Another Week at No. 1 for Le Moyne in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20
Even though there was an absence of upsets on Easter weekend, the games were still helpful in cementing the status of the top-tier teams.
Memorial Day Weekend might seem a long way away, but every game between now and then brings potential championship matchups to the fore.
Perhaps the most important matchup in the NE-10 saw Adelphi take down Pace 18-7. It was a dominant win for the Panthers, who are one of just two teams in Division II with an unblemished record. To be fair, Adelphi has been rolling through opposition all year. Still, Pace came in at 7-1 and ranked No. 10, looking to be one of their biggest challenges and toughest opponents to date. Then Adelphi scored the game’s first five goals and led 11-4 at the half.
An 8-0 run stretched from the end of the first half into the start of the fourth quarter, as this one was never really close. Eamon Hall and Joe Duchnowski had five points each, but all the Adelphi stars showed up. Dylan Renner made 15 saves, Brian Hoerter held a narrow faceoff edge and Ryan Butler had three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Adelphi’s end-of-April date with Le Moyne should be circled in Sharpie by every Division II lacrosse fan with a pulse.
Frostburg has been the darling of Division II this year, going from unranked to notching a win against then-No. 1 Tampa. This week was another opportunity to boost its standing and write a Cinderella story, but Frostburg came up just short against Mercy. A big reason for that was Tommy Umano, who made 19 stops for Mercy, 12 of them in the first half. Those saves were massive, as after Mercy went up 2-0, neither team scored two consecutive goals the rest of the afternoon. They traded goals on their way to a 9-7 win for Mercy, with Brady Kearnan’s four points leading the way.
With the SAC tournament just two weeks away, Wingate was able to stay on a winning streak against a tough Anderson team. The Bulldogs have been leaning on their bigger dogs as of late, with Danny Riley and Willie Grieco running the show to combine for seven points. The real difference was James Kotcamp, who went 21-for-26 facing off. Anderson tried five different players at the faceoff spot but couldn’t come up with any answers. The Wingate clear did not look postseason-ready, as they failed on nine of 24 clear attempts, which are not usually easy to overcome. But the possession advantage helped balance out the turnovers.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION II MEN’S TOP 20
|
|
April 10, 2023 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Le Moyne |
9-0 |
1 |
4/11 vs. No. 20 Bentley |
|
2 |
Adelphi |
11-0 |
2 |
4/12 vs. Molloy |
|
3 |
UIndy |
9-1 |
3 |
4/15 at Rockhurst |
|
4 |
Mercyhurst |
8-1 |
4 |
4/15 at No. 15 Seton Hill |
|
5 |
Wingate |
10-1 |
5 |
4/15 vs. Coker |
|
6 |
Rollins |
9-1 |
6 |
4/12 vs. No. 12 Florida Southern |
|
7 |
Mercy |
9-2 |
7 |
4/15 at University of D.C. |
|
8 |
Tampa |
10-2 |
8 |
4/12 vs. Saint Leo |
|
9 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
10-2 |
9 |
4/12 at No. 18 Anderson |
|
10 |
Colorado Mesa |
9-2 |
12 |
4/14 at Adams State |
|
11 |
Limestone |
9-3 |
11 |
4/12 at Catawba |
|
12 |
Florida Southern |
10-3 |
13 |
4/12 at No. 6 Rollins |
|
13 |
Saint Anselm |
5-2 |
14 |
4/11 vs. American International |
|
14 |
Pace |
8-2 |
10 |
4/11 at Assumption |
|
15 |
Seton Hill |
8-3 |
15 |
4/15 vs. No. 4 Mercyhurst |
|
16 |
Newberry |
8-4 |
17 |
4/12 at Coker |
|
17 |
Frostburg State |
9-2 |
16 |
4/11 vs. Davis & Elkins |
|
18 |
Anderson |
10-4 |
18 |
4/12 vs. No. 9 Lenoir-Rhyne |
|
19 |
Belmont Abbey |
8-3 |
19 |
4/15 vs. Chowan |
|
20 |
Bentley |
5-3 |
20 |
4/11 at No. 1 Le Moyne |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Chestnut Hill (5-2), Rockhurst (6-3), Saint Leo (7-3)
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Tampa (no change)
Following the loss to Rollins, the Spartans have been on a serious rebound. They dispatched Florida Tech 14-11 during the week and dominated Florida Southern 17-8 on Saturday. Early on, the latter contest looked like a runaway train, as Tampa scored the game’s first four goals, including a natural hat trick to open the game from Daniel Fitzpatrick. Florida Southern responded with a four-goal run of its own to end the first quarter, but from then on, it was all Tampa. A 4-0 second quarter gave the Spartans a lead they never relinquished. Fitzpatrick finished with seven points as Tampa got its swagger back.
Rollins (no change)
The conference schedule for a team in the Sunshine State Conference is going to be brutal. But since stubbing their toe against Colorado Mesa, the Tars have rattled off four straight wins. One of them was a six-goal win over Tampa, and they added a four-goal win over Lynn this weekend, too. Syracuse transfer Mikey Berkman added a hat trick and is second on the team in scoring, his arrival has given the Rollins offense a big boost.
NOT
Frostburg (-1)
Frostburg burst onto the scene with an early season win over Tampa. Since that win, Frostburg has beaten up some, shall we say “less-than-challenging opponents?” That said, in its last three games, Frostburg has faced a pair of ranked teams in Seton Hill and Mercy and lost both. They were within striking distance of a win in both, losing to Seton Hill by one and Mercy by two, but if Frostburg fancies itself a contender, it needs to come away on the right side of those close games. They have another opportunity for a massive win with Mercyhurst on the schedule in a couple of weeks.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS
Dan Arestia and Kyle Devitte
Dan Arestia and Kyle Devitte cover Division II and III men's lacrosse for USA Lacrosse Magazine.
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