The Terps are back on top. After a 15-goal run allowed them to erase an early 5-0 deficit against Michigan, it is Maryland who tops the rankings this week after both Duke and North Carolina lose ACC matchups this weekend.
And just when you think that the college lacrosse landscape is a top-3 and then the others we have a weekend like this. First Duke goes down to the hands of Notre Dame in South Bend, and then North Carolina took their second straight loss against Virginia at home in Chapel Hill. I would be surprised if all five ACC teams didn’t receive a home game in the NCAA tournament because I truly believe they are all one of the top-8 teams in the nation.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
As the ACC is looking more and more dangerous every week, it is the Big Ten and other conferences that continue to look like the little brother to the big bad ACC. Obviously there are outliers to this thesis here (Maryland, Denver, Lehigh, Rutgers???) but there are a few top teams and then there is everyone else.
Top 20: April 14
- Maryland (2)
- Notre Dame (6)
- Duke (1)
- Virginia (5)
- North Carolina (3)
- Denver (4)
- Lehigh (7)
- Syracuse (8)
- Rutgers (9)
- Georgetown (10)
- Army (11)
- Richmond (14)
- Hofstra (15)
- Ohio State (16)
- Loyola (12)
- Drexel (NR)
- Delaware (13)
- Boston (NR)
- Albany (NR)
- Penn State (19)
Receiving Votes: Villanova, UMBC, Navy, Vermont, Umass, Marist, Bryant
WEEKEND RECAP
The Terps are Big Ten Champions (and #1)
Maryland survived an early scare from Michigan who held a 5-0 lead early in this game Saturday afternoon. What did the Terps do? Just rattled off 16 straight goals to take a commanding lead in Ann Arbor to leave as an 18-12 winner and clinch a share of the Big Ten title. The Terps are now 8-0 (one of three undefeated D1 teams – Marist, Lehigh) and the #1 team in the country. They have a sizable leg up on the rest of the Big Ten and are a complete team. Maryland should be favored to make a run to Memorial Day weekend.
In other Big Ten news, Rutgers got back to their up and down ways dismantling Penn State 22-10. It was good to see Rutgers get back on track. Ohio State is 4-4 and is on their way to a 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Hopkins, Penn State and Michigan will battle it out for 4, 5 and 6.
The Up-For-Grabs ACC
Notre Dame took down then #1 Duke around 2pm and Virginia took down then #3 UNC around 4pm. And these ACC teams continue to throw punches every which way. The current standings look as follows:
As you can see, a major cluster in a conference that does not have a postseason tournament. But back to what happened this weekend as Notre Dame and Virginia secured huge wins. In what was one of the best defensive performances I’ve seen all year, Duke did not have an answer to Notre Dame’s smothering defense which allowed Duke to score a season low 8 goals. Jack Kielty was on top of his game, limiting Tewaaraton favorite Michael Sowers to just an assist on the afternoon. Freshman Jake Naso was able to win 16-22 faceoffs and Liam Entenmann had 12 saves. On a day in which the #1 team is being shut down defensively, Notre Dame ensuring its special teams units were firing was a key leg up in this one. Notre Dame got huge contributions from its midfield as Mirer (4g), Lipka (3a) and Jackoboice (3g) allowed some of the pressure to be taken off the Irish attack unit. Coach Kevin Corrigan secured his 311th win, the most at any Division 1 program.
And then there was Virginia who by the hands of Petey LaSalla’s 11 faceoff wins, goal and assist in the fourth quarter alone allowed the Hoos to hold off North Carolina late. In a very back and forth game that saw the lead change 6 times, it was the five-goal run to end the third and start the fourth quarter that proved to be the dagger in #3 North Carolina. Petey LaSalla scored Virginia’s 14th goal off the opening fourth quarter faceoff and Virginia didn’t look back from there. Alex Rode (St. Pauls’) was huge in net with 15 saves. Offensively, Matt Moore (2g, 6a), Laviano (4g, 2a), and Conner’s (4g) huge days helped lead the Hoos to the win.
Drexel Making a Move in the CAA
The Dragons have won four in a row and avenged two earlier losses to UMass and now Delaware and they sit third in the CAA with three games to play. With this current hot streak, they sit in the driver’s seat to the CAA tournament and have proved they have the ability to make a run and make the NCAA tournament. Towson now has two conferences wins after beating Hofstra yesterday. They will have opportunities against the current top four teams in the conference, to try and reach the CAA post-season. As is, Delaware, Hofstra, Drexel, UMass sit as the four most likely to get in.
Army and Lehigh Control Patriot League
As of now, Lehigh, Loyola and Boston U has clinched a berth in the Patriot League tournament. With a win over either Boston or Navy, Army will clinch a spot and they could also clinch if Colgate loses to Holy Cross. It is looking more like Lehigh will host the tournament after their 5-0 conference start. The Mountain Hawks have looked awesome as of late and had another big win this weekend over Navy. Mike Sisselberger was 78% on his faceoffs and Lehigh had a balanced offensive outing with 7 players combining for the 13 goals. A stout defense and strong faceoff presence is an equation that could lead to late season success. Lehigh is a grinder of a team and I believe they could be a bit undervalued at #7.
