The Cool Down: Hop on Fire, Hens Prevail, Maryland Survives

This weekend was a reminder of why we love lacrosse so much.

Dramatic finishes, controversy, unexpected stars, gut checks, stick checks and the genuine joy that we can all see in the eyes and bouncy steps of the people who play this game.

We’re now nine days into the season and the team that everyone thinks is No. 1 in the country – Notre Dame – has yet to play. The Irish will knock the rust off when they host Cleveland State on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile Syracuse is playing like a No. 1 team in the country and Johns Hopkins is putting together the best early-season resume of anyone in the country.

The Blue Jays season-long gauntlet began with road wins at Denver and Towson, followed by an impressive 11-6 victory over Georgetown on Saturday in its home opener. All three wins have come against top 15 teams and the schedule doesn’t let up.

Next Saturday they’ll take a short jaunt up University Parkway to play neighborhood rival Loyola, which is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Maryland. It will be a familiar setting for new Hopkins goalie Luke Staudt. The grad student, who was Loyola’s starter the last two seasons, has allowed just 26 goals in helping the Blue Jays to the 3-0 start.

But the beauty of college lacrosse is more than the teams chasing No. 1 in the rankings. Sometimes it’s the teams just chasing a single win. Here’s a look back at the first full weekend of the college lacrosse season.