from the pair throughout the year. We will be announcing more in weeks to come.

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