Around the Country
UMBC fell to the hands of Albany on Sunday afternoon. Holding an 8-7 lead entering the fourth quarter, Albany used a 7-1 fourth to emerge victorious and earn a huge America East win. With the win the Great Danes hold a tiebreaker over UMBC as both teams sit at 4-2, one game back of Stony Brook and Vermont (5-1). These four teams seem the frontrunners to make the America East tournament, but Binghamton (3-3) are nipping at the heels. Anything can happen in late April.
Georgetown and Denver continued their march through the Big East. Georgetown edged out Marquette for a 10-8 victory while Denver used a major third quarter run to blow past Villanova. I wouldn’t count the Wildcats out in the Big East as they have come on as of late and their only losses this year are to Georgetown (2x) and now Denver.
UPCOMING SLATE
Virginia-Duke – Thursday, 7pm
ACC Thursdays are back, and we have a good one to watch unfold Thursday evening. How will Duke respond to their first loss of the year? Especially against a team in Virginia coming off a big win over North Carolina this past weekend. The Virginia offense has plenty of tools to work with and likes to get out and run in transition. They will be a lot for Duke to handle but I think that is the biggest matchup to watch on Thursday. If Duke can make some stops and turn them into goals on the other end they will be able to keep this game close until the end. Either way I think this ends up a 1 or 2 goal game but put Duke on the hot seat to lose two in a row if things go right for Virginia. Another thing to watch is going to be how Duke’s offense plays after scoring a season low 8 goals against Notre Dame. Big one on ACCN Thursday night.
Georgetown-Denver – Saturday, 12pm
A matchup of the big two in the Big East. In their last matchup just about a month ago Denver was able to cruise to a 13-7 win. Georgetown’s Haley and Carraway were limited to only 2 goals and 2 assists and for Georgetown to win these two are going to need to have more of a presence. Since that game the Hoyas defense has been tested more than it had been, and Denver’s offense will be another test with Morrill, Walker, Simmons and Hannah.
Army-Boston U – Saturday, 2pm
This is going to be a good one in the Patriot League, and we might get a preview of a Patriot League tournament game to come. Boston U and Army are going to be in later this month and could see each other for a third time. Last meeting Army came away with a close 12-10 win. The game was very even, and I expect this one to be quite the same.
Syracuse-UNC – Saturday, 3pm
A game to get back on track in the ACC. Both teams have lost their last conference game, Syracuse to Notre Dame and UNC to Virginia. Cuse had a buffer week with a game against Albany last Thursday and they have had plenty of time to rest and prepare for this one. Syracuse has seemed to struggle when they get down a few goals. They also have trouble holding leads therefore being consistent offensively for 60 minutes is a must, especially against a team like UNC who has so many offensive weapons. North Carolina will be able to score plenty of goals and Syracuse has to match that Saturday afternoon. Cuse needs to find their midfielders more opportunities to dodge and play off Rehfuss and Hiltz who have been lighting it up this season.
Maryland-Ohio State – Sunday, 5pm
Can anyone take down the Terps? The new #1 has a chance to beat Ohio State and Hopkins to complete an undefeated regular season. It wouldn’t be crazy to say yes, as the Terps have burned through the Big Ten as their closest win was by four goals over Rutgers. Maryland is a complete team, and even with Terefenko back in the lineup for Ohio State I don’t think they will have a chance. Maryland is so deep all over the field and despite playing an all-Big Ten schedule I can easily say they should be an undisputed #1 until someone pulls an upset whenever that might be.
Other Notable Games
Vermont-Albany has big America East implications, but these two teams should make the tournament later this spring. Game is set for Friday night.
Rutgers-Hopkins on Saturday evening will be interesting to see where Hopkins stands. They have struggled mightily this season but has a chance to score a big upset over a Rutgers team who has found their run and gun style of play.
Hofstra-Delaware on Saturday is a good CAA game to watch. Delaware is the team to beat in the conference and Hofstra is reeling as of late, losing two of their past four games. Let’s see if Ryan Tierney and squad can get a big conference game.
Richmond-Jacksonville – Saturday, 12pm
An undefeated SoCon matchup and John Galloway’s Jacksonville squad gets a chance to take down a Top 15 team in Richmond. Both teams have been tested out of conference and this should be a good one if you are into skipping out on the big name 12pm games.
What a time to be covering college lacrosse. The games are getting more important, teams are finding themselves and looking forward to playing in May. We are two and a half weeks from conference tournaments, and three and a half from the NCAA tournament getting underway. But there is still a lot of lacrosse to be played. Teams looking to be in now will find themselves out of the picture in a couple weeks, and some teams on the outside looking in will be looking forward to Memorial Day weekend in a couple of weeks. Big things on the horizon.
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.