The second weekend of the college lacrosse season was one that many analysts throughout the country did not expect. Plenty of upsets and close games rang throughout the country, as well as some blowouts we did not see happening. Here are some notable storylines from this past weekend.
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Feb. 9th
Syracuse drops home opener
Syracuse was stunned by in state rival Colgate Friday night, and looked out of it from the opening whistle. Without stud sophomore Tucker Dordevic, the Orange need to find a way to rebound as they take on the other in-state rival Albany in the dome on Saturday.
Towson destroys Hopkins 17-8
In their home opener debuting throwback uniforms, Towson showed it all against Hopkins, with Brendan Sunday posting 6g, 2a. Alex Woodall was on fire at the X and Towson proved they were not to be messed with this year, jumping up in the polls after this opening statement win.
Penn State puts up 27 goals. A school record
Robert Morris didn’t have an answer on Saturday, as Penn State pulled out the rally caps and dropped 27 goals. 15 different Nittany Lions scored, and their goalie posted a 73% save percentage. Penn State is rolling this spring and is up to #4 in the polls.
Richmond comeback comes up just short
In Byrd Stadium, Maryland held a 10-4 lead going into the fourth quarter and watched as Richmond clawed their way all the way back, getting to within 10-9. Although they weren’t able to finish the comeback, Maryland was almost the next team to be put on Upset Alert.
Utah gets first win in program history
The Utah Utes won their first game in program history, beating Mercer 13-9 behind Josh Stout’s 7g, 1a. The group of youngsters have just one week before playing their biggest game yet – at Denver. Look for the Utes to win a few more this season and keep even more competitive.
Loyola starts season off very strong
At home, Loyola started off the season on the right foot with a 17-9 throbbing of Virginia. The team with high hopes for 2019 was beaten by the team with higher hopes for 2019. Pat Spencer put up 5g, 2a in his debut and Jacob Stover stopped 18 shots. These two seniors from Baltimore hope to lead Loyola to a long May.
D3: Salisbury and St. Mary’s get wins. Salisbury played their second game of the season, and their second close game of the season. They beat Lynchburg 11-9. The Sea Gulls might just not have the mojo they seemed to have had in years past. St. Mary’s started off strong against Marywood, winning 17-5 and seeing 9 different players score. They take on Dickinson this weekend in what should be a tough one against the Red Devils.
Feb 15th-16th
At this point in the NCAA Lacrosse season, one cannot guess what is going to happen with upcoming games. There have been countless absurd results, which can be somewhat attributed to the shot clock and somewhat attributed to the developing skill of some teams. Here are some of the top games on tap this weekend with a quick preview.
Towson / Mt St Mary’s
On Friday, the Mount hosts 9th ranked Towson, in a game the Tigers should win handily. Alex Woodall should continue his dominance at the X, and the young Towson team with a tough defense should be heading back to Towson in the win column Saturday evening.
Navy / UMBC
Navy has their eyes on the polls, and might need a win this weekend to squeak in. UMBC looks to squander those hopes like they did to Albany last year. Look for the Midshipmen to take this one at home in UMBC’s first game of the year. If the upsets keep coming like they have been, Navy might just be ranked next week.
Hopkins / Loyola
Another battle for Baltimore for Hopkins, and this should be a fun one as well. If you remember, two years ago Joel Tinney won it for the Jays at Homewood with his trick play in OT. But does a Hopkins team coming off a bad loss have what it takes to take down the high-flying Greyhounds? I think itll be a closer game than many expect, but Loyola seems like the more dominant team thus far to me.
Duke / Denver
This should be the best game of the weekend. What more can you ask for than a top-10 game in February. Duke is playing their fourth game, while it is only Denver’s second. I give the edge to the Blue Devils based on the fact that this isnt their first test. It should be a close one though.
Virginia / Lehigh
Two ranked teams coming off losses look to re-write the beginning of their season at Klockner Stadium. Lehigh will need to put in more than 3 goals to win this Saturday. I think Virginia will be too strong and needs to win too badly to lose this game. They have the talent to do so, with many offensive weapons back, and a team win is what they need in their home opener.
Rutgers / Army
Army marches down to New Jersey after stealing one in OT from Umass, while Rutgers is coming off a closer than expected win against St. Johns. I think #8 Rutgers will hold off the Cadets, but I wouldn’t be surprised if freshman Brendan Nichtern of Army put on another show and send the Cadets marching back with a win.
Yale / Villanova
The defending champions open their season at home against Villanova, in what shouldn’t be a close one. Villanova has not started off strong, and Yale will have plenty of energy coming off their National Championship and #1 ranking to start the season. Td Ierlan, Jack Tigh, Chris Fake and Jackson Morrill are too much to stop in early February.
Syracuse / Albany
Although Syracuse is without Dordevic, and Albany is in a “rebuilding year” I think this will be an interesting matchup and two interesting teams to watch throughout the year. Both will not give up and want this one badly for the bragging rights of New York. The Danes are favored to win in the dome, but I think Syracuse bounces back and makes amends for last Friday, winning handily.
Lacrosse Analyst
Sam Kuhn currently is the graduate assistant for the men’s lacrosse program at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio and is working to complete his Masters of Business Administration in 2020. Sam graduated from the College of Wooster in 2018, where he received his Bachelors Degree in English and played lacrosse as well. In his four years, Sam was a two time All-NCAC selection, a first team All-Region selection in 2018, and surpassed 100 goals for his career, one of seven members in program history to do so. Sam has interned with Inside Lacrosse, and wrote for the sports section of The Wooster Voice.